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Gloucester wildfowlers celebrate 70 years
Members of the Gloucester Wildfowling and Conservation Association (GWCA) celebrated the club’s 70th anniversary at Frampton Court Estate on 3 October.
Friends and supporters joined them at the estate, which has close ties to the club, for an evening of speeches looking back on seven decades of wildfowling on the Severn estuary and remembering old and lost friends.
A proud heritage
The club was founded in 1956 as the Gloucestershire Wildfowlers Association. In 2019 it added “Conservation” to its name, in recognition of the work members have always done alongside their wildfowling. Seventy years on, GWCA is still changing and looking ahead, and its work on conservation, education and responsible wildfowling gives the next generation of members plenty to build on.
Its flagship project is Poulton Court, 50 acres of marsh on the western shore of the Severn near Blakeney. Members have carried out three enhancement projects there, starting with two ponds dug with help from the Environment Agency, and part of the marsh is kept as a refuge that will never be shot.
The club has also run young shot events, brought new people into the sport and invited decision-makers to see responsible wildfowling for themselves. Volunteers have done much of that work, and the anniversary evening was a chance to thank them.
Congratulations from BASC
Sam Walker, BASC South West regional officer, who spoke at the event, said: “Seventy years is a remarkable achievement, and one that deserves to be celebrated. The evening provided an opportunity to recognise generations of people who have contributed to the association and to celebrate everything that has been achieved along the way.
“Congratulations to everyone who has been part of the GWCA story, past and present, and here’s to the next 70 years.”
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