Guns silenced again for Glorious 12th (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Guns silenced again for Glorious 12th

5:20pm Thursday 10th August 2006 in

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The impact of the devastating fire on Ilkley Moor has forced the cancellation of grouse shooting there for the second season in a row.

The Trustees of Bingley Moor Estate are not taking bookings for the start of the shooting season - the Glorious 12th on Saturday - on the world-famous Ilkley beauty spot and neighbouring Bingley Moor because of the destruction.

Flock numbers were already struggling to recover following a parasitic worm outbreak last year which resulted in the cancellation of any grouse shoots.

Donald McGill, head gamekeeper for the Trustees of Bingley Moor Estate, said flock populations were around 50 per cent down, providing too few birds for viable shooting.

Mr McGill said hundreds of birds had been either caught in the flames or had succumbed to the effects of smoke.

He said: "There will be no grouse shooting on the 12th. We've lost a large number of birds on Ilkley Moor, so we are perhaps 50 per cent down.

"This has been the biggest fire I've had to deal with in my career. It's affected about 430 acres of Ilkley Moor and about 160 acres of Netherwood Moor.

"It's not just grouse that's been affected, but other ground-nesting birds like lapwing and meadow pipits. For people like me, their livelihood is based on the moor being in good shape."

Bradford Council reinstated permission for grouse shooting on Ilkley Moor last August, nine years after it was removed.

The decision to stop shooting was taken on the grounds of public safety in 1997.

Mr McGill had again joined firefighters and Bradford Council countryside workers when fire flared up on nearly 200 acres of Ilkley Moor on Monday evening.

Bradford Council, which has now ditched plans for a moor management trust, is looking at raising thousands of pounds in restoration cash.

Council environment chief Councillor Anne Hawkesworth said they would be working quickly to get regeneration funding in place.

The council is expected to sell a disused property on the moor and ring-fence the proceeds to match lottery funding.

There are also plans for a "friends of Ilkley Moor" style group to attract additional funding.

Councillor Hawkesworth said she had received a favourable response from Prince Charles' office following her invitation for him to visit the moor.

"We will be writing back with a view to taking things forward," she said.

"It would be marvellous if he could visit. It would certainly help the profile of the problems at the moor."

Fundraising for the moor is being boosted by Ilkley Summer Festival, which will send profits from Saturday's performance by Opera North.

The outdoor concert in Spence's Garden will include favourites from Gershwin, Ivor Novello, Rogers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter and Leonard Bernstein. Admission for Nostalgia - A Summer Serenade is £12 and tickets are available from Ilkley Tourist Information Centre on (01943) 602319.

e-mail: jonathan.walton@bradford.newsquest.co.uk