Robin Scott looks at what this year’s Midland Game Fair has in store and how it has evolved to remain relevant in an ever-changing world
While every local and regional fair is unique in its own way, only a handful have a standing of national significance among shooters. The Game Fair — held this year at Hatfield House — is one; the Midland Game Fair at Weston Park, Shropshire, on 16-17 September is another.
The Midland event started as a regional show 30 years or so ago and that is how it would have stayed had it not been for the foresight of founders Philip Poole and Tony Scutt.
Gun trade exhibitors were initially pretty thin on the ground but that changed overnight when the two friends approached the Gun Trade Association (GTA) with an offer they couldn’t refuse — free stand space for all GTA members who wanted to give the show a try. The uptake was incredible. Gunmakers’ Row grew massively as shooters from all corners of the UK poured through the gates.
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