The final of the Lady Shot of the Year competition will take place on the Saturday of this year’s CLA Game Fair, to be held at Harewood House in Yorkshire from Friday 31 July until Sunday 2 August.
Organised and run by the Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club, the inclusive ladies shooting club set up in 2012 to encourage more women to take up shooting, the Lady Shot of the Year final will be the culmination of a range of qualifying heats taking place on Saturday 27 June which have attracted a wide range of entries of all shooting skill levels from around the country. The qualifying heats, which are still open for entrants, will take place at 23 venues around the country and cost £35 for coaching and 30 cartridges.
The top three scorers in beginners, intermediate and advanced categories in the qualifying heats will then be invited to shoot in the final of the competition, a 30-bird sporting layout over a range of stands. The winner will receive a Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club tweed blazer and other prizes are being donated by Fur, Feather and Fin, the Sussex based country and shooting clothing and gift store.
The Lady Shot of the Year competition will also be raising funds for Victoria’s Promise, a charity set up in memory of Victoria Van Der Westhuizen who lost her battle with cancer in 2014. Victoria’s Promise provides support to women between the ages of 18-40 who have received a cancer diagnosis and works closely and in depth with each woman it supports to ensure their needs are met.
The charity provides a range of holistic services, including specialist reflexology and chemotherapy beauticians, to help women with cancer navigate the path through debilitating treatments and make their journey as stress free, manageable and successful as possible.
A fund raising raffle for Victoria’s Promise will be held over the three days of the CLA Game Fair on the Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club stand on Gunmakers’ Row with a prize of a limited edition Sage “Grace” pink fly fishing rod and reel provided by Stan Conway, the renowned fly caster.
A range of other prizes are also on offer, including a fly fishing day for two with Stan on the world famous River Test in Hampshire, and a range of Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club goodies.
Victoria Knowles-Lacks, founder of the Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club, commented: “I am delighted that the final of the Lady Shot of the Year competition is taking place at the CLA Game Fair and that we will also be raising money for Victoria’s Promise, which is an extremely worthwhile charity. The final is likely to be hard fought but, as with all of our events, immensely good fun and I can’t wait to see it unfold!”
Fiona Eastman, mother of Victoria and a founding member of Victoria’s Promise, added: “The funds raised through the raffle being held on the Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club stand and the raised awareness of our work will be invaluable in our mission to see that every women between the ages of 18-40 receives the care support and guidance they deserve whilst facing a difficult and frightening time in their young lives.”
For more details, visit www.gamefair.co.uk.