Clays2Game_lady

Saturday 30th September, saw the return of my Shani Boswell memorial ladies competition shoot, and the last Girls & Guns clay event!

The ladies did me proud; they dug deep on the raffle and raised an amazing £2,570.00, which will be donated to the Kettering Dialysis Unit in my mums memory. The previous Saturday, we held a Girls, guns & GUYS shoot, and held a small raffle, which raised £680.00, which was split between Marie Curie Cancer and The Cynthia Spencer hospice.

This year has been a full on year for me, with the introduction of ladies rifle shooting events, as well as running clay shoots at Kibworth & Sporting Targets, trying to squeeze in some time for me to smash some clays, help out on the DIY syndicate shoot, walk out hounds (beagles) and work full time! and I am having to step things back and admit I can’t do everything, so after the 18th Nov, which is the Girls & Guns game day , I will be looking at handing G&G over to a familiar face, who has suggested taking the events ‘on tour’ (Girls & Guns on tour, has a nice sound to it!). We both will be out on the field until this season is over, which gives us time to plan and look at options for the clay events, so watch this space!

I never intended to keep running G&G for as long as I have; I never thought it would have as much interest as the events have tbh! and I truly am humbled at the amount of ladies who have pleaded for me to not give up running these events. but for once, I need to say no and stick by it.

In a few weeks time, I will have a new arrival joining my household, who will be taking up a fair amount of my time, sleep and free time, as well as throwing myself into the deep end with a new country sport that I have been honoured to have been asked to become involved with; whipping in for the beagle pack, and I will be squeezing some beating dates in there as well! The whipping in role has already set me thinking about an article (or 2) that I can write for CMW, so I need to I find the time for them as well.

I will be heading off soon for my annual week away in Norfolk, and have already been roped into beating for a day while I’m there, so even when I’m on holiday, I will be ‘working!’

Girls and Guns has bought some incredible ladies into my life, who I am now proud to call friends, and we have been through some highs and lows together these last few weeks. My girls certainly have had my back when I got ‘ghosted’ by a certain ‘handsome (ex) huntsman’, and his actions has actually made me and ladies become a lot closer with our friendships, as we have had to have some brutal and hard conversations that has tested the limits of newly formed friendships and plans; nothing a good session of smashing clays didn’t sort out, and we will still be meeting up over winter and have a small social shoots on the clay grounds.

I hope everyone who is involved in country sports this season, has a safe and successful season, I know mine is looking rather different to previous years, but I am looking forward to being back out in the field; where I am at my happiest.

*Disclaimer- thoughts/musings are my own- and this blog post will rattle some cages *

So here we are, 7 (nearly 8 ) months into 2023 and Girls & Guns is still going strong; I have ran 6 very successful events , with 3 more to go, had 126 ladies attend so far and introduced 3 young shots (from age 6 up to age 14) into the world of shooting. So its interesting that Girls & Guns did not get an invite or asked to attend the new name launch of the ladies shooting section from a well known organisation at the game fair this year; even more so seeing as i ‘won’ (by a v large nomination margin) their ‘star of target shooting’ in 2021, yet all the other ‘well known’ ladies shooting clubs did…..as well as a few of the regular ‘influencers’

In the words of mean girls (one of my fave films) ‘you cant sit with us’ & ‘We only we only wear pink on Wednesdays’- aka if your face/name does not fit, then you can’t be part of the ‘click’. Which is actually fine with me, as i’m proud of being different and not following the branded crowd. What i have built and created with my ladies events, has been done with zero input; either financially or collaboratively with anyone else and it will stay that way.

I know my target audience and who me and my events appeal to, and my days selling out are proof of this. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to have choices for women coming into shooting, but we need to be shouting out louder about little not for profit groups and events like mine; who aren’t all about image/pink/money and encourage ladies to be their awesome individual selves, and encourage and can take the younger shots out on events, lets give all women who are coming into shooting an informed choice about other ladies groups & events, not just the ones that orgs feel fit their criteria and image….

I myself headed over to Eriswell ladies charity day a few weeks ago, and had a blast! I’ve not shot over there since early 2020 and it was so nice to be on the ‘other’ side of an event for a change, as well as shooting at a ground that i don’t normally get to shoot at.

Girls & Guns is going on a much needed break now until mid Sept, we have 2 huge events in Sept and a ladies game day in Nov, and i myself have a visit booked in at Honesberie and a charity competition shoot booked in to shoot on.

