Glasgow Warriors with Elle and the Pocket Belles
The annual clay pigeon shoot hosted by CR Smith chairman Gerard Eadie CBE raised a phenomenal £190,000 for Maggie’s and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The money will be split equally between the two charities.
In total, 370 people took part in the fundraiser, which took place at Auchterhouse Country Sports, near Dundee, on Sunday 10 August.
With an audience featuring celebrity chefs, rugby stars and a comedian, the 13th yearly occasion of The Shoot attracted 40 teams of shooters for Amateur, Game Shot and Professional categories. Drew Christie, Commonwealth Games silver medalist in Skeet, presented some of the prizes.
Chefs Nick Nairn and Paul Rankin entertained the non-shooters, giving a cooking demonstration with comedian Fred MacAulay and Scottish rugby star Alastair Kellock lending a hand. The fabulous Elle and the Pocket Belles performed for guests and added their unique style and encouragement to the competition.
Gerard Eadie CBE said: “The Shoot was another great success. Every single penny of the £190,000 raised is going to help two much needed and important charities. Half will go to support Maggie’s, which provides vital help to those diagnosed with cancer; the other half will go to a research project at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, which is seeking a cure for type-1 diabetes through JDRF. I would like to thank everyone who came along and to our sponsors, who help make this possible.”
Top Amateur Gun Andrew Craig (left) with Gerard Eadie CBE
Teams taking part this year included RAF Leuchars, who took the prize for the best amateur team for the second year in a row, and a team from the Glasgow Warriors, who swapped a rugby ball for the clays but missed out on the year’s prizes. Stirling Optical walked away with Top Amateur Flush; Hunter Sovereigns who won Top Flypast; Delson, Top Game Shot Flush; and Gibson’s Chancers, Top Game Shot Team.
Other trophy winners included the professional teams from McCloys Guns Unlimited and Harry Taylor and Company, who were delighted to receive their prizes from Drew Christie.
The individual winners were Andrew Craig, Rhona Eadie, Paul Harris and Ian Montgomery.
As well as silverware, the winners were awarded prestigious prizes including Go-Pro cameras, Laksen shooting jackets and Tom Morris leather holdalls. This year’s auction prizes included a day with the Red Arrows, a luxury holiday in Barbados and X-Factor tickets. Shonagh Brown and her husband Sandy celebrated wildly after winning the prize draw for a brand new Nissan Juke.
Gerard concluded: “The Shoot is a great event for corporate hospitality, attracting a wide range of people from the business community and I’m delighted that many go on to take up shooting as a hobby. Over the years, I’ve found The Shoot to be a great way to introduce people to the sport and many are now regular members of the shooting community.”
I have worked at every charity shoot for the last 12 years and it never seems like work. I see the same faces year after year and everyone has a fantastic time and it get really competitive.