Thirteen eager young shooters have shared in a fantastic £25,000 sponsorship package organised by top sporting shot Ben Husthwaite. The youngsters and their parents gathered at Kibworth Shooting Ground on 17 April 2021 to receive their new Webley & Scott guns as well as sponsored goodies from FullBoreUK, Highland Outdoors, Laporte and Shooting Sports UK.
Ben used his social media reach to ask for donations, initially for seven young shots. “Donations flooded in from around the world, from Kuwait to America to Australia,” he says.
“We were looking for kids who this package would change their life, maybe they’re sharing a gun with their granddad or their father,” Ben explains. He was flooded with more than 200 applications, which were whittled down to a shortlist of thirteen to be interviewed via Zoom.
Thanks to the generosity of the donors, they were able to give all thirteen a sponsorship package including a brand new Webley & Scott shotgun. “We didn’t want to give them a gun and leave them on their own,” Ben explains, “so my group have stepped up and they’re going to mentor these kids for the next year through their journey of shooting.”
“My smile was huge,” said 11-year-old Riley from Somerset, one of the lucky 13. “I was really happy about receiving a new gun and it looks really nice. I want to continue shooting regularly and try and enter some more competitions.”
Another lucky winner was 12-year-old Hattie from Buckinghamshire. “I would love to go to the Olympics one day,” she said. “Standing on the podium like you’re the best in the world would be pretty cool!”