Bring on the next few months, as it still stands, despite request for events to be booked in for next year already, i still don’t know what the plan is for 2024. There’s a few personal changes going on in my life (for the better) that may mean Girls & Guns will need to be ‘retired’ or handed over to someone who can continue what i have started, but i cant think of a better way to bow out on running clay shooting events for 2023 , than with my mums memorial shoot.

Laura x

On Sunday 09th July, it was Girls & Guns, the ladies shooting group i created and run, 1st birthday!

I honestly did not think i would still be running events a year later, and the ladies still keep coming; events are still selling out and this year has seen rifle shooting experiences added to what i can offer ladies, as well as the return of our ladies only game day- which sold out within days!

I have 2 more events to host before the Shani Boswell memorial competition shoot, which bookings are quieter for this year compared to last, but i feel that is to be expected with the rises in living costs, but the raffle prizes are not to be missed; if we did not think we could top last years; i have been proven wrong!

I have met some incredible ladies on my events, who in turn have become good friends & are opening up new opportunities for me this season within other country sports, so its not looking like my gun will be seeing much daylight when the season starts, and my pink beaters flag will be gathering dust.

Although i said this last year, i for certain say this year, that next year will be a quieter year for G&G, if we hold any events at all. With the cost of everything rising and i also need to start taking some time out for me. I have achieved so much more than i could have even planned or even dreamt of, and most my ladies are now at level where they have found their feet and either have their own licence, or no longer need the support of these events, and that’s a huge achievement and something I’m proud to have encouraged and supported the ladies into doing.

So happy birthday Girls & Guns, and thank you to all the ladies, grounds, my dad and background support i have had in getting this far.

Laura x

I’ve been rather quiet blog post wise lately, as busy either hosting/running/planning events, or being out supporting my ladies on competition shoots, but figured I had best do a quick celebratory post; as its 2 years today that me hosting an event, kicked off this new chapter in my shooting journey.

So 2years ago today, I hosted my first ever ladies clay shooting event, under The S&CBC.  My mum had only passed away 2months before, the person who had encouraged me to take up hosting & said they would support me with these events at the ground; had left! And I only had 7 ladies booked on!

I remember standing there wondering if it was worth doing it all again, but the stubborn streak in me wasn’t prepared to give up without at least trying, and so I put my all into getting the events bigger and better, and by Dec of that year, not only had I created the Shani Boswell memorial shoot, which has become a competition shoot, but I had 60 ladies booked on the last event of the year- bit of a change from the 7 at the first event!  

I’m still friends now with 4 of those 7 original ladies.

It has been a full on 2years, I certainly did not think I would still be hosting ladies days, let alone running my own! And it will soon be Girls & Guns 1^st ‘birthday’ & we will be of course celebrating that!

Who would have thought that 2years ago, me stepping in (which was meant to be a temporary thing and ended up being for nearly a year!) to host for the S&CBC, would lead me being nominated by so many ladies for an award by BASC ladies & the creation of my own events.

Will I still be hosting events in another 2 years? Who knows! I didn’t intend to do any events this year, but with 2 sell out days already over and done with, 2 more sold out events to go, another event filling up nicely & of course, the memorial competition shoot is returning, the demand was there for me to continue.  

On the 01 April, I will be hosting my first Girls & Guns event of 2023, the date is quite appropriate seeing as last year I said I would not do anymore of these days!

On 16^th April, it will be 2yrs since my mum, Shani, passed away, with Myeloma; Blood Cancer. She was 61. She had lived with that cancer from 2015-2021, and had been initially told she had 6mths to live and would never walk again, to which she replied ‘I don’t think so!’

The events are linked, as it was the loss of my mum, which led me to host for The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club in 2021, which then turned into me creating Girls & Guns.

Hosting for the S&CBC gave me something to focus on, to get me out the house and seeing people. The first event was not a huge success, combination of lack of advertising, experience in how to run these days and Covid, meant I had 7 ladies book on , but some of the ladies went on to become good friends of mine, and still stick with me now.

I learnt to work with the ground and get to know the staff and instructors more, and how to push the events, and the numbers attending grew, while I was still dealing with the fog of grief and loss of my mum. It become a personal challenge for me; to get these events out there & making the days more personal to those who attended, and it worked, booking numbers swelled from 7 to 15, to 49 and then 59. I had one of the days turned into a memorial shoot for my mum, with a charity raffle, and we raised over £1,000.00 for the Kettering Dialysis Unit.

