This is Hunting UK joins forces with the Countryside Alliance to promote annual Newcomers Week

The Countryside Alliance (CA) has invited grassroots organisation This is Hunting UK (TiHUK) to collaborate with them to further promote their annual Newcomers Week which will take place from 19th-26th October 2019.

The focus of this week is to build on the success of the CA's ongoing campaign to introduce as many new faces as possible to the hunting field which began long before the Hunting Act came into force in 2005. Newcomers meets not only encourage those that have never been hunting before to give it a try, but they have also been successful in giving people the confidence to follow hounds again after a break or getting a new horse.

"We are delighted to be working alongside This is Hunting UK to promote Newcomers Week and to offer the experience of enjoying lawful hunting activities to a wider audience," enthused Polly Portwin, the CA's Head of Hunting. "We look forward to sharing photographs and stories from what is sure to be yet another very successful week for the hunting community."

James Barclay, chairman of TiHUK said: "As a voluntary grass roots organisation, we are delighted to put our full weight behind this most important event in the hunting calendar. We very much hope that hunts up and down the country will continue to become actively involved to help both organisations ensure the whole event is the success it deserves to be".

With demand for this week as high as ever we are inviting any registered mounted or foot packs - including foxhound, beagle, harrier, basset, draghound and bloodhound packs - to organise a specific meet, or to organise an activity such as a tour of their kennels during this designated week to give everybody an opportunity to get involved with their local pack.

Hunts that organise a specific meet or event to celebrate newcomers' week are this year being offered a Countryside Alliance Hunt Map to put up at their kennels or to use at their discretion to raise hunt funds either as an auction or raffle prize.

Hunts are invited to send us details of any newcomers' meets or events being planned so we can advertise them in the Newcomers' events listing on our website and send out their free hunt map.

For further details or to receive supporting literature please email [email protected]