Gun club caught in the crossfire of warring politicians

Teesdale Gun Club found itself unwittingly at the centre of a row about public money paying for improved facilities at its Blanklands Quarry range. Reporter Stuart Laundy went along to find out what the club is planning

NIGEL Mitchell, chairman of Teesdale Gun Club, shakes his head and points to the toilets next to the club house, paper signs taped to the doors to distinguish male facilities from female.
It’s fair to say they have seen better days and we agree they are not fit for the 21st century, not least because there are no facilities for disabled shooters.
The state of the toilets, along with a wish to improve other areas of the range, prompted the club to apply for funding from the neighbourhood budgets allocated to the dale’s county councillors.
Currently, each county councillor is given £20,000 to support organisations in their area, with the fund administered through Teesdale Action Partnership.
Councillors Richard Bell, Ted Henderson and George Richardson each agreed to put in £5,000 to help the gun club – £15,000 in total – a move that led MP Helen Goodman to express her astonishment at the decision, saying the money would have been better spent elsewhere in such austere times.
The councillors, of course, are Tories; Ms Goodman is Labour MP for Bishop Auckland.
Mr Mitchell says: “The most annoying thing is that they don’t just give you £5,000 from their budget. You have got to meet all the criteria.
“We have applied before and been unsuccessful.”
He is equally frustrated that the gun club is somehow seen as being an elitist organisation, run for the benefit of the few, not the many.
Nothing could be further from the truth, he says.
“You won’t go anywhere else in the North East to find a small gun club like this,” he says.
“We are all run by volunteers and we are trying our level best to get better facilities. Anything we raise either goes back into the club or to good causes.”
He adds: “Our members range in age from 12-13 right up to 70-80. We have a broad spectrum of members and the club is a good stepping stone for the youngsters.
“We get people from all walks of life – retired people, families, it’s just Joe Public. The club is not expensive to join and the more members we have, the more money comes back into the club.”
Groups to benefit from the club’s fundraising activities include the lies of Newbiggin Village Hall, Butterwick Hospice and the Great North Air Ambulance Service.
Others, such as Scout groups, have been along for an introduction to the sport.
It is meeting the needs of the club’s 80 or so members and the various community organisations which make use of the facilities that is the driving force behind efforts to improve the range.
Shooting facilities include a down the line (DTL) set-up and sporting cages. An air rifle range has also been incorporated into a corner of the ground.
As well as new toilets, improved access is also on the cards.
“We are going to put down hard core so there is disabled access to all the shooting stands,” explains Mr Mitchell.
“We are also going to update some of our older equipment.”
This will include replacing old kit which automatically releases the clays for the sporting cages.
“We will also cover the DTL section with a canopy so it can be used in all weather,” he adds.
This is already being made at Middleton Forge.
“We want to make sure we get it right, but hopefully all the work will be done by early spring. It would be nice to have it up and running for the start of the summer season and the Monday night shoots.”
Another factor in upgrading facilities is that the club, which was established in 1970, now owns Banklands Quarry.
“We set off about five years ago and it now belongs to the club,” says Mr Mitchell.
“Now we can make some investment into the ground and put some money into the club.”
Neither Mrs Goodman, nor anyone from her office, contacted the club to find out more about its activities before she made her comments about the funding decision.
Notwithstanding this, Mr Mitchell says his local MP – along with anyone else interested – would be made most welcome.