I had always planned to step down after the December event, and to just slip back into just being ‘me’, but was asked to host one last event at the start of 2022 & received fallout from a couple of ladies who had floated the idea of running ladies days that were not under The S&CBC name, and that point I had declined, as my loyalty lay with VKL (owner of the S&CBC at the time).

When it was announced in 2021 that The S&CBC was to be sold, it felt even more right that I stepped down as host, and let a new face take on the role. I was offered the chance to carry on, but how the role was required to be vs how it was, didn’t suit me or how I ‘work’ & so I gave my notice and agreed an end date of when I would stop hosting for them. I still loved the club & support the new owner, but it was no longer a role for me that I felt I could put my heart & soul into, and I standby that. Those that have been on my events, now how much time, passion and effort I put into them, and I refuse to do a half-hearted effort. It’s very much all or nothing on them for me.

It was when i was told I had been awarded the BASC ladies star of shooting award in 2021, that the first glimmer of Girls & Guns come to light. After chatting to Kath at BASC ladies, about how many ladies had nominated me, I wanted to give them something back to say thank you, and that’s when the Shani Boswell memorial competition shoot came about. Once I had that all sorted, it was pointed out to me, how would I encourage ladies to book on and come to it, and so Girls & Guns was created, with the aim of the days being a fun & supportive way, of getting ladies to gain some experience for the competition shoot .

I certainly did not expect the events to be as popular as they were, and still are, with 60 ladies attending the competition shoot and £3,000.00 from a charity raffle & percentage of entry fees being raised. I had planned that event to be the last one; a final swan song and end on an amazing high after 2yrs of running successful ladies clay shooting events, while quietly dealing with my grief of losing my mum. But what I realise now is, I wasn’t dealing with it, I was using the events as a distraction from dealing with my grief and the loss, and processing it.

It does make me smile that some people seem to think I waltzed in and ‘stole’ the events/ladies from The S&CBC, as yes, the initial events at Sporting Targets were under their name, but it was me who was doing all the running, adverting, liaising with the ground, dealing with issues, dealing with the challenges of Covid (this was at the time of track & trace) and who had built them back up from v minimal bookings to the huge sell out days they had become. At the end of the day it’s down to the ladies who decide what events they attend, I don’t force them to choose one or another, but simply offer an alternative option.

This year I had said that I would not do anymore events, costs have increased and I knew I needed to sit with my grief and deal with it instead of keeping myself busy, but demand from ladies and support with pricing from the grounds has meant I have agreed to come back this year and run events as Girls and Guns, but I have learnt to balance things out better and the events will be more personal; with a discussion and explanation about my mum and how losing her, led to me doing these events.

We kick off 2023 with 39 ladies at Kibworth shooting ground and already have 20 ladies booked for the May event at Sporting Targets- so as long as there is still the demand, I will keep doing my days.

Whew! so, end of last year i said i would not be bringing my ladies events back this year; 5 events, the charity shoot and a game day later…..think its safe to say we are back!

Our events will start at Kibworth Shooting ground in April, and then will alternate between there and Sporting Targets over the following months. We are so thankful to the grounds for still supporting us this year with fair prices and exclusive offers on the days for the ladies attending.

I have been asked about the story behind the clays/pheasant/poppies logo. This was designed by Sarah aka Snewdesigns, for my charity shoot in 2022, which was held in memory of my mum, who passed away with Myeloma; Blood Cancer in April 2021. I wanted something that reflected not only my love of game shooting, but also clay shooting, and something that included a memory of my mum; so a hen pheasant reflects the game shooting, she is also a play on it being ladies events; so ladies are represented by the pheasant being a hen (female), the clays are a nod towards my love of clay shooting and how my shooting journey started, but also means ladies who only clay shoot are included, and the poppies were my mums favourite flowers, but also in rememberance.

I am currently woking with a fantastic local business (Angel Wings Embroidery), who has turned our logo into a piece of embroidery, as well as our Girls & Guns logo/name, and these will be being stitched onto items for me and my co-host, Meg, so ladies can identify us easily on our events.

The charity shoot will be back this year, with details being released in due course. This one takes more planning and organising than our normal events, and the costs differ, so work in progress at the moment!

This is my latest article that was featured in the Countrymans Weekly last week, a few changes have happened since it was written and published; my ladies clay events and game day are booked in and a new article for the magazine is in process (I also survived beaters day!)

