More Than A Game Fair

With healthy ticket sales and worldwide support, this year’s British Shooting Show looks set to be better than ever, says Patrick Galbraith

- Patrick Galbraith

One day I hope that my little dog wins a terrier race while I look on, standing in the mud, eating a greasy burger with a pint in my hand.

That epitomises the very essence of a traditional game fair. But for almost a decade there has been a new kid on the block. Drawing on American and European influence, the British Shooting Show (BSS), which is being held in Birmingham on 16-18 February, takes the game fair model into the 21st century.

I caught up with the man behind the scenes. While not being into shooting doesn’t preclude a person from running such an event, having some interest certainly helps. John Allison fell in love with our sport on the muddy foreshore of Poole harbour, then graduated to stalking and driven birds.