Colin Blanchard

A PHEASANT LIFE: ‘Many who criticise shooting probably eat burgers made from factory-farmed animals without asking any questions,' says Colin Blanchard, lecturer in Game and Wildlife Management at the University of Central Lancashire's Newton Rigg campus Picture: STEWART BLAIR
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A PHEASANT LIFE: ‘Many who criticise shooting probably eat burgers made from factory-farmed animals without asking any questions,' says Colin Blanchard, lecturer in Game and Wildlife Management at the University of Central Lancashire's Newton Rigg campus Picture: STEWART BLAIR
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The truth is that modern gamekeepers are usually deep-thinking professional countrymen," says Colin.And he should know.In his role as head of game and wildlife at the Newton Rigg campus of the University of Central Lancashire, near Penrith, Colin is the mentor of numerous gamekeepers and spent years working as one himself.

As an art school drop-out who admits to a long-haired, 1960s-style, mis-spent youth, Colin doesn't fit any of our preconceived moulds.

In fact, as a teenager, Colin couldn't wait to sample the bright lights of urban life."I thought it was dead trendy to go to art school and I wanted to avoid work for as long as possible.I was a small-town hippie," says 51-year-old Colin.

However, he had spent his boyhood immersed in country ways.His dad, who worked in a cement factory, took his son wildfowling on the Humber, where they shot ducks and geese for the pot.At weekends, they picked tatties in the winter and blackberries in the autumn.

During Colin's five years as an art student, he behaved like a yo-yo.He spent his weekdays as an angst-ridden rebel but, come the weekend, he tied his hair back in a ponytail and went shooting with the wildfowlers.

When Colin decided to dispense with his arty phase, he returned to his roots with consummate ease.

"By the time I had spent about five years studying art and living in cities, I was keen to return to the countryside," he says.

Colin, who still dabbles as a painter, says that artists and lovers of field sports actually have a great deal in common."Understanding the beauty of nature and of the countryside is a common bond," he says.

By being creative with his CV, Colin landed a job as head of education and training with the BASC (the British Association for Shooting and Conservation).It was a job that gave him great experience of countryside management and which led to his current position at the Newton Rigg campus.
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"You look at places where intensive farming has replaced field sports and you will find a wildlife desert," says Colin.He points out that the grey partridge, now a threatened species, was the principal sporting bird of England until the 1950s

"The decline of the bird is a result of farming practices.People need to grasp the fact that the grey partridge only now survives in places where it is bred for shooting."

Colin doesn't hunt, but he says that a ban on the sport would break his heart as it would be a symbol of a complete lack of understanding of the countryside.

"Hunting is part of the whole culture of the countryside but people who understand hunting and other country matters do not necessarily live in the country.There are plenty of true countrymen living in the towns and the cities - especially in Cumbria," he says.

Colin is a passionate advocate of shooting; he argues that game shooting helps the wildlife habitat and at the same time brings in millions of pounds for the Exchequer.

He also points out that it is a long-standing social activity."Why on earth should people have to make excuses and justify their sport?Many of those who criticise shooting probably eat burgers made from factory-farmed animals without asking any questions," he says.

Colin is determined to spread the gospel about game management, which he says has led to the biggest improvement in wildlife conservation in Cumbria in the past five years.

He preaches the need for wildlife corridors, with hedgerows and grass banks, and advocates a reduction in the pressure for intense farming production.

"After umpteen years, the barn owl is back at Newton Rigg, which is an indication that we are beginning to succeed," he says.

Colin, married to artist Heather Blanchard, says he sees his life in cycles.One day he may get the overwhelming urge to put down his gun and take up his paintbrushes again.

"But I've an awful lot to get done first," he adds.