Aim to Sustain our way of life

Rural groups are joining forces to safeguard the future of shooting, says Richard Negus

- Richard Negus

Having spent the entire weekend trudging around Ragley Hall, I left the showground in a surprisingly good mood. My cheerful mien wasn’t due to any guilty, frivolous purchase nor even the thought of savouring a dram when I got home from the bottle of Dalwhinnie that I won off Liam Bell in a rugby-related wager. My happy demeanour was a hangover from the Game Fair’s opening day.

On that Friday, I witnessed a public — possibly seismic — shift in tactics and direction by those entrusted to protect shooting. In the show’s Carter Jonas Theatre, the nine leaders of Britain’s foremost rural organisations came together to officially announce the launch of a partnership called Aim to Sustain (News, 28 July). This partnership, if it fulfills its potential, will provide, in the words of BASC chief executive Ian Bell, a “clear signal of intent that we are not running scared of our detractors and that the British countryside speaks with one voice”.

The announcement was unashamedly upbeat and refreshingly ego-free. This latter point is highlighted by the equal standing each organisation, regardless of membership size, is given within the coalition. Aim to Sustain comprises the Countryside Alliance, BASC, the CLA, the Game Farmers’ Association, the Moorland Association, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO), Scottish Land & Estates and the British Game Alliance. The GWCT, thanks to its unique position as a conservation charity responsible to the public, will act as scientific adviser to the partnership.

Key catalyst