We all mourn our beloved Queen and our greatest ambassador for country sports... - Sep 11, 2022

...and those who are dedicated to the countryside and its communities and for ourselves as the Gamekeepers' Welfare Trust: gamekeepers/stalkers/ghillies.

Last week we did not expect to be mourning our beloved Queen Elizabeth II who dedicated her life to us all both in the UK and throughout the world. Though 96 years of age, she has been such a central part of all our lives for all our lives it is a huge shock and it will take time to adjust. Time that King Charles III does not have the luxury of taking as he is transported into a world he knows well but will need all our support to carry forward. As our late Queen is taken back to Windsor we know how much she loved the countryside, farming, field sports and the people who dedicate their lives to producing food and looking after the environment and all its wildlife.

There could be no greater recognition than that six gamekeepers from Balmoral are to carry her coffin from the ballroom at Balmoral and that gamekeepers have stood watch over her in utter respect and love for their monarch.

We offer our deep condolences not only to the Royal Family and our new King Charles III but to all those who served her faithfully over the years and will continue to serve the family.

Thank you all.