Ladies seize the day at Belvoir

With a stunning backdrop, birds galore and their menfolk to load, last season got off to an epic start for one team of lady Guns, despite the pandemic

- ADRIAN DANGAR

I realise this is no ordinary shoot when a butler approaches from beneath the towering ramparts of a magnificent castle to offer a choice of sauces to go with my pre-shoot bacon butty. The Leicestershire fortress has been the seat of successive Dukes of Rutland since the 16th-century, and the lady serving coffee outside the portico entrance – the eye is drawn in equal measure to her immaculate Crow and Jester shooting suit and futuristic, Covid-compliant visor – is none other than Emma, Duchess of Rutland. As her personal assistant and Belvoir shoot sales manager Charlotte Ayliff explains, the first let day of the season was presented with a huge challenge when new Covid regulations came into force just a few days earlier. “Thankfully, BASC were straight onto the case and quickly published a booklet explaining exactly how shoots must comply with the new laws,” Ayliff says, “but we did have to undertake a second risk assessment at the start of the week. I’m delighted to say our track-and-trace documentation is in order and we have put all the necessary procedures in place to keep everyone safe.”