More than a 1,000 people cheered off the annual Boxing Day meets in Welshpool and Llanidloes.

Around 50 riders and their hounds gathered at The Royal Oak Hotel in Welshpool for the Tanatside Hunt meet which saw large crowds lining the streets.

Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies was one of the people in the crowd showing his support and said: “Only the Queen would draw a bigger crowd. Not an active huntsman myself, but I am a massive supporter of tradition and personal freedom.”

 

John Jones (Master of the Hunt) leads off the Welshpool Boxing Day Hunt. (PB734-35)

A planned protest opposing the hunting happened outside the Town Hall as the hunt came through High Street.

The Countryside Alliance reported that hundreds of thousands of people –following on foot, mounted on horseback or lining the streets and market places of the UK – were out in force on Wednesday supporting the Boxing Day meets of more than 250 registered hunts.

The Countryside Alliance’s head of hunting, Polly Portwin, said: “People put this date in the diary as part of their annual festivities, demonstrating the importance of hunting activities to the rural community. The huge crowds showing their support again today prove that the future of hunting is secure.”

In Pictures

 

Young riders set off on the Welshpool Boxing Day Hunt. (PB734-40)

 

Crowds gather at The Royal Oak Hotel in Welshpool (PB734-21)

 

Setting off on the Welshpool Boxing Day Hunt. Picture: Phil Blagg (PB734-44)