TWO brace of amateur huntsmen past and present are running the London Marathon this weekend (21 April).
H&H writers Gareth Watchman – master and huntsman of the Zetland – and Andrew Sallis – former master and huntsman of packs including the Kimblewick and the East Sussex and Romney Marsh – are running for the Countryside Alliance Foundation’s flagship project, Fishing for Schools.
The charity takes disadvantaged children out of the classroom, helping build confidence and gain new skills through fishing.
Andrew says: “I was nominated by my wife, who ran it for the same fantastic charity two years ago. She thought I needed to experience the pain!
“Although I’ve walked thousands of miles in preparation for days’ hunting, this is the first real running I’ve done since hunting beagles at university. I did a competitive half-marathon at Easter along the Thames in an acceptable time, which was encouraging.”
“IT IS APRIVILEGE”
RODDY BANNISTER, master and huntsman of the Pendle Forest and Craven, is running for The Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice – an end-of-life, palliative care facility in Oxenhope, North Yorkshire. “We have a very close connection with this amazing facility, and it is a privilege to be able to raise money for such a fantastic cause,” said Roddy. “This is very much my first marathon. Due to the wet weather, we hunted on foot mostly during January and February, so until the end of the season that was my only training.
“Worried about a lack of preparation, in similar fashion to my education, cramming felt like the onl
