The SGA has kindly been given permission - from his family - to reproduce, here, the many commendations Allen received from so many people. What a legacy!
Nomination for the Ronnie Rose Award, 2024
We have consulted with a variety of people who have provided supporting statements for this nomination.
All good gamekeeping can make a lasting contribution to conservation, and we feel Allen has done that throughout his working life. However, we would like to nominate him for his investment in educating a variety of people on the role of gamekeepers in conservation. We feel he has contributed hugely to the formal and informal education of a wide range of people: through his support and encouragement of newcomers to the profession, and through engaging and educating people about the positive role gamekeeping can have in the countryside.
Over his c50-year gamekeeping career Allen has amassed a wealth of conservation knowledge and is experienced in moorland management, low ground shoots (with both wild and reared birds) wildfowling, partridge shoots, and deer stalking and management. Now in his 80th year, he is still working and, just as importantly, continues to share his knowledge and experience, inspiring and enlightening both newcomers to the world of shooting, and the generations who are following him in caring for our countryside professionally.
Allen was interested in wildlife and shooting from an early age. He was among WAGBI’s youngest members when he joined, and a member of Sunderland and Durham Wildfowlers’ Association from his late teens. He attended a farming college in Derbyshire as a youngster but, deciding farming wasn’t for him, returned to urban life in his native Sunderland. By his early twenties he was working in engineering, married, with the first of his two children. At 23, life for Allen and his family changed forever when his application for a gamekeeping job was successful and he began work on Lord Saville’s Walshaw Moor Estate in Yorkshire.
Moving north
Following roles as an underkeeper on Walshaw and then Harehope Estate in Northumberland, he joined Ronnie Rose’s wildlife division in the Economic Forestry Group (EFG) at Eskdalemuir, where he was to work for over a decade. “Next to join us was Allen Kerr, who came from the grouse moors of north-east England. His specialised experience of upland game management and development are still appreciated by the sportsmen who shoot in Eskdalemuir,” p83, Working with Nature by Ronnie Rose MBE. The work of EFG’s wildlife division was lauded for its skill in conserving biodiversity in the midst of extensive commercial sitka spruce plantations and hill farms. For over a decade, Allen helped host visiting delegations from around the UK and beyond, always conveying the vital role of the gamekeeper in wildlife management. He also worked with a number of individuals, from assisting PhD students such as Ian Newton (now Professor Ian Newton OBE FRS FRSE) during his landmark research into sparrowhawks, to inspiring youngsters like local hill farmer’s son Dave Moffat. Dave says “He’s had a major influence on my life. I met Allen over 45 years ago when I was 12 years old; we lived in a small community and Allen and Marie were friends with my parents. I started to go beating at the local shoot where Allen was gamekeeper. From aged 14, I volunteered my services at least a couple of times a week if Allen needed a hand with anything. This led to my first job, a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) with Economic Forestry Group (EFG). I spent a lot of time with Allen, learning his craft, skills and his knowledge of the countryside and wildlife and how they rely on each other; this knowledge I use to this day. I have many, many fond memories of days with Allen and even when he got mad at me when I did something wrong, although I didn't see it at the time, he was always right. I do vermin control where I live and continue to put into practice all that Allen taught me all those years ago. For me, Allen is the Guru of gamekeepers.” Dave Moffat, farmer, Over Cassock Farm, Eskdalemuir.
He has supported youngsters and newcomers in all stages of life early in their gamekeeping careers: his underkeepers, students at the local college, and those on nearby shoots and estates.
Alan Edwards wrote about his first experience lamping foxes in Eskdalemuir as a young man in the 1970s: “Allen was a forward-thinking keeper from one of our neighbouring estates… he had an innovative method of fox control he was desperate to show me. He knew I was keen to learn as much as he could teach me. Jimmy Scott, a local shepherd, and Allen had perfected this method and were keen to show me. I had no idea how it would revolutionise fox control on all wild bird shoots… Without doubt, Allen’s modern outlook on gamekeeping helped to shape my future. He was from an industrial background in the north-east of England, which gave him the problem-solving aptitude to embrace new and revolutionary methodology within the shooting industry… I am proud to call him a friend. Even now, when we meet, he is still full of enthusiasm and energy for everything wild in shooting. I believe that Allen and Jimmy were the first to use a lamp and gun to control fox numbers.” Extract from article for The Shooting Times, 2020 by Alan Edwards, Conservation Manager, Bywell Estate, Northumberland.
