And now for something a little different… we posted back at the end of May that we had been along to the Ledbury Hunt ball – Fox Rocks – which was being held this year at Bredon School (which also hosts hunt meets during the season). The setts around the area were targeted in the last 4 years during the badger cull in the ‘Gloucestershire Zone’ so we went along both to remind the Ledbury Hunt that we are still about even out of the hunting season and to remind the local pro-cull people that we’re out and about keeping an eye on badger setts (many of which are targeted year round by farmers, gamekeepers and, of course, the hunt themselves).

While some of us went off to check setts and walk the footpaths in the area, one of our sabs remained with the vehicles at the entrance of the school (we can’t leave our vehicles near this lot – we’ve had tyres slashed and keys stolen out at the hunt before) and she was just answering a phone call when former Bredon School pupil Tim Pearce-May (who was whipper-in at the Ledbury Hunt until this season) of Mill Farm Hunter Hirelings stole a HSA banner from the vehicle in front. Now it’s not something we’d usually report to the police, but we thought our good mates over at Black Badger Printworks might be up for making us a new 3C banner to replace it and getting some monies in return, so we gave it a shot.

With former Bredon School pupil Oscar Bates (terrierman and badger shooter) helping the case along by posting up a picture of the lads with the banner at the ball and the sab having filmed the theft, Timmy-babe admitted it and handed over the money last week as part of a community resolution. New 3C-specific banner coming up (they really help in drawing attention to our group at events and therefore helping to raise awareness and funds).

With Bredon School holding an open morning for prospective new pupils later this month, we wonder whether parents would be happy to know how some former pupils of this school have turned out, that the school hosts hunt meets for a hunt repeatedly caught illegally hunting and whose terriermen block and attempt to dig-out setts and who have also complained in the past that the hunt have trespassed over their land on days they had not authorised them to be there.