Tim Weston, NGO Development Officer (South) said: ‘This show has been an extraordinary success in terms of promoting gamekeeping to the general public by engaging children and adults in what we do and why we do it.
He continued: ‘Most of the pigeons we served on the stand were plucked by children and we even persuaded a vegetarian to try and then buy some venison to take home. We’d like to thank in particular Ralph Skripek of Butlers Pantry who cooked some amazing game dishes on the stand, and spent lots of time with the children.’
Liam Bell, the Chairman of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, said: “I am certain that the NGO’s presence at BBC Countryfile Live has helped to take the gamekeeping message out to the general public at a very high profile event with an audience of 120,000 people. We had a fantastic few days with the public, with a great stand geared specifically towards those who knew next to nothing about gamekeeping, packed with clever displays and superb demonstrations. We had some really positive feedback from the public at the show and great coverage on social media. Crucially lots of people who previously knew very little about the work of the gamekeeper went away better informed. I genuinely feel our attendance shifted the mindset of many of those who visited the show.”