Colin Hufton worked with Allen on the Leazes Estate in the mid-1980s. “I had the privilege and honour to meet and work alongside this gentleman. Allen’s experience and knowledge was vast, and he taught me a great deal, which in turn stood me in good stead to further my career. A great storyteller - half of which I’m still unsure whether true or not! As with a lot of things in life, I moved on and away with my career and lost touch. To this day I need to thank him for what he gave me. Colin Hufton, Estate Manager, Leadgates House and Howden Steading Shoot keeper/manager.
Stuart Shouesmith, Wildlife Ranger for Forestry Land Scotland, worked with him for several years. “I met Allen in 1987 when he came to The Glen and I was his underkeeper; I was already working there for the retiring keeper. I’ve spent my working life as a gamekeeper, a nurse, and now a Wildlife Ranger for Forestry Land Scotland. Allen’s knowledge of all things in life, not just wildlife, have helped me in all my careers. His enthusiasm, knowledge and can-do attitude have contributed hugely to local conservation, both on-the-ground and also through his input via the Moorland Gamekeepers Association, the black grouse project, and his attendance and contribution to public meetings on conservation issues”.
“I met Allen in 1993 when I was a Gamekeeping student at Borders College, and he came to the estate where I had a work placement to assist on a shoot day. I found him very knowledgeable, interesting and funny, which led to our 30+ year friendship and various work collaborations. To say he has helped me during my career and various jobs over the years would be a vast understatement! Not only I have learned so much from him when working on local estates as a Gamekeeper or Forester, I continued to learn from him when we worked together in a local gun shop, and he is still teaching and assisting me in my current role in deer management. His passion for the countryside and the wildlife in it is plain to see and he puts a lot of thought into anything he does, considering the bigger picture thus securing the best possible outcome. He has an immense knowledge bank which he is more than happy to delve into and share with anyone seeking guidance, requiring a problem solved or just in general conversation. His experience from being an avid reader combined with his years of living and working in the countryside has helped many people over the years, not just within the Gamekeeping and Forestry industries where his specialities lie but anyone living, working or visiting the area. He continues to contribute to education by mentoring a young local lad who is just starting out in his shooting hobby and will no doubt teach him the value of conservation alongside the proper safe shooting procedures.” John Spence, Wildlife Ranger, Forestry Land Scotland.
“As a redundant steelworker in the early 90s, with a love of the countryside and fieldsports, I enrolled at Borders College and moved to Galashiels. One evening while exploring, I called at a fish & chip shop in Innerleithen, where I saw an advertisement for grouse beaters. When I rang the number provided, a cheerful Geordie voice answered and asked me to be at the Innerleithen hotel the following Saturday morning. Allen quickly took me under his wing. I spent many happy evenings and weekends helping him work on the estate. Both Allen and his wife Marie made me welcome and gave me the encouragement to apply for and secure my first gamekeeping job, for which I will always be grateful. The last time I spoke with Allen, he was just as enthusiastic and engaged in the future of gamekeeping as the first day I met him. A genuinely nice man and a great gamekeeper.” David Beaumont, retired gamekeeper, Broomhead Estate.
“I met Allen in 1995 when I was studying Gamekeeping at Borders College. As part of the course I was required to undertake a work experience placement with a gamekeeper. These were the days before the internet and mobile phones, so initially contact was by letter. As you can imagine very few keepers were willing to commit time and effort to an unknown 16-year-old. However, Allen was happy to give me the opportunity to work alongside him. When I completed college Allen called me and asked if I would be interested in a position on a game farm in Wales. Sadly this didn’t work out and ultimately my career path led me away from gamekeeping. However the life lessons I learned from Allen as a teenager have stuck with me all my life. His strong work ethic and infectious enthusiasm were an inspiration. Allen’s wealth of knowledge was invaluable to me and no doubt greatly benefitted the other students that he took under his wing. His lasting contribution to education is that he gave us the opportunity to work alongside him and was happy to share this knowledge. He truly is a master in his field.” Chris Cunningham, former gamekeeping student.
