AMC finance supports expansion of Yorkshire shoot

When Justin Birkett, who owns the Rievaulx sporting shoot in Yorkshire, wanted to restructure his finances and borrow to purchase more land, he asked his professional business advisor to find him a financier who understood how a sporting enterprise is managed. Adrian Cawood, AMC Regional Agricultural Manager for the North East fitted the bill perfectly.

Located within the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and against the backdrop of the remains of Rievaulx Abbey, the Rievaulx shoot provides the very best in driven partridge shooting over steep wooded valleys.

The Rievaulx shoot was originally established 25-30 years ago by Melvin Birkett. At the time the estate covered 60 acres of freehold land with shooting rights over a further 200 acres. The shooting business is now run by Melvin’s son Justin Birkett, and his wife Nik, and is called Rievaulx Sporting Ltd. This thriving business currently owns 2,500 acres and has shooting rights over a further 3,000 acres. It runs in excess of 100 shooting days during the season from early September through to 1 February.

In addition Justin has also taken over the renowned Sawley Shoot near Ripon, which will be run alongside Rievaulx, which means an expansion of the overall business to 150 days shooting.

A good partnership

“Running a successful sporting estate is all about customer satisfaction,” said Justin. “It has always been our aim to make Rievaulx among the best sporting estates in the country and to give all our clients a top class shooting day. We have a very strong base of local, national and international clients of whom 90% are regular attendees and repeat bookers. All the available dates for the 2007/8 season were booked by March 2007.

“It has been our policy over the years to grow the area of the estate by buying pockets of adjacent land as they come on the market. Generally we have been able to fund these purchases through profits from the shoot, however in April this year we wanted to make a much more substantial investment and needed to complete quickly. This  is where AMC stepped in.

“Mark Ashbridge, an independent finance broker with Savills Private Finance had been advising me on the land purchase and he suggested AMC would be the best financial partner to fund the project. I did already have a mortgage but took this as an opportunity to restructure all my borrowing. 

“I wanted to be able to discuss all my options with somebody who really understood my business and Adrian Cawood, AMC Regional Agricutlural Manager for the North East was just that person. He had previously managed a commercial shoot and knew exactly what I was trying to achieve. This has proved to be a good partnership. The loan was approved very quickly and AMC handled all the paperwork associated with the restructuring smoothly and efficiently. I now have a flexible arrangement at a competitive rate, all my borrowing is now in one place, and I have a Regional Agricultural Manager in Adrian, who really understands and takes an interest in my business. I do intend to make more strategic land purchases and would certainly go back to AMC again,” said Justin.

Supporting the rural economy

A recent survey has shown that shooting supports the equivalent of 70,000 full-time jobs nationally and boosts the economy by £1.6 billion a year, as well as playing a major role in conserving the countryside.

“Rievaulx is a very well-managed shoot which certainly adds to the biodiversity of the environment and landscape, and it makes a significant contribution to the local economy,” said Adrian Cawood. “The local town, Helmsley, derives a good income from the shooting parties visiting the area, making the region as popular in the winter as in the warmer summer months.

“AMC has been very happy to provide financial backing for this thriving business and we will look to support Justin and Nik as they continue to grow the business,” he said.