The Purdey Awards for Game and Conservation

A golden opportunity for shoots and conservation

Since 1999, when Purdey took over the awards established by Laurent-Perrier in 1986, one thing that stands out is that there is no golden formula other than each winner showing their conservation credentials. It’s a great chance for shooting to demonstrate the potential symbiosis between sport and conservation, not only to the shooting community but to a far wider audience. 

More than 250 shoots have entered the Awards since 1999 – and by no means were these all privately-run examples that have deep pockets for their efforts. Wildfowling clubs, syndicates, grouse moors, commercial shoots – all have been represented, both on large and small scales – one example of this is the 38-acre shoot at Berwick Marshes, which won the Gold Award in 2011, and, astonishingly, was a former landfill site within the M25.

How to enter

Each entrant must complete a questionnaire, set by Dr Mike Swan of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Awards judging panel, to enter, and this must be sent in before 22 May this year. The entries are initially assessed before being sent to the judging panel, made up of 15 members and chaired by the Duke of Wellington. June sees the panel selecting a shortlist, with each shortlisted project being visited by several members of the panel in August and September. The winner isn’t announced until the ceremony in Purdey’s Long Room, to which all those on the shortlist are invited, in November. 

While the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners can be delighted with the accolade of winning, they also receive a financial reward: £5,000, £3,000 and £2,000 respectively – a fantastic boon to those running the shoot. So, if you’ve undertaken any form of conservation, whether large or small, now is the time to start filling in the paperwork and enter these Awards – it’s not just a chance to win, it’s the all-important chance to show the wider world that shooting is a force for good when it comes to conservation. 

2016 Purdey Gold Award winner

Based in County Down, the Portloughan Shoot has been an incredible success story for wild grey partridge. None had existed there for decades, but David Sandford, owner of the shoot, has managed to re-establish this under-threat native species. By persuading 21 neighbouring farmers to join forces and work together, wild bird cover, rough grass margins and high over-wintering stubbles were put in place. Working under Northern Ireland’s Countryside Management Scheme, the farms also established lapwing fallow plots, beetle banks and arable headlands with “wild partridge” seed mix, and covering 2,000 acres, this ensured a huge area of wild grey partridge habitat. 

David Sandford, 2016 Winner

For more information or to enter, visit www.purdey.com