A CHARITY clay shoot day was held to raise money for the Royal Marines.

Dozens of people picked up their guns at the charity day, held at Hillersdon House on Saturday.

As well as raising some much-needed funds, the day was also held to celebrate the completion of the refurbishment at the house, which had taken around five years.

The day raised £1,025 for the Royal Marines Charity.

A challenging course saw 16 teams put through their paces. Entries included teams from Ladds Guns, Castle Hill, North Molton, Buttery Shoot, Temple, Luscombe, Devon Plant Services and the Marines.

Mike Lloyd, owner of Hillersdon, said: “It was fantastic to see such a great gathering of teams from the local shooting and business community competing barrel-to-barrel with the Marines for a worthwhile cause.

“Hillersdon has recently undergone a five-year renovation programme and it was wonderful to be able to use the house and grounds to raise much-needed funds for the The Royal Marines Charity.

“It is an initiative that we aspire to continue, and very much look forward to welcoming everyone back on a bigger scale in 2017.”

The top three teams were treated to prizes from Waterman’s, Tucker & Sons, Devon Plant, Annabelle Thom and Mole Valley Farmers.

Ladds Slackers from Ladds Guns were in top position, with the Marines team placing second and The Buttery Loaders from Buttery Shoot coming in third.

Morley Yeandle, organiser of the clay shoot, said: “Putting on a clay shoot for some of the biggest and best names in the local fieldsports community will always be a daunting prospect, but I’m pretty sure we put them all through their paces with a particularly challenging duck flush.

“The weather was a little inclement, but nothing like winter in North Devon, and the scores achieved were very admirable, particularly that of the winning team ‘The Ladds Slackers’ from Ladds Guns.

“It goes without saying that we couldn’t have done it without our valued sponsors, prize donors and my wonderful team of helpers, so thank you all.

“We are looking forward to raising even more funds in the coming years.”