History

In the late 1950's the Teesmouth area was teeming with wildfowl and with partial rationing still in force anyone with a shotgun was an advantage to the pantry.

Shooting was often available on local farms, but in the main wildfowling on the foreshore was the most likely option for the everyday man.

Rival factions scrambled for position on the foreshore or Long Drag, some guns visiting on a tidal regime others fitting in a couple of shots between shifts at the ship yard.
Observing this, my father, the late Gordon Abbott placed and advert in the local paper asking for those interested in forming a club to meet in the Red Lion Public house.
Those who attended had brothers, cousins and friends who were also keen and in 1959 the club was founded.

Legal complications regarding access to the foreshore forced the acquisition of a 21 year lease from the late   John Hall for Cowpen Marsh in 1960.
Another 21 year lease was obtained from the forestry commission for 1300 acres of new plantation and grouse moor above Rothbury - we became the only "wildfowling" club to have its own grouse shoot.

In the last 48 years we have seen many changes both within law and the publics attitude towards shooting. The horrific events that took place at Hungerford and Dunblane resulted in the tightening of gun measures, the use of lead shot whilst hunting wildfowl has been banned and most recently the fox hunting ban.

We still hold wildfowling rights on Cowpen Marsh, albeit with reduced acreage and time limits. Our grouse moor grew 30ft trees, which are now being felled, but we are still tenants of that and much more land too.

Most of those that attended that first meeting are now, sadly, no longer with us. One of the last Harry Padgett passed away in May 2007 at the age of 95.
Several of our current members are the third generation from those colourful gentlemen who met so long ago in the long gone Red Lion.

As told by Paul Abbott