Aged 61 from Chatham, Kent

Proposed by Lee Freeston; seconded by Michael Sherman

Business consultant and elected politician

BASC member for 43 years

Alan says:
I work as a business consultant and elected politician - deputy leader Medway Council, Kent. I have a great deal of experience in all aspects of club administration, being chairman of the KWCA since 1983. During that time have overseen and driven the KWCA's land purchase programme assembling freehold ownership of land to date exceeding £6,000,000. My experience as a politician responsible for over £650,000,000 of revenue budget at Medway Council gives me financial as well as political acumen which I believe would be an asset and enhancement to BASC Council.

Chairman KWCA since 1983; director KWA Ltd since 1984; director Faversham Oyster Fishery Company since 1984; chairman of the board since 1990; director Wild Spaces Fund Ltd since 2011. Member of BASC Council for 15 years 1989 - 2004. BASC chairman 2002 - 2004. BASC vice chairman 1988 - 2002. Elected as BASC vice-president in 2005. Trustee - Wildlife Habitat Trust since 2006. Chairman BASC Wildfowling Liaison Committee 1980 - 2002. Founder member BASC Wildfowling Liaison Committee. Member BASC Executive and Finance Committee 1988 - 2004. Membership of various Medway Council Committees etc since 1997 including cabinet member for finance since 2000; founder chairman Strategic Procurement Board since 1997; founder chairman Property Board.

I believe that my wide experience in the running of BASC - for 15 years, and the KWCA - for 28 years - serves me well in being able to make another contribution to BASC. I possess a range of financial, political and administrative skills that could enhance the working of BASC Council. BASC Council is made up of people with a wide and extensive wealth of experience and skills, and I believe that I can complement those skills and help to take BASC forward in a range of areas.

I have been a committed BASC supporter since I was 18 years old. I care passionately about shooting sports in general and wildfowling in particular, and believe that our sport can only survive when it receives the strongest possible support and advocacy. Many challenges face us in the future. I believe I have the time, energy, enthusiasm and skills necessary to ensure that our sport is protected and enhanced. Wildfowling is invariably at the forefront of the pressures facing us, and my wide ranging experience in business management, politics and wildfowling administration enables me to be ideally placed to fight our corner with vigour.

BASC is the leading country sports organisation, and I am proud to have played a part in its recent development.

I believe BASC can serve its membership – and the wider sport – even better by focussing on one of its three key aims – ‘Providing somewhere to shoot’. We are in a shooting world where organisations like the RSPB are buying up shooting land almost unopposed save for the sterling work being done by BASC-affiliated wildfowling clubs.

If elected to BASC council I will work to persuade the organisation that providing somewhere to shoot is fundamental to the future well-being of the sport. I believe my track record of providing somewhere to shoot stands up well to any comparison.