“I first met Allen when I was just a boy in the late 1990s. I had been working weekends with the gamekeeper on a nearby estate who, recommending I get a summer job on a pheasant shoot, suggested I get in touch with Allen at The Glen Estate to help him with his young pheasants. Over that summer I gained so much experience from Allen about pheasant keepering. This has helped me to develop and progress in this industry and I still continue to cast my mind back from time to time to remind myself of techniques and methods I learned from him all those years ago. I only worked with Allen for the summer prior to attending Borders College, but in that short time it was clear to me that gamekeepers like Allen would inspire me to pursue this career and continue in the industry. It was very clear to me wildlife management and conservation went hand in hand with game shooting, which still inspires me to continue in this industry today. My vivid memory of Allen is how friendly he was; as a young boy I felt very welcome and relaxed as soon as I met him. He was always full of good humour and stories and happy to chat away during the workday”. George Byers, Owner of GB Gunstocks
Allen was secretary of the Scottish branch of the Moorland Gamekeepers’ Association (MGA) from its inception, the first gamekeeping membership organisation of its kind and followed by the SGA and NGO. The MGA grew quickly, with members working on moorland across the south of Scotland and north of England, representing the views and interests of working moorland gamekeepers, speaking to politicians, MPs, and the media. He spent significant time focussed on enlightening and educating people on the work of gamekeepers and its positive outcomes for flora and fauna: countering press coverage, speaking to editors and broadcasters, and attending meetings with a variety of organisations to dispel myths, provide perspective and voice opinion on behalf of moorland keepers. The interpretive labels he created for game fair moorland displays were still in use in the early 2000s. Together with his fellow committee members, he was successful in recruiting prominent naturalist Dr David Bellamy as MGA Patron; when the MGA became the Moorland Branch of the NGO, Dr Bellamy’s patronage continued.
Lindsay Waddell (pictured, above) former chair of both the MGA and NGO says of Allen, “He recognised a long time ago the importance of getting our voice heard, and to that end played a huge part in the success of the Moorland Gamekeepers at a time when it was badly needed. A very good countryman - and I don't use that term lightly, for there are fewer and fewer of them - who has a wealth of knowledge, which he can impart to anyone.”
Allen has always valued the knowledge of older members of the gamekeeping profession. On moving to The Leazes Estate he made sure to involve the estate’s retired keeper, benefitting from his experience and ensuring ongoing good relations and continuity with the estate community. At The Glen, he made pals with Wullie Grey, a retired local warrener. Relationships with people from older generations weren’t just about gathering knowledge; he took people on trips out which were run of the mill work for him but a day out for them, supporting their wellbeing and health, keeping them active, engaged and appreciated. Most of all, he demonstrated to younger people that connection with older generations is important because they and their experience remain part of the knowledge community for the profession and for our countryside.
While working on The Glen Estate, near Innerleithen, he began a learning journey of his own carrying out research into the impact of carbon (in the form of coal soot) on heather growth, with a view to providing greater insight into heather quality for the future. Sadly, this came to an end when he was made redundant. Following this he worked as part-time gamekeeper on Riddell Estate as well as North of England representative for Spratts and Game & Country Ltd. While on Riddell Estate he supported upcoming gamekeepers from Borders College and remains in touch with a number of them today. This was how Kester Brunton, Beatkeeper on Dalmagarry Estate came to meet Allen. “I met Allen in 2006 when I was at college and as students we went out to help him at Riddell Estate. Through the first 5 or 6 years of my career as a gamekeeper I would see him either helping on a shoot day or helping burn heather. He was always willing to give me advice when asked, or offer up a solution to a problem, and I’m sure if I picked up the phone to him tomorrow it would still be the same. I could listen to him for hours talking about the job and things he had done or seen. Without sounding cheesy, it was inspiring and really pushed me to do more, and I think that’s how he helped me with my job. I feel that every young keeper who has spent time with Allen like I did came away with some of his shared knowledge and his absolute passion for the countryside and gamekeeping. I think this is where education and conservation come together: the lasting contribution is there are keepers out there that Allen has most definitely influenced and are now having a beneficial impact on flora and fauna in our countryside. Allen is a hardworking, very likeable, genuine man who is always willing to give a helping hand: one who the gamekeeping community should be very proud of.”
