Hunt-hosting rugby club axes member after Boxing Day parade demo

Castle Cary Rugby Union Football Club in Somerset has terminated the membership of one of its longstanding supporters after she protested against its hosting of a hunt.

The rugby club hosted the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt (BSV) on Boxing Day in 2023. The hunt used to hold its parade in Castle Cary town centre. But the town hall stopped providing facilities for the meet in recent years and the County Council started requiring the hunt to apply for a road closure for the event, thanks to public pressure and campaigning by Action Against Foxhunting. So the hunt took its parade elsewhere.

A notorious hunt

The BSV is a notorious hunt that monitors and saboteurs have regularly documented chasing and killing foxes. Indeed, Protect the Wild conducted a study of the 2022/23 hunting season and found that around a third of the BSV's monitored meets were reported to have led to the chasing or killing of a fox.

Many people may know the hunt from the starring role it played in a Channel 4 expose in January this year. North Dorset Hunt Saboteurs shared footage with the broadcaster of the BSV hounds chasing and killing a fox on private land, when the hunt was initially unaware that it was being monitored by a drone.

In the wake of the mainstream coverage of the incident, the British Hound Sports Association (BHSA) suspended the hunt, although the suspension lasted for a pitiful few weeks. Four members of the hunt were subsequently charged under Section 1 of the Hunting Act 2004, accused of hunting a wild mammal with dogs, as Protect the Wild reported in June. The case is in progress.

A controversial choice

Early on Boxing Day last year, Somerset Live reported on criticism of the BSV's parade at the Castle Cary Rugby Union Football Club. The regional publication reported that the event was taking place despite "a series of high-profile incidents which have raised serious questions about its behaviour."

In other words, it should have come as no surprise to the rugby club that hosting the parade was controversial and may attract people protesting against the decision.

One of the people who joined the protest was a longstanding member of the club. Protect the Wild is withholding her name to protect her privacy. Over her two decades with the club, she says she has variously been a player, team captain, fundraiser, committee member, and volunteer.

However, her membership of the club has now been terminated. The club informed her of this decision in mid-August, arguing that her actions following the BSV's 2023 Boxing Day meet, along with comments she made on social media, were "prejudicial to the interests of the club."

According to the now ex-club member, the protest was peaceful. During it she stood in the club's car park holding a banner, accompanied by a fellow ex-player. There was a less than peaceful incident, however, when a rider and his horse moved towards and collided with her. She believes this was deliberate, while the rider argued it was accidental due to the horse getting spooked.

She reported the incident to the police. A police review confirmed that the rider and horse moved towards her, with the horse's shoulder 'glancing' her from behind, causing her to lose balance. But the police determined that the rider's account that the incident was accidental, was plausible and no further action was taken.

The ex-club member also says that her social media activity on the issue was limited. In all, she wrote a "remarkably unprovocative" post after the protest, published on a Facebook account that is set to private.

Boxing Day parade protests on the rise

After the rugby club informed her of the termination, she contacted it to ask for further explanation and dialogue. But the club has yet to engage with her on the matter.

Protect the Wild contacted Castle Cary Rugby Union Football Club for comment. It did not respond by the time of publication.

The former-member, who committed years to the club is feeling very let down and is adamant that clubs like Castle Cary Rugby Union Football Club are no place to be celebrating notorious hunts like the BSV.

Moreover, if they choose to host hunts, these entities should not be surprised when they face protests from members of the community. Boxing Day hunt parades up and down are being met with opposition as the public becomes increasingly aware of the horror that hunts continue to inflict on wildlife, decades after the Hunting Act came into effect.

Protect the Wild is also shining a light on businesses that are connected to hunts through the bloodbusiness.info website, to provide people with the information they need to make informed choices about their spending. Among the businesses listed on the website is the Newt in Somerset, a boutique hotel that also allows the BSV to meet on its land - and of course Castle Cary Rugby Club.

The former-member would like an apology from the rugby club and for the club to commit to not hosting a hunt again.

Anyone who would like to show solidarity by backing her demands can contact the club using the details on its website or email castlecaryrfc1888@gmail.com.

Thank you.