Philip Thompson, Senior Instructor and Shoot Ground Manager at Thimbleby Shooting Ground, picks cartridges for simulated game

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hilip was born into a shooting family but tragedy meant his route to becoming a professional took a few twists and turns.

"My father used to shoot a lot," explains Philip, "so I was brought up accompanying him on grouse and pheasant days. Sadly he died when I was just eight-years-old, so that put an end to my shooting for some years."

Fortunately, when Philip was a teenager, friends of his father's took him out shooting on the local moors.

"I loved it," says Philip. "The day that sticks in my mind is when I loaded for a lady who needed help. I helped her and wondered – could I become an instructor?"

Philip completed the BASC instructors' course, then joined APSI and completed its advanced qualification. He worked at Bywell as Head Instructor before briefly going self-employed in 2019. Then he got a call from Thimbleby Estate owner Andrew Shelley asking whether he would be interested in a job.