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Traditional rural skills reappear in green revival (VIDEO)
A new stand at the show has been catching the eyes of farmers and gardeners alike, with the banner British Traditional Molecatchers Register.
Former printer Brian Alderton, of Littlethorpe, near Ripon, became a molecatcher after being made redundant in 1996.
"I was working as a beater when a friend suggested it," he said yesterday. "I managed to find myself a training course, through Lantra (the land skills training organiser), and now my youngest son is in the business too."
A ban on strychnine, in 2006, led to a boom in the mole population and a shortage of people equipped to deal with them without the use of poison.
Mr Alderton knew plenty of people wanted to avoid poisons anyway, because they can affect other wildlife, and he set up the register so they could find local trappers. It now has about 300 members. The details are also online – at www.britishmolecatchers.co.uk.
With him on the stand at the show is Simon Bollons of Doncaster, a training organiser who now arranges Lantra-approved courses in molecatching for 150 a day.
"I always say it is like passing your driving test," he said. "You have the basic skills but you still have to do a lot of practice to get good at it. The great advantage of the traditional method is that you are sure you got the mole and most catchers work on no-catch no-fee basis."
Also sharing the stand is Christian Driver of Foxup, near Skipton, showing off this year's lines in moletraps.
He runs a spring-making factory in Skipton and got talked into making his first moletrap as a bet, four years ago. He got interested in the challenge and has been talking to molecatchers and improving his designs ever since. He had two kinds on offer at the show – at 12 and 15 for three – along with instructions for use, and said they were being snapped up.
Genuine moleskin trousers used to be a country favourite because they were tough, warm and waterproof. It is unlikely anyone makes them nowadays. But trappers can sell dried pelts for 35p each to suppliers to fishing-fly makers, it seems.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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