Alex Hogg Wins NGO Educational Trust Bellamy Award

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The 2014 National Gamekeepers' Organisation Educational Trust Bellamy Award has been won by a "legend" of the gamekeeping world. The award, which was presented by Alan Titchmarsh, went to Alex Hogg, Chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, for his passionate and tireless advocacy in the public arena of the crucial work of gamekeepers in ensuring a healthy and sustainable countryside.

Alan Titchmarsh, Patron of the National Gamekeepers' Organisation, who made the presentation, said: "Alex Hogg is the real deal. He's a genuine rural hero, a man who has selflessly and tirelessly championed the gamekeeper's role in managing the Scottish countryside in a sustainable way, and through challenging times. So much so, I know he's already a bit of 'legend' in keepering circles. He's a very worthy winner, and I'm proud to present him with the NGO Educational Trust Bellamy Award."

Alex Hogg, the Chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA), said: "I am really happy to win this award. I've worked tirelessly for forty years as a gamekeeper. The biggest satisfaction I get is in helping the species that, without our practical work in controlling the abundant predators, would have little protection otherwise."

Mr Hogg added: "As Chairman of the SGA, I have always tried to promote the good, whether that is simply thanking walkers for keeping their dog on a lead or fighting for the interests and welfare of gamekeepers in Parliament. We have worked very closely with the NGO since our beginnings and value this relationship in helping to get over to the public why gamekeeping is not only vital for rural communities but also for producing and protecting a broad range of wildlife."

Brian Hayes, the NGO Educational Trust Administrator, said: "It gives the NGO Educational Trust great pleasure to see the award go to a very worthy winner. Alex Hogg is a vastly respected keeper, both within the profession and outside it. His passionate belief in good land management and its importance in promoting gamekeeping makes his contribution especially important."

The NGO Educational Trust Bellamy Award was launched in 2010 to recognise those who display exceptional creativity and initiative in promoting the gamekeeper's role in sustainable countryside management. The trophy, made from a piece of bog oak many thousands of years old, was presented to the NGO Educational Trust by the conservationist (and NGO Patron) Professor David Bellamy to symbolise the enduring nature of mankind's relationship with the living landscape.

The NGO Educational Trust's principal aim is to promote awareness of the need for sustainable wildlife management in the countryside, while stressing the importance of the role of the ,conservation work carried out by gamekeepers.

Notes to Editors
For further information on this release please contact Julian Murray-Evans on 01766 523795 or email jmurrayevans@btinternet.com

During Alex Hogg's tenure as Chairman, the SGA has:

For more informationvisit: ,http://www.scottishgamekeepers.co.uk/about-us/what-we-do.html and http://www.scottishgamekeepers.co.uk/about-us/aims.html

The National Gamekeeper's Organisation Educational Trust was established in 1999 and is a Registered Charity, number 1076923. It is an independent charity working to promote public awareness of the need for sustainable wildlife management in our countryside, stressing the importance of the conservation work carried out by gamekeepers. Forty-nine out of fifty people say they have never met a gamekeeper, so public knowledge is entirely dependent on the media. The NGO Educational Trust wants to present the true facts about the gamekeeping profession and it particularly wants the young to know what gamekeepers do. For more information visit www.gamekeeperstrust.org.uk