A champion north-east shooting club will rise from the ashes with a brand new outdoor rifle range after outbuildings and equipment were burnt to the ground earlier this year.
Two sheds and a shelter were set ablaze at the Kemnay Small Bore Rifle Club in what is believed to have been a deliberate attack in February.
Fundraising efforts
Devastated to see the range in an “unidentifiable” state, club members have set up a GoFundMe page in the hope of raising vital funds to bring the facility back to life.
The cost of the major redevelopment is expected to be as high as £8,000.
Over the last two months, the Kemnay club has received countless generous donations from local residents and other members of the shooting fraternity in the UK.
Now, with a substantial cash boost from Aberdeenshire Clubsport and Scottish Clubsport, plans for rebuilding the range have been formulated.
Leslie Barnard, treasurer at Kemnay Small Bore Rifle Club, hopes refurbishment work will begin this week.
Mr Barnard said: “Everything is going in the right direction, so we feel positive about it.
“So far, we’ve managed to raise around £5,000, which should cover the cost of most of the tools and materials we need for the rebuild.
“We haven’t been able to go on site due to Covid, but as restrictions lift this week, we are hoping to get down to work, clear the debris and start rebuilding the range.
“The hope is that we can get back to shooting this year.”
A more resilient future for the club
As part of the rebuild, substantial and secure containers will be put in place for tools and equipment storage.
The wooden structure, which was destroyed in the explosion, will now be replaced by a metal framework to cover the firing points.
Some of the funds will also be invested in putting Covid-safety measures in place, as well as additional CCTV cameras.
Mr Barnard added: “We’ve formulated a plan to use non-combustible materials like concrete and steel to make it more resilient to any vandalism in the future.
“We’ve been suffering from vandalism of some petty nature for the last five years and it’s really upsetting, because you never know what you’re going to find when you go down to the club.
“We are very grateful to everybody who has donated to support the club, which is a big part of our local community and the discipline as a whole.”
The Kemnay Small Bore Rifle Club has worked from the site since the Second World War and, in 2019, a five-strong team of its members was named national champions in their discipline.
Lenny Thomson, Roger Esson, Steve Dalgarno, Malcolm Catto and George Mortimer came top of the RWS National Long Range League, which tests shooting at 50 metres and 100 yards.
The club, which is thought to be one of the smallest in the country, became just the fourth Scottish cohort to take the title since 1926.