Following the sad loss of our beloved daughter Amanda in October last year, family and friends have all been busy thinking of ways to help raise funds to aid CRY research in memory of her.

On Saturday 3rd January 2009, Wattisham Station Clay Target Club staged a charity competition shoot in aid of CRY. The day was a great success and this was all down to the hard work and enthusiasm displayed by the club committee, and friends and colleagues at my work place.

The weather on the day was great, crisp and cold just as we like it, and not a drop of rain in sight. About 75 individuals actually shot in the competition and with prizes for best overall shot, best female shot, and best junior shot, everyone felt they had something to aim for (no pun intended). The overall level of shooting was superb, with some really high scores being achieved by novice and experienced shooters alike.

Along with the shoot, a raffle also took place with prizes donated from many establishments including Ipswich Town Football Club, Shooting Times and our local shooting shop The Mallard Barn.

The raffle was well supported and helped boost our overall total, as did the hotdog and refreshment stand which did brisk trade all day.

We raised over £1000 and the club are considering making this an annual event titled “The Amanda McCarthy Memorial Shoot” so hopefully any of you reading this and living within reaching distance of Wattisham Airfield, near Ipswich will have the chance to come along and support this worthy cause next year.

My next planned event in aid of CRY is the Flora London Marathon, so if you are reading this and would like to make a donation, please visit http://www.justgiving.com/petemccarthy – many thanks.

Pete McCarthy