Paul Oldring raises £80k for the Hampshire Medical Fund at annual clay pigeon shoot events after nearly dying in shooting accident
A man involved in a serious shooting accident that left him fighting for his life has now raised £80,000 for a Hampshire medical charity.
Paul Oldring, an instructor at Frobury Shooting School in Kingsclere, founded the Two Smoking Barrels Clay Pigeon Shoot event in 2016 after his life was saved by NHS staff at Basingstoke Hospital following the near fatal firearm incident.
In gratitude for the life-saving surgery and treatment he received, Mr Oldring decided to give back by raising money for the Hampshire Medical Fund, an organisation that helps purchase cutting-edge medical equipment for NHS hospitals in Basingstoke, Winchester and Andover.
Mr Oldring said: “I owe my life to Basingstoke Hospital. The staff there gave me not only my life back but also my quality of life.
“I wanted to express my thanks by organising a fun day of shooting, raising money to support the Hampshire Medical Fund and help the hospital purchase equipment that could save others.”
Mr Oldring, who has represented Great Britain in shooting for 20 years and England for 30, initially envisioned the event as a one-off. However, its success inspired him to make it an annual fixture.
The 2024 edition of the charity shoot took place at Frobury on Sunday, October 6th with 80 participants managing to raise £15,000, over £1,000 more than last year’s fundraising total.
Mr Oldring wanted to thank all the support he received from the local community and local businesses to make the event happen.
“Everyone involved has been so generous,” he said.
“From volunteers donating their time to local businesses providing sponsorship, prizes, and products, it's truly a community effort.
“Kingsclere Estates also kindly allow us to use their land every year.”
Aimed at locals and families, the Two Smoking Barrels Clay Pigeon Shoot has a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere than many traditional shooting events.
“We wanted to keep it accessible and welcoming,” Mr Oldring explained.
“We have family teams competing in our major/minor competition, and we encourage participants of all experience levels to come out, enjoy the day, and support a great cause.”
There were three events on the day. The estate challenge was won by the Lions Head team, high gun was won by Earthline and the major/minor was won by Highclere Estate.
This year's event was sponsored by Prime Purchase, Simmons & Sons, NFU Mutual North Hampshire, R W Armstrong Construction, and Robin Appell Ltd, among many others.
The £15,000 raised at this year’s shooting event means that the Hampshire Medical Fund is now close to reaching its goal of funding a tissue morcellator for the urology department at Basingstoke Hospital.
This vital device will improve the safety of surgeries for patients with benign prostate enlargement—a condition affecting 2.5 million men in the UK—and significantly reduce theatre time, enabling the hospital to treat more patients.
