Hundreds attend Boxing Day hunt despite being told they are ‘not welcome’
Hundreds of hunting supporters opposed Chris Packham and the local council in Tiverton coming together for their annual Boxing Day meeting despite being told they were “not welcome”.
The television presenter described the event as “ethically and morally bankrupt” as he urged councilors in the Devon town to vote against the historic meeting earlier this month.
However, the event went ahead despite Tiverton Borough Council voting to support the motion which declared: “Hunting is not welcome in Tiverton on Boxing Day or any other day.”
Hundreds of people gathered to support the Tiverton Foxhounds, who have met outside the Half Moon pub in the town square on Boxing Day for nearly 200 years.
Addressing the crowd on horseback on Friday, Tiverton Foxhounds’ Kelvin Thomas vowed to meet again next year and told Mr Packham to stay away from rural issues.
He said: “He has been very, very vocal about joining the lobby that will not welcome us here today. So although many of his bosses at the BBC have already jumped to the sidelines, I hope he won’t be too far behind.”
“He’d better leave the rural problems to us and go about his business and the city government go about theirs, we’ll all get along, it’s all right. It seems we’re not welcome and neither are you – but I’m glad to see you anyway.”
About 50 protesters carrying banners and a cardboard cutout of Mr Packham also gathered in the town before Hunter honked his horn at around 11am.
It comes as hunt supporters vowed to fight Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to ban trail hunting as thousands of people across the country attended the traditional Boxing Day gathering on Friday.
The government has announced plans to crack down on the sport, claiming track hunting, in which packs of hounds follow the scent left for them, is often used as a smokescreen for illegal fox hunting.
The Countryside Alliance defended trail hunting, which was introduced to comply with the Hunting Act 2004’s ban on fox tracking. The group claimed the hunts contributed more than £100 million a year to the rural economy.
The pressure group warned this week that Starmer was “alienating rural people”; A poll shows 65 per cent of voters think the Labor leadership has unfairly neglected rural communities.
Despite a partial U-turn, there remains anger among farming communities over changes to inheritance tax breaks.
Will Bryer, co-captain of the Duke of Beaufort Hunt, said the countryside was “under attack and siege” and the government would “fight back”.
Addressing thousands of spectators at a major field hunting meet near Badminton, Gloucestershire, on Friday, he said: “I wonder if our government would have made this announcement if they had foreseen such a turnout.
“Isn’t it a bit ironic that the government has chosen to announce its intention to eradicate stalking just at a time when we are reaffirming our beliefs?
“So ask yourself this: Why did you come today? Did you come because you believe in a connection to the land and your farmers?”
“Was it because you believed in preserving British cultural heritage? Was it because you believed in hunting?”
“So we’re under attack, we’re under siege, and like all fights, it’s going to cause chaos. But we have to, we have to stand united.”
“So because of my age, I’m going to say take the lyrics to that super ballad from the 1980s, take the lyrics to Journey’s song Don’t Stop Believe Believe. Hunting has a future, hunting is here to stay.”
Grove Rufford Hunt saw more than 100 motorists gather on the main street in Bawtry, South Yorkshire, before heading towards the nearby village of Scaftworth.
Speaking outside The Crown Inn, chairman and master Jane Bowen pleaded with the government to “please leave us alone”.
He added: “We are misunderstood. They refuse to engage with us on any level.
“And if they come to visit the kennels, where everyone is always welcome, and they really see and understand what we do, then I think they will have a different perspective.
“We all have different views, this is or was the choice of democracy. We choose to do this and we do it legally as we have for 20 years. So please leave us alone.”
The ban, proposed as a Labor election manifesto pledge, was celebrated by animal rights groups after years of conflict over whether actual track hunting should take place.
A public consultation on the ban is expected to launch in early 2026.
Rob Pownall, of Save the Wild, said: “Christmas Day hunts are deliberately staged as tradition and spectacle and are designed to normalize behavior that would be unacceptable on any other day of the year.
“Resisting them is not about disrupting celebrations, it is about not allowing cruelty to wildlife to be rebranded as culture.
“When the law is poorly enforced and suffering is hidden behind ceremony, peaceful resistance becomes both legitimate and necessary.”