“Who would have thought with one phone call at the start of January 2022, I would have gone on to create my own ladies shooting days and host and run 6 events for the ladies inc two game days.

I have seen over 144 ladies attend over the six events and £3,000 be raised for The Kettering Dialysis Unit in memory of my mum, on a raffle with some amazing prizes generously donated by companies within the shooting world such as Shots & Company, Six Mile Bottom Shoot,  Quiddenham Shoot & CENS digital.

The lovely Kath, from BASC Ladies department, called me in January to say I had been nominated for and subsequently awarded, their Star of Target Shooting award for 2021. This has come about from all the events I had hosted for The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club at Sporting Targets, where I had seen the amount of ladies attending go from a mere 7, to an amazing 59 ladies at the last event in December 2021.

Kath made a suggestion that as a thank you to all those who had nominated me, maybe I could put on a ladies charity shoot and raise some funds for the Kettering Dialysis Unit in memory of my mum, who passed away in April 2021 with Myeloma, Blood Cancer, and so The Shani Boswell memorial charity shoot was created, and the idea and planning snowballed from there!

In the run up to the charity shoot, I also created my own ladies group; Girls and Guns, with the aim being not just budget friendly ladies clay shooting days, but also small affordable ladies game days. With the support of two main shooting grounds; Sporting Targets and Kibworth, and a small friendly local farm shoot, I have been able to offer these events at a much lower costs than other ladies shooting groups, as I do not take any profit on these days; what I charge is what the grounds and shoot quote me. I have no interest in running it as a business, I just want to ensure I can keep ladies coming into this sport and offering them an option that they may find more affordable for their budget.

The Shani Boswell memorial charity shoot, was more of a success than I dared to believe it would be, with 49 ladies attending, engraved glass trophies supplied by BASC Ladies Shooting for the winners, fellow CMW writer Matt Limb OBE as the professional photographer for the event, a beautiful cake that a local lady created for it and an amazing raffle; where so many companies in and outside of the shooting industry, donated some very generous prizes. A total of £3,000.00 was raised on the day, smashing the 2021 total of £1,070.00 that was raised on the Shotgun and Chelsea Bun Club memorial shoot and raffle.

In between all the clay events, I was also organising two ladies game days. These were aimed at the novice or never shot game before ladies, it was tad touch and go if we could do them due to the bird flu situation, but we made up for no pheasants with a clay drive instead, which was the first drive of the day and got the ladies warmed up and ready for the following driven duck drives.  The days were a success, with support in the form of my two APSI instructors; Rob and Richard. They stood with the ladies who had never been in the field before and ensured they were safe and helped them shoot their first ever duck.

The shoot is keen to see more ladies in the field, and have a small rifle range, which they are keen to offer out to ladies to have a go at rifle shooting some targets under close and licenced supervision. One of the ladies on the shoot, is also one of the main admin and founders of ladies deer stalking UK, and has already had me out in the high seat with her, so that is something else that I can offer to those ladies who are interested in learning about and taking up deer stalking.

I also have to sneak in a mention and a well done, to some of my brave ladies who stepped up to my plea to become a model for the 20203 edition charity calendar ‘The Naked Huntress’. The calendar is in its 9^th year and raises funds for The Pancreatic Cancer Trust, and relies on brave ladies volunteering to model for it each year (I have featured twice before anyone asks!) and as I write this article, I have been made aware that they have sold out for 2023, so a fantastic achievement.

As it stands, no Girls and Guns events are booked for 2023, the rising costs of everything, means I have put the group into ‘hibernation’ until late Spring at the earliest and will review costs then, and also how the ongoing bird flu situation could affect the shoot.

If nothing else happens, at least I have shown that ladies days do not need to be all pink, branded names and expensive, but run with true passion for the sport and seeing more ladies in the field, not just on the clay grounds. The memorial shoot was also a good end goal for ladies to work towards on having lessons, or to encourage them to book lessons and not just rely on ladies days to improve their shooting.

I can’t thank Kath at BASC ladies enough, for planting the initial idea, and all the women who have attended the events, encouraged and supported me, and believed in me. Although I had prior experience of running and hosting events; setting them up and booking them is a whole new experience, and one I have had to juggle single handed whilst working full time and trying to fit in my own schedule of shoot days and beating, but I have done it and I’m so proud of what I have achieved this year.

