Thirty-two children from a top primary school in Eastbourne have enjoyed a Young Shots day put on for them by the South East region of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).
The school, West Rise Junior was recently voted the top primary school in the UK at the prestigious TES 2015 schools awards ceremony in London.
The children had the opportunity to have a go at clay pigeon shooting, air rifle shooting and to learn about the important role that shooting plays in the management and conservation of the British countryside. Other activities included hide building and pigeon decoying, ferreting and long netting, while learning about the important part that both of these activities have in controlling pest species.
Justin Clarke, BASC South East regional officer commented “This is the third consecutive year that we have been running these days at the school. Every year they become more and more oversubscribed proving that children from all backgrounds are interested in the outdoors and country way of life. Many children from private schools get to enjoy shooting as part of their extra curricula activities; however these opportunities do not seem to be afforded to children at state schools. School children should be given the same opportunities whatever their background or education. It’s important to remember that shooting is a socially inclusive sport, which is safe, fun and in which boys and girls can compete on an even keel.”
The headmaster of West Rise Junior School, Mike Fairclough, said: “The pupils at West Rise Junior School have benefited immensely from working alongside professional and dedicated experts from BASC. Children at the school now understand why the countryside needs to be managed and how this impacts positively on every community within the UK. The children have been taught to fire guns safely and learned about gun law and the consequences of misuse, rather than glamorising guns through the media and popular culture. Working with BASC to educate our pupils continues to be seen as the way forward as evidenced by our recent award for being “Primary School of the Year 2015″ and by Ofsted.”
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