NGO Long Service Awards 2025

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Our congratulations to all those who have reached 40 and 50 years in their gamekeeping careers. Here are this year's winners. 

40 years

This year we awarded an impressive 12 medals, representing over 538 years of dedication to gamekeeping!

John Bates

John has been central to the Monk Wood syndicate for the past 40 years. Under John’s watch more than 75,000 shrubs and trees were planted to create new hedgerows and shelter belts. The number of wild bird cover plots increased from two to a dozen now covering 20 acres, and improvements in his figures recorded for the GWCT’s Big Farm Bird Count each year are mirrored by the exceptional returns on pheasants and partridges – 48% last year. John is a prime example of our profession.

Dave Harris

Dave was NGO Regional Chair for Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire for many years, and has always been a passionate countryman who wanted to be a gamekeeper from a young age – leaving school at 16 on a Friday night in May, he started work as an trainee keeper the following Monday and never looked back.

During his years as a keeper, Dave was instrumental in creating two great shoots in Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. Conservation and nature have always been a passion for Dave.

Stephen Booth

Stephen joined Borde Hill Estate in West Sussex in 1981 aged just 16, before moving to Balcombe Estate and then to Mynthurst Estate near Reigate. In 1994 Stephen joined Wilcote Estate in Burford where he has accrued over 30 years of keepering.

Paul Ashton

Paul has been a keeper all his working life and continues to bring his knowledge and expertise to the role today.

His career in gamekeeping started at a young age with his first position at Anglesy Bodorgan Estate as a keeper’s boy under Walter Cole.

After going to Sparsholt College his first underkeeper role was at Linkenholt. He then gained a position as a single-handed keeper at Minstead Estate in the New Forest before returning to Linkenholt as head keeper, where he remains today.

Gary Yeomans

The Bury Hill Shoot, Coldharbour Surrey – was set up in 1984 and continues now. Gary was the gamekeeper from the start. On the death of the owner of the shoot seven years ago, the shoot was left to Gary who has run it since.

Christopher Brown

Christopher has worked on the Clandon Park Shoot since 1978. In 2010 the shoot was split to create Gosden Hill Shoot and Christopher continued as keeper for both estates and remains there to this day.

Julian France

Julian has worked since 1982 with three generations of the Corbett family at Shorley Estate in Hampshire, who hold him in high regard and consider him well deserving of this medal. He has built up a good team of beaters and pickers-up and commands respect of the local community and neighbouring keepers. Julian continues to make every shoot day at Shorley a pleasure, with enjoyable days properly done.

Jason Hilyard

Jason became keeper of the Old Warden Shoot in Bedfordshire shortly after leaving school and completed his 40th season in February. Jason grew up nearby and has a love of the land and local community which he has nurtured in his role as keeper. He is greatly respected and is a familar sight on his quadbike feeding the birds in all weathers. Jason’s skill, strong work ethic and good humour have ensured the shoot remains happy and productive.

50 Years

Allen Kerr

Allen changed his life to pursue his dream of being a gamekeeper. Still working after more than 50 years in the profession, Allen continues to be known for his conviviality, professionalism and snappy dressing!

Allen’s first gamekeeping job was with Lord Saville’s estate near Hebden Bridge at the age of 23, having decided that farming, office life, and engineering were not for him. He also worked at Hareup Estate in Northumberland, the Economic Forestry Group in Dumfries & Galloway, the Glen Estate in Innerleithen and the Riddell Estate in Roxeburghshire.

Allen was one of the founding members of the Moorland Gamekeepers’ Association (MGA) in the early 1990s, recruiting David Bellamy as Patron, who then became the NGO Patron when the MGA merged with the NGO.

Forward thinking, generous with his knowledge and enthusiastic about shooting and wildlife, Allen has touched the hearts of many across the sector.

Robert Breakell

Robert must be one of our youngest 50-year medal recipients! He received his first gun at the age of 12. Taking his first position at Eastwell Park near Ashford in Kent aged 16, Robert has, by his own admission, had a rich and rewarding life thanks to shooting.

Since 1991, Robert has worked on the Doddington Shoot, initially a syndicate shoot with reared birds, but in 2009 the shoot was taken back by the owner of the land and changed to wild birds.

Robert showed his adaptability in moving from bags of 200, to a shoot where there is celebration when the bag gets into the teens, and where good sport is measured as much in smiles as in the quantity of birds.

Andrew Little

Andrew’s career started in 1971 at Yarty Syndicate in Devon where he spent the best part of 20 years. He then moved north to Stranraer for six years before returning to Devon, and then to How Caple Estate in Herefordshire where he has spent the last 25 years.

Anthony Marsden

Tony has been at Hoff Lunn Shoot, Appleby in Westmorland, Cumbria, since 1973 and remains there to this day.

Before that, he was an under keeper to Gerry Arnfield at Rudding Park in Yorks. They moved to Hoff Lunn together in 1973-4. They reared all the birds and the game book reveals “all keepers were new and did very well”. By 1989 3,350 were shot and several thousand were reared for other shoots. After the 1993-4 season, Gerry Arnfield retired and Tony worked successfully on his own with smaller bags. Today the birds fly better than ever.

ENDS

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