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Easter Ross gun club aim to reconnect with community following purchase of land


By Niall Harkiss

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Tain Rifle and Pistol Club held its first event of the Year in April.
Tain Rifle and Pistol Club held its first event of the Year in April.

The newly appointed committee of an Easter Ross rifle club is hoping to attract new members on the back of a significant milestone.

Tain Rifle and Pistol Club, first formed in 1892, are close to the final step in purchasing the land on which their clubhouse and shooting range are situated, near Tain Hill.

The milestone land purchase has been arranged through the Forestry and Land Scotland community asset transfer scheme.

The club, which has members from all across the Highland region, has undergone a complete change in administration following the resignation of its previous office bearers at their AGM in December.

At a general meeting on January 9, the club elected Jim Gillan from Thurso as secretary. He is joined by new chairman Alex Clark and treasurer Kirsty Neilson.

Just under 30 people attended the club's first event of 2022 held on April 10. The "Spring rimfire challenge" attracted a mix of men, women and juniors, with awards and a cash prize presented to those who scored highest overall at the end of a number of shooting events, including ten rounds of precision, ten rounds of timed, and ten rounds of mixed rifle, position and sights shooting. The competition was rounded off with a fun polo shoot.

The overall winner was member Jory Roseveare, with Scott Cameron and Lewis Cameron finishing second and third, respectively. Maizy-Rae Roseveare collected the junior prize.

Light refreshments were provided at their Spring event for those in attendance.
Light refreshments were provided at their Spring event for those in attendance.

Mr Gillan is keen to see more family-oriented events held at the club in the future.

He said: "The club is now going through a rebirth. We want more people to know that they have a gun club local to them and that we are looking for new memberships. Now that we are moving out of the pandemic, we hope to hold more regular events to encourage families to engage with the club.

The club is now encouraging people new to shooting to contact the club if they wish to become a member.

Mr Gillan added: "If people have a firearms certificate and they are a member of the club, the process is quite straight forward. But if they are not, they can still be invited to seek a sponsor who is an existing member with whom they would complete a probationary period.

"I would invite anyone seeking membership to get in touch with myself, or Kirsty, or send us a message via our website."

More information can be found at Tain RPC's website at tainrpc.co.uk.


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