The ninth annual Cobb Europe Charity Shoot set a new fundraising record, collecting £16,500 — double the amount raised the year before. The event, which took place at the High Lodge Clay Shooting Range in Darsham, Norfolk on 12 June brought together more than 160 poultry industry professionals from the United Kingdom, Ireland and The Netherlands for a day of friendly competition.
In 2018 Cobb Europe was directly affected by the loss of Steve Graham, health and safety and transport manager for Cobb when he suffered a stroke. Cobb staff from across the EMEA region voted to move charitable efforts to The Stroke Association.
“It’s wonderful to be able to donate such a large sum to The Stroke Association and remember Steve,” said John Vincent, director of quality assurance for Cobb Europe and charity shoot team organiser for the last nine years. “The size of the event has grown significantly since its start in 2010. The attendance from across the industry demonstrates such a willingness to support good causes.”
To honour Steve’s memory, event organizers brought in experts from the Stroke Association to share prevention tips and take blood pressure on-site. They also created a new top prize: the Steve Graham Top Shot.
Trophies and gifts were presented to the winners by sponsor Peter Davidson, Owner of CE Davidson.
Nick Beavis, of Slate Hall won this top honour as the highest scoring individual, completing an astounding 94 shots out of 96. Andrew Stephenson, of Chapmans and Eric Chapman, director of Chapmans were close on his heels, with 92 and 91 shots respectively. Chapman continued to score big in the team category, collectively tallying 316 out of 400 in the four-man, 100-bird team flushes.
To keep the giving spirit year-round, Cobb Europe team members get creative, organising office raffles and company fun days with proceeds going to charity. Earlier this year, the team presented the Royal Papworth Hospital Charity with a cheque of £40,000, a combination of funds raised through two previous shoots and other efforts.
“Cobb Europe’s generosity allows us to support ground-breaking work, be it research into cardiothoracic treatments, supporting staff education, or providing the highest standards of care for our patients,” said Maxine Taylor, partnerships and engagement manager for the charity. “Royal Papworth Hospital Charity puts the patients of the hospital at the heart of everything we do and thanks to the outstanding fundraising efforts of Cobb Europe, we continue to move forward as a globally renowned centre of excellence.”
