Express & Star

Rugeley Rifle Club honoured with British award

Rugeley Rifle Club have been decorated with the British Shooting Target Change award for 2024, writes Warren Bishop.

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Located on Wharf Road in Staffordshire, the club received the prestigious title during the British Shooting Awards event, held at the Imperial War Museum in Trafford, Greater Manchester.

The Target Change Award is given to organisations who have made a significant contribution to public engagement and/or public perception of the sport.

Accepted on stage by club secretary Lee Featherstone, club captain Richard Hemingway, property manager Graham Delaney and treasurer Craig Dower, the club has added another high-profile achievement at the beginning of 2025 after previously winning the King’s Award for voluntary service in November 2024.

The King’s Award is set to be formally presented at the club’s annual prizegiving event on March 28 by the Lord Lieutenant for Staffordshire, Sir Ian Dudson KCVO CBE.

Club captain Hemingway said: “To receive such a prestigious award, while surrounded by Olympic and Paralympic champions is a real honour, and a well-deserved recognition of the hard work put in by all the club’s volunteers over the past few years.“

Established in 1900 and one of the oldest target sports clubs in the country, the latest prize recognises the community work conducted by the club over the last decade.

In collaboration with the Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth Services, Rugeley Rifle Club have provided summer camps for local young people in association with Burntwood Target Sprint, helping more than 900 young people learn to shoot safely through the club’s community outreach activities since 2021.

In 2019, the club fundraised for a public access defibrillator, which saw the adoption of Rugeley and District Community First Responders as a supported charity and the more recent installation of an emergency bleed control kit.

Three years later, they supported British shooting by bringing the national finals of the school’s pistol and rifle championships to Cannock Leisure Centre, with Rugeley members volunteering as range officers and match administration during the competition.

Meanwhile, the club has hosted guest nights for diverse local community groups, running an air rifle range at Brereton Carnival and serving as a venue for local groups, including viking re-enactors and West Midlands 4x4 response.

After being well-recognised for their contributions, the organisation is said to be increasingly motivated to continue their volunteering and fundraising efforts in the coming years.