Felicity Tickridge-Marshall recounts a special atmosphere at BASC’s Women in Shooting event held over the weekend at the Scottish Game Fair.
BASC’s Women in Shooting events are renowned for their friendly atmosphere, and the most recent incarnation of these was no different. But even considering this very high bar, there was something especially welcoming about the women’s reception held at the Scottish Game Fair on 4 July.
Stepping into the event, the atmosphere was relaxed, warm and full of old friends and new ones swapping stories and comparing notes. It embodied the kind of easy conversation that makes a first step into shooting feel far less daunting.
Guest of honour Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, captured that spirit perfectly. “I feel like a friend of BASC because they’re very welcoming, and I’m hoping that all of you feel that today,” she told the room.
The mix of people attending the reception from different generations and backgrounds is much of what makes these gatherings so valuable.Â
Rachael spoke of this in her speech, alongside BASC’s efforts to open the sport up to more people: “What BASC has done over the last few years is launch projects to bring more people in, making shooting feel a little bit more accessible.”
For Rachael, the connection runs deeper than politics. “Preservation, conservation, and farming – it’s in my blood. I’m a farmer’s daughter,” she said, before specifically praising the Women in Shooting initiative launched in 2024.
Women in Shooting is built on exactly the kind of connection on show at the fair: women meeting others at every stage of the journey, whether peers starting out alongside them or those further along who can offer a steer.
“BASC understands mentoring. I think that’s why the association has been so fantastic in terms of the support they’ve given women,” said Rachael, noting the need for work to continue in order to get more women involved.
Her closing words summed up both the day and the drive of attendees at the event: “We all enjoy our surroundings and we are not afraid to stand up for what we believe in. Our rural pursuits matter as much as any urban pursuit, and we will continue to do what we’re doing with the strong support of lobby organisations like BASC.”
Scotland’s shooting sector delivers more than £246 million in annual natural capital benefits, according to a new report launched by BASC at the Scottish Game Fair on 4 July.
The Countryside Clay Shoot returns 17 July at the West Wycombe Estate, Buckinghamshire.Â
The Firearms Act 2023, which was passed to become law in September 2023, aims to combat the illegal manufacture of Section 1 ammunition.
