A New Smallbore Range for the South of England

The Committee of the British Pistol Club recently met virtually to discuss how to respond to the recent announcement by the NSRA that the Lord Roberts Centre will not be re-opening for the “foreseeable future”. The Committee decided that it was time to put the Club’s considerable cash reserves behind a project to build a new smallbore shooting range in the South of England.

Our ideal is to produce a facility capable of supporting the entire smallbore community, pistol and rifle, from grassroots through to world class performance, in both training and competition. Any new facility will be accessible to all, including disabled shooters, and designed from the ground up to be bio-secure, with measures such as socially distanced firing points and suitable ventilation built in at the planning stage.

We recognise that this is an ambitious goal and so the first step on this journey will be to look at available funding on top of the BPC’s reserves, from state and private sources, as well as put together a specification for the new range.

To develop this Feasibility Study we need the contribution of knowledgeable and experienced members of the Club and the wider shooting community. Once we have completed the Study we will know the limitations of what we can build and importantly, what will be financially viable in the long term.

The BPC is therefore asking anyone with experience of leisure facility design and construction (particularly shooting ranges) and fundraising from the private and state sector, who is willing to contribute their time and expertise towards this project, to contact the Treasurer (treasurer@britishpistolclub.org). We cannot promise that you will be remunerated financially, but this is your chance to secure the future of smallbore shooting in the UK with a new, long term facility suitable for training and competing from the grassroots upwards. A range built and run by shooters, for shooters.

The BPC can make no guarantees at this stage, but we believe this project is critical to the continuation and development of our sport. For more information or to contribute, please contact the BPC: treasurer@britishpistolclub.org