19th October 2025

What a good day we had on Sunday for the Battle of Trafalgar competition shoot!

We had a really good turnout of folks and were brought some lovely raffle prizes. The raffle draw was at 11.30 and we were just in time finishing folding the ticket stubs. There are three prizes unclaimed and the numbers are 166, 296 and 185. We raised £95 for Manorlands. Well done and thank you everyone.

The John Midgley Cup was presented to James, a very surprised but thrilled member whose average has improved the most. Very well done.

Not all our visitors left their score cards but I will continue to do an average sheet for visitors and try to fill in the missing scores. Second round scores are now to be added to everyone’s average, although one member has pointed out it might in his case lower the number !

Please make sure that you hand in your score card at every shoot, whether or not you're a member.

I am having my house decorated and so have emptied one book case to make it easier to move. Looking through all the shooting books was a real nostalgia trip. I have never shot anything live with a shotgun as you know how bad my aim is but I have shot lots with rifles. I think my rifle shooting days are gone and I will be getting rid of the last of my rifles before July when my Certificate is up for renewal. The police are now ringing over 80’s to see if we are still shooting and fit enough to do it.

With Bradford making most of the town centre pedestrians only, York doing the same and not even Blue Badge holders given leeway on other streets, I am starting to think older folks are no longer wanted around. I am lucky in that I have you members to cheer me up, decorate (but paid of course), lift heavy stuff for me and best of all laugh with me.

I had a rather large picture someone had painted for me and a member came along to put it up, he stood back, admired it and said to leave him it in my will. It is of hawks with their young. No dead mice as the National Gallery in London does not like dead stuff. We are tougher up here in the North. . .