2,000 descend on Penshurst for Boxing Day hunt
AROUND 2,000 people turned out for the annual Boxing Day hunt at Penshurst this year.
Members of the Old Surrey, Burstow and West Kent hunt were joined by riders from as far as Haywards Heath and the Isle of Grain who followed the cavalcade of fox hounds which set out from the centre of the village.
Senior master of the hunt Jeff Pegrum said: "We were very pleased with the turnout, it was a lovely day and it has really become a thing to do on Boxing Day.
"These hunts have been happening for the past 200 or 300 years" he added.
A man-made trail of a fox-based scent was laid down for the hounds.
Mr Pegrum said: "We imitate fox hunting as closely as possible while staying within the law."
Mr Pegrum said he was not surprised that hunts had been well attended nationally on Boxing Day, prompting fresh calls for the ban to be revoked.
"The ban was a very badly brought-in law and one would like to think that it will be repealed" he added.
2 Comments
by j, kent
Tuesday, January 06 2009, 1:11AM
“would love to have this lot come round the estate and sort out those bloody urban foxes,i am told that b the council wont do anything about them no offense but they havent had to put up with the vermin going through bins brining stuff into gardens and what about the health risk they are riddled with disease no doubt,tally ho now wheres my blunderbuss and hounds”
by Dawn, Kent
Thursday, January 01 2009, 2:04PM
“Having been taken off the A21 due to a serious road accident which sadly proved to be fatal we got caught up in the 'Hunt' trying to get to our destination.
There were no signs to say that roads would be blocked due to the hunt spectators. All the country lanes were double parked and we even saw people had parked on blind bends!
At one point no one would move backwads or forwards. Why do people who own 4X4 whuich are designed for offroad consider themselves to be the ones to have all the road???”