Nurturing the generations
Garry Dickson, Lecturer at Borders College: “I met Allen in 1999 when he loaned a mutual friend the sizing dies we needed for our home loading. Allen has always been very generous with his time and shared his vast knowledge and experience with others; he has a rare ability to communicate clearly with all people. He was the keeper on Riddell Estate when Martin Edgar was the shoot tenant. Borders College have a long-lasting partnership with Riddell Estate. Allen nurtured and taught many gamekeeping students as well as taking some on work experience. Allen moved on to keeper the Holydean Shoot and carried on with teaching and helping gamekeeping students. His calm demeaner on a shoot day many keepers could learn from and I am certain many students appreciated his kind and helpful manner. Allen has always had great patience and his kind manner always put students at ease. Allen’s passion for gamekeeping has inspired many young and not so young entrants into this very unique way of life. Allen kindly always put on keepers' day specifically for the gamekeeping students and this always ran smoothly, safely with all who took part enjoying it immensely.”
His role for Spratts and Game & Country Ltd involved travelling the whole of the north of England, visiting gamekeepers, making sales and taking orders. While travelling for work, Allen was able to share his wealth of experience with new peers, often rolling up his sleeves to help out on the rearing field, suggesting solutions or just spending time in discussion about the job. He has been working at Game & Country’s Selkirk shop for several years and more than one of his colleagues in the shop has commented on how he ‘knows everybody who comes through the door. “Allen has worked for us for over 20 years in various capacities. For many years he was on the road visiting keepers in the North of England taking game feed orders and organising delivering of rearing equipment. More recently he works in our gunroom on Saturdays and any other time he is required. We have a lot of young keepers come in and his advice and experience are invaluable. We have supported the local college Gamekeeping students for many years and Allen’s knowledge is very useful for these youngsters learning their trade. There are not many people in this industry with the depth of knowledge accumulated over so many years as Allen. His contribution is immeasurable.” Anne Stevenson, Game & Country Ltd.
At Holydean, where he keepers a small shoot, he has a devoted beating team, some of whom were new to beating when they joined Allen’s line. “I retired from over 30 years as a Police Officer in July 2020; a friend asked me if I would be interested in beating on shoot days, and I jumped at the chance. At the start of the shooting season in November 2020, I started as a beater at Holydean, in the Scottish Borders. I was introduced to Allen Kerr on my first day, and warmed to him immediately. Right from the very start I found him to be very knowledgeable and passionate about his career choice, having spent most of his life working as a gamekeeper at various locations. As a complete novice myself, he made me feel very welcome, and was able to pass on some of that knowledge to others. Allen is very much a character, which shines through with his wicked sense of humour. He has passed on a lot of his expertise onto me, and taught me many of the ways of the countryside, including conservation and land management, making is sustainable for the future generations. He has also showed me the best practices for each beat, the terrain of which can be challenging as it includes many wooded areas, steep valleys and especially this year, very muddy fields. Whilst working alongside him, Allen often points out many species of birds, and other wildlife, and knows all the different species. He always has a story to tell, usually with a lot of wisdom and humour. He has a very special way of passing on his knowledge to his peers without you realising he has done so. Every time Allen speaks to you, his passion and love for everything outdoors comes across. His vast knowledge and dedication to conservation and habitat management, and ways to improve, are obvious. His experiences prove invaluable, but he has also been able to pass on this knowledge to others, in a friendly manner. Allen is very proud of the fact our beating team at Holydean is mostly female. Allen's other great love, apart from his family, are his dogs. There are always one or two of them with him on beat days, either his cocker spaniel or one of his chocolate labradors.” Lesley Shiell, beater, Holydean. Allen has been breeding his own line of working chocolate labradors since the 1980s, with more than one former buyer coming back for another.
“My brother got me involved in pheasant beating at Holydean over 6 years ago and that’s when I first met Allen. I’d previously been grouse beating and pheasant beating at other shoots but soon Holydean became my first choice of venue! Over the years I have learned so much from Allen. His experience and knowledge regarding the shoots, the environment and wildlife is exceptional. He has a stubborn, determined nature and will not be beaten! Saying that, he is so approachable, kind and funny! Not only have I learned so much about the environment, I have learned many a joke too! Allen never rests on his laurels - he keeps us up-to-date on current laws, legislation and up on the hills we often have friendly debates and get our points of view discussed! He’s probably fed up of me asking him about fox lamping, how to tell the difference between a male and female partridge, and what type of bird was that, but he is a gentleman and doesn’t show it!” Sheila Cochrane, beater, Holydean.
