OVER 100 country sports tourism businesses in Scotland received a share of the £1million funding pot provided by the Scottish Government, to offset losses incurred by Covid-19.

The restart fund opened for applications at the end of February to help the hardest hit businesses. Applicants were required to demonstrate that they had incurred a minimum revenue loss of 50% as a result of the pandemic, while also proving that 75% of annual turnover was derived from country sports tourism.

The fund, developed in partnership with the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Scottish Country Tourism Group, VisitScotland and ScotGov, received applications from a diverse range of businesses, including sporting agencies, game shoots, sporting estates, clay pigeon shooting grounds, deer stalking providers, falconers, sea fishing charters and inland fisheries.

Alf Sorensen, the owner of an Aberdeenshire-based sporting agency, said the restart fund had been a much-needed lifeline for his business: “The coronavirus pandemic has been severely disruptive, resulting in the almost complete loss of international tourists as well as those from other UK nations.

“This funding will give us the best chance of successfully reopening when restrictions allow, and we would like to thank BASC and the SCSTG for their efforts in successfully lobbying for this funding.”

Read more - Lifeline offered to country sports businesses

Mike Hardy, owner of an Angus-based sporting business, concurred: “After months of no support whatsoever, I am extremely relieved to have been successful in my application to the Scottish country sports restart fund.

“The coronavirus restrictions significantly impacted on my businesses, and we were forced to close for much of the latter half of the shooting season while still maintaining overhead costs."

Chairman of the SCSTG, Rory Kennedy, claimed that with the second lockdown coming into force during its core season, few other sectors had been hit as hard as the country sports tourism sector: “It was regrettable that we had to fight so hard for this lifeline funding, but we appreciate the Scottish Government and its agencies acknowledging the vital role we play in Scotland's rural economy and in supporting its fragile communities.

“We continue to make representations on behalf of those diversified country sports tourism businesses who have still not been able to access coronavirus support," he continued. "We remain concerned that some local authorities administering funding streams may discriminate against legitimate country sports businesses on ideological grounds and we are taking an active role in monitoring this on an authority-by-authority level."

BASC Scotland’s public affairs manager, Ross Ewing, concluded: “This fund has delivered crucial and much-needed support to a sector that makes a pivotal contribution to the rural economy. After what has been a tumultuous and disruptive year, this funding will provide many businesses with the means to survive and reopen, which in turn will benefit other key rural businesses."