DEVON AND SOMERSET STAGHOUNDS HUNT CLUB

20^th February 2000

Lord Burns

Dear Sir,

The Hunt club is responsible for the Social Events of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds year. Our Hunt Dance held jointly with the Tiverton Staghounds is held at Filleigh Village Hall on the edge of the country hunted by both packs, the January date can sometimes be hit by bad weather but usually manages to go ahead. February is the month for the inter Hunt Quiz for the Country Alliance Cup which has been going for many years. The organisation of this event goes from Hunt to Hunt by virtue of the winning team hosting the following years Quiz. In early March before the farmers get busy with the lambing season we have a Supper followed by either a Film Show, Quiz etc, we try to do something different each year. The end of Season Dance is the last Friday in April each year, this is the end of the Hunt year.

May heralds the summer get togethers starting with the Point to Point on the first Saturday we have a Home-made Cake Stall there and on the following day a Lunch in the marquee used for the Point to Point.

We usually support the Devon Air Ambulance with a fund raising event run jointly with the Exmoor Foxhounds this year we hope it will take the form of a Safari Lunch in June. Over the years we have raised quite a lot of money for the Air Ambulance.

Late June and July is a busy time in the countryside for the farmers with sheep shearing, silaging and hay making so we leave the next event until the end of July. This is our very entertaining Adult Gymkhana. August is a busy month first there is Exford Show held in conjunction with the Exmoor Pony Society at which we have a Produce Stall, then Sheep Dog Trials and Hunter Trials. Ideas for September are only at the planning stage for this year as there already seems to a full calendar of events from other organisers not necessarily Hunt functions.

In October we have a Harvest Supper with a Speaker and towards the end of the month our Qualifying Whist Drive Series starts, there are nineteen Whist drives held at various Village Halls around Exmoor with ten people qualifying at the each these for the final held on the last Friday in November at Exford. During December the Christmas events for the Villages take place and our supporters go and lend a hand and swell the numbers at these events.

We work closely with other Hunts and organisations on and around Exmoor in the hope of providing entertainment for the people who live and work on the moor. Enclosed is a list of all our functions decided upon so far this year.

We hope you will find this the other side of Hunting of interest to your enquiry. I think you will see that apart from the actual following of Hounds either by, horse, motorbike or car there is a lot more at stake for the people of Exmoor as I believe these social activities would cease to have meaning if hunting was banned and would gradually die out.

Yours faithfully

Chairman