December issue I would like to take this
opportunity to reply.
regarding the "gunning down" of wild birds
near Emberton country park.
countryside. Having lived and worked in the
country all my life I read your letter in
amazement.
we all do. We get to stroll around and see the
wild life. Do you realise if it wasn't for the
little wildlife to speak of. When they are not
"satisfying their blood lust" they are busy
creating habitats to benefit great numbers of
different species of wildlife as well as areas
to benefit their chosen quarry. Many hours
are spent feeding areas to supplement these
wild birds in harsh weather to ensure they
overwinter successfully and go on to breed
next season. A great deal of money is also
invested to protect these wild birds from
dangers of predators etc.
reason in this day and age to gun down any
bird born in the wild for food". Where have
you been for the last five years? All the hype
about sourcing local food which is free range
or organic. Not to mention food miles and
carbon footprint. If I shoot a duck by the
river it travels the grand total of half a mile
grateful family. How's that for locally
sourced, organic, free range meat which is
delicious. Or I could get in my car, drive 15
miles to a supermarket, trawl the shelves of
pre-packed intensively reared meat (which
could have come from anywhere in the
world) then drive the 15 miles back.
shooting birds to satisfy some sort of blood
lust. I can tell you that no hunter wants to
see any animal wounded. The quarry is
respected and treated with the utmost care
to ensure there is no suffering of any animal.
This is why hunters have well trained gun
dogs such as spaniels and labradors to
retrieve shot birds. These dog breeds, you
may note, are now very popular with dog
walkers and families as pets.
more to thank hunters for than you thought.
other areas and trust that landowners,
farmers and hunters alike will ensure
there will always be wildlife in
abundance.
Bucks MK46 4AA
YOU CAN GET IT DONE LOCALLY?
Mon-Fri: 8.00am - 5.00pm. Sat: 8.30am - Noon
packed the streets for Olney's
"Dickens of a Christmas".
who led the oganisation of the event,
said: "Once again people showed
their support for Dickens, and
everything has gone to plan. New
visitors told me they were blown away
that there's such an amazing event
right here in Olney."
event passed and it was one of the
mildest Dickens days for a number of
years.
Place and the Farmers Market
relocated for the day to the Knoll with
visitors being dropped off by the ever
popular Pony and Trap. The indoor
craft fayres at The Bull, Olney Centre
and Carlton House Club also proved
popular.
Fountains Court reindeer, who were a
hit with the children. There was also
the street entertainment such as the
Great Gappo, a Victorian Stilt walker
as well as Santa's grotto.
and Olney Town Council were out in
force - in their finest Dickensian dress.
Special guests on the day included
The Mayor of Milton Keynes, the High
Sheriff of Buckingham, and the
Deputy Lord Lieutenant.