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West Kent Shooting School access is available to Old Hay - Pearsons Green Road closure -16th / 20th November - access is available to Old Hay |
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CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS -
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YOUNG SHOTS |
INDUCTION DAYS |
A Short History of
West Kent Shooting School
In 1969 Pat
and Barbara Lynch took up Clay Pigeon Shooting and was soon involved with the
organisation of various Gun Clubs throughout Kent, which at that time were
usually once a month venues based on a Skeet Range or a Down-the-Line Layout
with some of these grounds still running today, one being the Kent Wildfowlers,
(Detling). Realising the potential there was in shooting on a more professional
basis and the desire of many people to learn to shoot properly and safely, in
1974 Pat and Barbara both qualified as CPSA Instructors and in that same year
they started the West Kent Shooting School.
The School was based at East Malling
on the edge of West Malling Airfield and on the actual site of the US Air force
Rod and Gun Club which had been in operation for some 10 years until the Air
force left. We also had sites at Elm Court, Gillingham, and Badsell Park Farm.
The Shooting School offered Practice and Competition facilities for Skeet,
Down-the-Line, Universal Trench and a Small Sporting Layout including a Tower.
In those days
automatic self loading traps were still in the design stage and all clay traps
were hand cocked normally by strong willing youngsters earning their pocket
money, prominent amongst these was 10 year old Michael Lynch, literally learning
the family business from the ground (and trench) up and often from the
precarious scaffolding tower down. Interestingly the first regular scorer/button
presser/squad hustler was a young 20 something bearded wildfowler named Chris
Potter!