Having worked in the South of Scotland for many decades now, he welcomes newcomers to the gamekeeping community there, providing background and insight to support them. “I met Allen when I became Headkeeper at Holylee. He was a regular picker-up for the first couple of years always putting in 100% with a smile on his face and a good story to tell. Allen has helped me in many aspects of my career from advice on shoot days or grouse management, to listening about methods used throughout his experience. Allen is a true countryman/custodian of the British countryside with a wealth of knowledge in game and conservation. Allen has been an inspiration to me and I would say many other keepers who have had the pleasure of meeting him over the years.” Lee Beasley, Headkeeper, Holylee Estate.
Allen is a driving force in organising ‘Eb’s Night’, an annual meal and quiz in the Borders for ‘keepers and regular beaters and pickers-up. It’s an important part of the calendar, providing an opportunity to socialise and have face-to-face contact with members of the community you may not see regularly. These connections that give time to chat, catch-up, share information and simply be with others sharing your values are important from both a professional and a personal point of view.
He hasn’t just worked to educate people connected to, or becoming connected to, his profession; he has engaged with a range of people informally and formally, enthusing them in our countryside. For several years he spoke annually to pupils at Lockerbie Academy to give his older daughter’s peers a more accurate depiction of gamekeepers than the one they read in Roald Dahl’s Danny the Champion of the World in English lessons. Listening to BBC Radio for Schools, his younger daughter and her classmates were delighted to hear his well-known voice coming from the school radio, talking about his job in an episode of the People at Work series. Tyne Tees Television’s On Safari in Dumfriesshire documentary, filmed over 2 years and part of the About Britain series, documented the work of the Economic Forestry Group with wildlife in Eskdalemuir for the viewing public. Allen, Ronnie, local shepherds and farmers all appeared, with a focus on work to manage deer and control predators. Allen is ‘the hunter’ described in the summary on the British Film Institute’s archive website. During school summer holidays at The Glen, he often had a troop of small, willing helpers in the form of neighbours’ children who spent their days outdoors with him completing small, easy tasks he set them. Today, with a wealth of research into the benefits of the natural world for children, we realise these children were receiving far more than just learning about the countryside.
During his MGA years he helped create displays for shows to enable visitors to understand moorland management and was on hand to talk to them about gamekeeping and its positive outcomes. In everyday life he’s rarely shied away from an opportunity to talk about his work and its place in our countryside.
In the 1990s and onwards he was an active member of the Borders Biodiversity Group and contributed to the Biodiversity Action Plan for the region. “I met Allen for the first time in about 1999 and then on a number of occasions during the early 2000s, largely through our involvement with a group which was developing a Biodiversity Action Plan for Borders, under the aegis of Borders Council. It was useful to me in my job to appreciate the practical impacts of measures we might consider helpful in improving the biodiversity of Borders from a practical exponent of land management in the countryside. Allen’s legacy, as one who has shared his experiences of practical land management with those he has met for the betterment of Borders’ countryside and sought the enactment of positive measures and understanding, has been outstanding. Although our backgrounds and the nature of our jobs – I was a Conservation Officer for RSPB in SE Scotland – were somewhat different, Allen has always struck me as someone with whom I could work well. His sound judgement, quiet but persuasive manner and courtesy enabled him to make his mark on Borders countryside - not just in those areas where he worked directly - but also in the wider picture through his influence on others. I have no hesitation on commending him for the Ronnie Rose Trophy.” Peter R Gordon, former Conservation Officer, RSPB.
Allen has not just been a gamekeeper throughout his working life he has also been an educator and an ambassador, providing enlightenment, support, motivation and inspiration, of which there are many examples in this nomination.
“He was a gamekeeper at Eskdalemuir when I first met him when I called to sell him some Spratts game food, and we have been in touch ever since. He is top of the tree when it comes to wildlife in the British countryside. He has been and still is a first-class gamekeeper and will remain so until the day he dies.” Martin F Edgar, former employer, former owner of Game & Country Ltd and Spratts Game Food.