Congratulations to Rugeley’s Competition Secretary Dave Glover, who has been appointed Adjutant to the GB Wakefield Match Team. The two year appointment will run for the 2025 and 2026 years, and normally leads to a two year appointment as Captain.
The Lord Wakefield Monument Trophy Match is an international postal match held in September, originally between Great Britain and Sweden. In 1985 Sweden was unable to raise a team and the match went in abeyance until 1991 when it resumed with a new field of competitors including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. The course of fire is an “English Match” – 60 shots at 50metres on NSRA/ISSF targets, using integer scoring. Competitors shoot on their home ranges, under supervision of a qualified witness.
Five of the ten team members are selected based on performance at the NSRA National Meeting at Bisley, with the other 5 taken from the top individuals in NSRA Comp 103 and 303 (10-metre postal leagues).
At the British Shooting Awards 2024 this weekend, Rugeley Rifle Club was honoured with the Target Change Award, presented to organisations that have made a significant contribution to public engagement and/or public perception of the sport.
Club Secretary Lee Featherstone accepted the award on behalf of the club and its volunteers, accompanied by Club Captain Richard Hemingway; Property Manager Graham Delaney and Treasurer Craig Dower – who is also GB Head Coach (Rifle & Pistol). The Award further recognises the community work done by the club over the past 10 years, which was highlighted when the club received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service in November 2024. The King’s Award will be formally presented at the club’s annual prizegiving on March 28th by the Lord Lieutenant for Staffordshire, Sir Ian Dudson KCVO CBE.
Over the past 10 years the club has worked with the Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services and Vysions Youth Service of Brereton, providing summer camps for local young people in association with Burntwood Target Sprint. Participants have completed volunteer work at the club including a mural on the outside of the range, and in return learned to shoot Olympic Air Rifle and Air Pistol. Since 2021, more than 900 young people have learned to shoot safely through the club’s community outreach activities.
In 2019, the club fundraised for a Public Access Defibrillator, which saw the adoption of Rugeley and District Community First Responders as a supported charity and the more recent installation of an emergency Bleed Control Kit.
In 2022, the Club supported British Shooting in bringing the National Finals of the Schools Pistol and Rifle Championships to Cannock Leisure Centre, with Rugeley members volunteering as Range Officers and match administration during the competition. British Shooting have returned to Cannock every year since.
Club Captain Richard Hemingway said “To receive such a prestigious award, whilst surrounded by Olympic and Paralympic Champions is a real honour, and a well deserved recognition of the hard work put in by all the club’s volunteers over the past few years.“
During all this time, the club has enjoyed hosting guest nights for diverse local community groups, running an air rifle range at Brereton Carnival and serving as a venue for local groups including Viking re-enactors and West Midlands 4×4 response.
The Awards were held on Saturday 18th January 2025 at the Imperial War Museum (IWM North) in Trafford.
The British Shooting Awards 2024 were held at the Imperial War Museum North in Trafford.Club Secretary Lee Featherstone accepts the Target Change AwardSome of the 900 new shooters who have passed since through the club since 2021Young Guns 2024
