Winchester’s shoppers join charity’s call for an end to fox hunting on National Trust land
Posted 9th September 2021
Thursday, September 9
Campaigners from the League Against Cruel Sports took to the streets of Winchester today [Thursday] to call on the National Trust to stop licensing ‘trail’ hunting on its land.
Volunteers and staff from the leading national animal welfare charity, including one in a fox costume, gathered in the town centre to urge the public to take action and sign up to the campaign.
Nick Weston, head of campaigns at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “It’s been a great day in Winchester today, with lots of local supporters joining us in the city centre.
“We’ve spoken to lots of people on both sides of the hunting debate, which is something we welcome. Hopefully we’ve given pro-hunters something to think about when it comes to chasing wild animals for fun, and those who are anti-hunt and members of the National Trust will now consider asking the organisation to ban hunting with hounds on its land.”
The National Trust is due to hold a debate and vote about the future of so-called ‘trail’ hunting on its land when it holds its AGM in October.
National Trust members can vote for the ban now, however, by going online, until September 22. Non-members can still join us with our campaign in emailing the trust and asking that it support a ban.
Nick added: “It is evident that tragically fox hunting is still taking place across England and Wales despite the ban, and that’s why we’re calling on the National Trust to stop licensing ‘trail’ hunts on its land once and for all, and asking its members to help us do that.”
Today’s campaign event in Winchester is one of a number of events the League has been running this summer in the run-up to the trust’s AGM.
The National Trust, to its credit, paused the licensing of trail hunting after this, but it is now time to have the ban made permanent, the League says.
Ends
Notes to editors