The Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust has warned that concern over firearms certificate revocation is stopping gamekeepers from seeking vital health support, even when facing serious mental or physical difficulties. Speaking at the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) conference, chief executive officer Helen Benson described this as one of the most significant barriers to wellbeing in the sector.
“We’ve had many instances where people will not go and seek help because they are worried about this,” she said. “Nearly without exception, we will be asked, ‘Will this affect my licence?’ Because they might lose their job, and if they lose their job, they lose their home and their livelihood. Absolutely everything is gone.”
The conference, held as a platform to bring together police firearms departments from across the country with professionals from the gamekeeping and land management sectors, provided a space to address key welfare and licensing concerns affecting rural workers.
Benson outlined the range of issues raised through the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust helpline, which has evolved into a front-line support service for those in the field. “Most of the calls that the Gamekeepers’ Welfare Trust helpline receives… can be relationships, it can be housing, it can be retirement, it can be in the job, it can be health,” she said, adding that questions about certificates frequently arise due to their link to employment and housing.
At the event, attendees were offered support cards highlighting five key steps for addressing mental health struggles, alongside leaflets tailored to both employers and headkeepers. Benson also promoted the trust’s ‘Check in with a Mate’ campaign, aimed at breaking down stigma and encouraging early conversations.
She also raised concerns about a firearms and mental health awareness leaflet first circulated by Police Scotland and later adopted in England and Wales. “If you really mean it, it needs to be out there,” she said, noting that many licensing units appeared unaware of it and that hard-copy distribution was lacking.
Benson, who previously worked with agricultural support networks, called for greater prioritisation of licensing issues affecting those whose livelihoods depend on their certificate. “The firearms certificates are hot potatoes, particularly in the uplands,” she said. “They will lose their home if they lose their licence. So another plea to move the priority up to those professionals who actually depend on it for their living and their futures.”