Nearly 200 people came out in support of the 25th anniversary edition of Big Shots, The Furniture Makers’ Company’s clay pigeon shoot, earlier this month, raising more than £34,000 for the charity.
The fundraiser, which is supported by Furniture Village, took place on 12th June and was held at Holland and Holland in Northwood, Middlesex. Forty-four teams competed in the shooting contest with companies from across the wider furnishing industry coming together in support of their industry charity. Once the final shots were fired, guests sat down to a delicious three-course meal with more money raised through a raffle, auction and wine pull.
The silver anniversary celebrations were complemented by an after-lunch talk from Victor Ubogu, former Bath and England rugby player, and finished with a bang as Daniel Spicer of Ideal Furniture made the winning bid to fire Holland and Holland’s antique cannon to bring the special day to a close.
Dids Macdonald OBE, master of The Furniture Makers’ Company, says: “Even a slightly wet day could not dampen the spirits of what was a cracking event, raising a staggering £34,000. Congratulations to all participants and, of course, thank you to our sponsors, your unfailing generosity and support to help those in our industry never fails to amaze me.”
Charlie Harrison, director of multichannel at Furniture Village, comments: “With this being our 25th anniversary of Big Shots, we had pretty high hopes and it didn’t disappoint! With our largest attendance for a long time, it was great to see so many people in our great industry enjoying what has become one of the best social events in the calendar.
“It was fantastic to see so many old friends as well as a lot of new faces – all of whom came out to have a great day but also raise funds for our industry charity. Having been involved with Big Shots for the past eight years, Furniture Village is proud to have supported this event, and here’s to the next 25 years.”
The full results of the competition were: Top Gun (Male) – Nick Seaton (Clareno); Top Gun (Female) – Lizzie Shaw (Celtheath); Top Gun (Novice) – Rynier Van Der Merwe (Ki); Top Team – Haskins Hot Shots (JH Haskins & Son); Top Novice Team – Scared Hitless (Knoll International); Runner Up Team – Son of a Gun (Peroda Furniture); Bottom Team – The Blum Bandits (Blum); Four Man Flurry – Breasley Bandits (Breasley).
The 26th edition of Big Shots will take place on 10th June, 2020.
