North East Hunt Monitors: How we shut down the South Durham Hunt!

An inspiring story of how a group of dedicated monitors fought back after an arrogant hunt underestimated them.

With a focus on the South Durham Hunt (SDH), North East Hunt Monitors are a group of volunteers that (to quote their website) "utilise non-violent direct action techniques to both document and evidence the crimes hunt groups commit and protect the lives of all wildlife...whilst never causing harm or injury to any member of the hunt or their supporters. Sadly the same cannot be said for our volunteers who face abuse, threats and have been subject to physical violence resulting in actual bodily harm."

Protect the Wild first supported the North East Hunt Monitors (NEHM) back in February 2024. We sent them two high-resolution camcorders which the group immediately put to good use - recording the SDH “as they broke down a fence to gain access to council land“. We’ve followed and promoted them ever since.

At the end of March 2025, NEHM published a superb video on Facebook called “The Downfall of The South Durham Hunt 2025”. It was inspirational and a testament to the great work they had been doing. Would NEHM be prepared to write a post based on that video so we could put the details out in a newsletter to our supporters? Yes, they would…

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The South Durham Hunt (SDH) is thought to have been established in the 18th century after the Raby Hunt was divided into multiple groups in the North East. In 1870, the Durham County Hunt became the South Durham Hunt.

North East Hunt Monitors (NEHM) have a shorter history, but which one of us will survive the longest? Read on…

NEHM were founded in 2016 by two members of the old North East Hunt Sabs who wanted to start a new group to cover multiple hunting packs within the local area.

The Braes of Derwent and South Durham were our main focus at that time. That all changed when two female monitors were held captive in their car on a private farm for over TEN hours by Rob and Laura Wilkinson of the South Durham Hunt. Determined to fight back, the group decided there and then to put all its focus on shutting down the SDH.

Over the next eight years, hunt monitors hit the SDH up to three times a week and had a huge impact on the South Durham’s hunting activities.

The huntsman at the time was Gareth Watchman. Gareth was actually a former Milky Bar kid from the TV advert all those years ago! He hasn’t changed much since then.

Monitors first witnessed a fox kill on the closing meet of the 2018 season and decided to grow the group and educate the public on the fiction that is trail hunting. This led to the group having three vehicles used solely for the purpose of thwarting the hunt each week. Gareth left SDH later that year under suspicious circumstances (we were made aware of this via an inside informant).

Over the next few years, the hunt continued to lose land and had seen many huntsmen come and go, often under pressure from the use of drones which have extended the capability monitors now had for evidence gathering.

Since 2018, we have had a great relationship with Durham Police, especially with Inspector Sarah Honeyman. We have a dedicated monitor who works with Inspector Honeyman and who meets regularly with her to provide updates on any incidents that may occur.

In 2019, the North East Hunt Monitors were asked to take part in a documentary by ‘Tyne and Weird’ which focused on illegal hunting in the Durham area and what our group was doing to prevent it. The documentary (which is still online) was called Red Coats and was published on YouTube to great success as it brought a lot of public support to the group.

Eye in the Sky

A major step up in our monitoring capabilities began in 2020 when we started to use drones. The ‘eye in the sky’ enabled us to follow hunts into areas that we were previously not able to access or were not allowed on to (see Protect the Wild’s North East Hunt Monitors are busy exposing the South Durham and Zetland Hunts which noted that “Footage…clearly shows shows a pack of hounds chasing a fox across open fields, in apparent breach of the 2004 Hunting Act. Monitors say that the hounds could clearly we be heard in cry from the ground, indicating that they had picked up a scent.”)

We can reach these areas quickly and gather evidence of hunting and hound havoc (like hounds spilling all over railway lines) that we knew was taking place but had not been able to record before, meaning we could provide much-needed evidence to Durham Police. See for example South Durham Hunt: yet another hunt recorded breaking the law.

Since we started using drones, the police have investigated three cases of illegal hunting, one of which led to 4 members of the South Durham Hunt being summoned to court and charged with Hunting Act offences.

Negative publicity

The negative publicity we’ve been able to bring down on the South Durham has had a powerful impact. It has led to the loss of available land (as permissions to hunt have been withdrawn by landowners), and to the loss of riders and supporters who once followed SDH. We learned that the hunt was beginning to struggle financially.

This led to them being unable to employ a paid huntsman - a severe blow for the reputation of any hunt. The role was offered to previous field master Dick Smith instead. Dick was given the role of amateur huntsman and stated on the opening meet of 2023 that he was going to give it a go.

Things have gone rapidly downhill for the South Durham Hunt ever since. Monitors have caught the hunt trespassing on live railway lines numerous times. We have also reported drivers of untaxed vehicles, including the truck that tows the hound van. We have also reported the use of mobile phones behind the wheel. All of this has had an impact on the demise of the hunt.

South Durham Hunt forced to merge!

Since 2023 the hunt continued to decline under the pressure being put on them. We noted seeing only a handful of mounted riders each week. The once-prestigious hunt even had to cut their regular mid-week meets to one every other week.

We have continued to put that pressure on the hunt and it has increasingly paid off. During the 2024/25 season we heard reports that the hunt were having to look to other neighbouring hunts for help.

Hunts are extremely proud of their long history of killing wildlife. Each has its own identity, its own ‘country’, and its own way of doing things. Losing their independence is anathema and an admission of failure. Towards the end of the same winter we were informed that another notorious and local hunt, the Braes of Derwent, were also struggling and that the two hunts would be joining forces to try to stay afloat.

It appears that the SDH hounds will be moving to the Braes kennels in Northumberland and that a much-reduced rump of the South Durham and the Braes intend to try to hunt both hunt areas. We don't know what their name will be. The Braes are the much bigger hunt so the SDH may just become part of Braes. Rob Wilkinson, SDH Hunt master, was not out for the last few meets of the season, but did appear at the final meet with Braes and was not wearing his usual pinks. Quite the comedown for such a seasoned hunter…

Whatever they call themselves we will be watching them!

Was the 2024/25 ‘season’ the last for the South Durham Hunt? It looks that way, but whatever happens to these ‘organised crime gangs’ we will be there every step of the way. We’ve taken down one hunt, we can’t wait to take down another!

We obviously hope a full ban on trail hunting will be implemented soon but until then - first and foremost - we endeavour to our best ability to save foxes. As a group of dedicated individuals, we remain focused on putting an end to fox hunting in both areas and will continue to show up every week until this is achieved.

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Help NEHM keep on protecting wildlife

You can donate to North East Hunt Monitors petrol fund via PayPal or Ko-Fi.

• Visit their website at northeasthuntmonitors.co.uk and their Facebook page at NEhuntmonitors

• Follow them on X/Twitter at hunteast

• You can buy an NEHM T-shirts and hoodies, to help support the group, here. Or send them a tip-off about what the hunt is up to here.