Barden Clay Shoot

Help beloved Barden Clay Shoot go out with a bang
More teams are needed to help a charity clay shoot – which has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities since its inception– go out with a bang.
The Barden Clay Shoot is in desperate need of more teams entering – or it won’t go ahead for the first time in its 18-year history.
The annual event – one of the biggest in the country – has been organised by the Birch family on land near their farm in Barden, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire, as a way of thanking the charities which supported them following the birth of their daughter, Molly, who has cerebral palsy.
The event has raised around £300,000 for good causes since its inception, with the national Support Dogs charity, which trains and provides specialist assistance dogs to help autistic children, as well as adults affected by epilepsy or a physical disability, being the beneficiary for the past six years.
Organisers say they are shaking up the event’s future format – but the 2026 shoot in its current form is in danger of being cancelled unless more teams sign up.
Molly’s condition affects her balance and use of her hands, reduces her concentration and makes it difficult for her to walk far unaided.
Labrador Chess has been trained by Yorkshire-based Support Dogs to help Molly by picking up items she has dropped, assisting with her balance as she walks, fetching help when she has fallen over, opening and closing drawers and doors, fetching her shoes, boots, leg and hand splints and pulling her coat off.
Molly, an 18-year-old student at York College and St John’s Catholic Specialist School, in Wetherby, sits on the organising committee, helping to make the shoot, first established as the Azerley Charity Clay Shoot in 2008, a hit each year.
But Molly’s dad, Kevin, said: “The event is due to take place on Sunday 28 June, but if we haven’t got enough teams signed up by the end of May, we will have to reconsider.
“The event is so important to the charity which desperately needs to raise as much money as possible so it can help more families in the same way that it has helped ours. If we have to pull the plug on the event altogether, it would be completely devastating to so many.”
Last year, over 60 teams took part in the annual event.
Danny Anderson, head of fundraising at Support Dogs, said: “A huge thanks to those who have already signed up.
“We’re preparing for what should be a fantastic event, but we urgently need the public’s help to make it happen. Without an additional 15 teams signing up before the end of May, it will not be able to go ahead this year.
“If you’re able to help by encouraging colleagues, friends or contacts to enter a team, it would make a huge difference. We would love more people to join us as we mark the final year of the Barden Charity Clay Shoot in style.”
The event takes place on Sunday, June 28, with a top prize of £1,000.
Entry is £500 per team of four, with 500 clays available.
Cash prizes of £1,000, £500 and £250 are given to the top three teams and there are four pairs of Original Muck Boot Company boots for the highest placed ladies’ team.
There will be hot food, cakes and other refreshments available throughout the day, as well as a bar open from noon. There will also be a pool shoot paying out £50 for the highest gun per 20 competitors, plus raffle, tombola and ‘have-a-go’ archery competition.
All participants must be shotgun certificate holders and aged over 16. Pre-register at www.bardenclayshoot.co.uk. For more information, please email [email protected]
To find out more about the incredible work of Support Dogs, please visit www.supportdogs.org.uk or call 0114 2617800.