I really do feel smaller ladies groups need to be supported, encouraged and talked about just as much as the big names in the shooting world, as it means they will bring in more ladies to the sport and into the field, and groups/days like mine also smash the ‘tweed and pearls’ image that other ladies groups and ladies shooting seem to focus on and promote.

I would also like to thank the fabulous team at Countrymans Weekly for supporting me and encouraging me to write articles for them these past two years, I have run out of things to write about now, but if the 2023 game season and clay events go ahead, I’m sure I will be back.”

So now I have held the final Girls & Guns event of 2022, I can step back, reflect & breathe.

6 events (8 if you include the 2 Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club days I also hosted), 143 ladies over my 6 events alone; 3 sell out clay days, 2 sell out game days & a sell out charity competition shoot that raised £3,000.00 for the local Dialysis Unit in memory of my mum.

Two ladies are responsible for me creating Girls & Guns, and it all started with a phone call in January from BASC Ladies department to say I had been awarded their star of target shooting award. After chatting more the Kath at BASC Ladies, she suggested I do a charity shoot as a thank you to all those who nominated me, & it was while I was quietly planning that event, that I met a women on a ladies day at Honesberie who explained it was her first time shooting & she was so relieved to see we were not all dressed in ‘tweed & pearls’. That comment stuck with me, as if that was the sort of image ‘ladies day’ gave, then change was needed.

While I appreciate other ladies groups are ran as a business, there was a gap for one that wasn’t, one that could offer the same sort of options but at a lower cost & the main focus being on learning to shoot and progress, without all the brands & focus on image.

I know I’ve rattled a few cages in the shooting world, and I’m not sorry for that. If what I say and how I run my events, means I keep bringing ladies into this sport, then I’m doing something right!. I know my limits, which is why I only work with 2 grounds & I always try and think what I would want from an event, which is why they have a more personal feel, because they are; I organise them with passion for the sport.

What will 2023 bring for Girls & Guns? At the moment, no plans are made. I am taking a few months out to just stop & re-balance. The last 2yrs I have been keeping my self busy so I didn’t have to focus on my grief if losing my mum, but it’s time I slowed down now & made time for me for awhile.
I’m also aware that the cost of everything has increased, and is due to increase more next year, so I’m awaiting quotes from the grounds before I decide if to continue these events, as if the prices creep towards those of the other groups, then I will no longer be the more budget friendly option.

Whatever happens, 2022 has been an incredible year for me & ladies shooting.

Buckle in ladies (and gents) as you’re in for a thrown out of prams, cages will be rattled, but it seems I’m good at doing that within the shooting world 😉

Ladies only shooting events- who knew 4 little words; mainly the first two, could upset so many.
Let’s be honest, shooting is a v male dominated sport still, although we are seeing more and more ladies out on the clay grounds, where are all my fellow ladies out in the field?

I’m the only ‘lady’(I use that term loosely for me) the beating team I’m part of, only one of the picking up team, is a woman- where are all our fellow ladies?

Put off it would seem, by the knuckle draggers ‘old boys club’ of the shooting world, who feel it’s ‘sexist’ to have ladies only days, and that ‘men are needed as back guns on ladies days’, shall we add in that I had ladies travel 3hrs+ to come to my ladies only game day, as they felt safer & that they would not be judged or belittled?!

I’ve been incredible lucky with my shooting journey so far, in that all the men I’ve come across have been nothing but gentleman and supportive, & I quite happily shoot alongside & with men on the clays ground & in the field, but the reality is, not all women feel comfortable doing so, and so the need for ladies only days.

The women who attend these events, do so for sometimes very personal reasons. I started shooting via The Shotgun & Chelsea Bun Club, which is a ladies only club, and that came after my marriage break up and then being assaulted by an ex boyfriend. I needed & wanted the companionship, support and encouragement from fellow women at a time in my life when I was feeling vulnerable, and the same applies to my days that I run: they are a safe and welcoming event for women who just want to shoot with other women. What’s the harm in that?!

More women should be being encouraged to join this sport, and to get out into the field, be it as a gun, a beater or a picker up, instead of the snide digs , comments and ‘jokes’ that they face.

Do men take offence at the ladies only days that they have for racing?

I get bored with hearing ‘you don’t see men’s only shooting clubs’ – no! Because the sport is still heavily male dominated! So instead of taking offence; encourage, educate, support and celebrate more women coming into the sport via whatever way they chose to do so.