GAMEKEEPERS came together to offer their safety glasses to support the area’s district nurses during the coronavirus crisis.
The 90 pairs of safety glasses were collected from Cothertone, Bowes, Scargill, Eggleston and Holwick moors and offered welcome relief during a period when personal protective equipment (PPS) was in short supply.
Mark Gallagher, of Cotherstone Moor, said he called round estates following an appeal launched by the Moorland Association.
He said: “I also called Wemmergill Estate, but they had already sent theirs over to Hawes.”
Protective eyewear is used by flankers and anyone else near the guns on estates during the shooting season, Mr Gallagher said. The items were handed to district nurse Emma Heslop, who also helps out on the estate during the shooting season.
Many estates have a surplus of protective items because of a reduction in grouse numbers over the past two years because of bad weather.
Mr Gallagher said: “We were still recovering from the Beast from the East and the drought – last year was slightly better for us and we were building up the stock. I am happy with the stock [this year] and the weather has been perfect.”
He worried, however, that a cold snap could change the fortunes of some estates if, or when, the shooting season opens this year.
He said: “If it turns very frosty you can have frozen eggs and lose a lot. [Hatching] is definitely earlier this year – normally it would be another week or two.”
