Wednesday 29 May 2013

Barry Hutchins memorial weekend

I spent a thoroughly enjoyable couple of hours with friends and relatives of the late Barry Hutchins on Saturday afternoon.

More than fifty hardy souls gathered at one of Barry's favourite shooting haunts at Melbury Abbas, near Shaftesbury, for a sunny weekend of camping, shooting and light-hearted banter.
Barry lived in Gillingham, Dorset, but his death, which followed a brief illness last August, was felt across the shooting community. Barry was a regular at HFT meets and game fairs, and people travelled from far and wide to join in with his weekend gatherings.


Thanks to the Barry Hutchins memorial cup, the gatherings look set to live on, as shooters make the annual pilgrimage to compete for the impressive trophy.
In a fitting tribute to the great man, all contenders used a gun from Barry's treasured collection to shoot the 17-target layout.




And, very appropriately, the first winner of the coveted trophy - presented by Barry's brother Steve - was his good friend Nic Wenham. The competition raised more than £100 for Help For Heroes - Barry's favourite charity.


During the gathering, Barry's sons, Barry and Mark, laid his ashes to rest on the farm where he spent many happy hours, and planted a tree in his memory.


Well done to all for making it such a great event, in the true spirit of Barry's original gatherings.