I met the owner of a West Sussex shooting club championing women in the sport – I loved her passion for coaching

As the owner and head coach of Dynamic Ladies Shooting Club (DLSC), Mhairi-Ann’s passion for empowering women to get into the sport of shooting is evident when you talk to her.

I met her at Southdown Gun Club north of Findon – one of the clubs where DLSC shoots – to talk about how she got into shooting, her hopes for the future of countryside sport and to see her in action.

Mhairi-Ann, who hails from Aberdeenshire and is soon to take part in selections for the national Automatic Ball Trap (ABT) shooting team in Scotland, started DLSC during Covid and has now grown the membership of the club to more than 200.

She said: “I don’t care about anybody’s background, we have members from all walks of life and all ages, it’s just about the shooting for me.

"I started because I wanted to create a social community for women to come together and take part in a fun outdoor activity that’s great for mental wellbeing, and to bring a new generation of women into the sport.

"I always hope women will fall in love with it like I have, because it’s bringing money into the local economy at the clubs we use and at the venues where we have our socials, plus supporting local businesses who make shooting equipment and accessories.”

This week, DLSC was named the South East champion for Rural Enterprise at the 2026 Countryside Alliance Awards. In July, Mhairi-Ann will represent the club at the House of Lords where the national winners will be revealed.

The club also received the Clay Pigeon Shooting Association Community Champion Award, and Mhairi-Ann was personally honoured by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation for her services to shooting and conservation.

She said: “I’m a people person and I think one of my unique selling points is my personality. I learn so much from the initial chat I have with people, and I think I’m good at reading them and putting them at ease.

"It’s hugely important that safety is paramount. While I never joke about safety, because we are using guns, it can be taught in a way that makes people feel confident and relaxed so they enjoy the experience of shooting.

"It’s exhilarating and I still get that feeling of excitement when one of my ladies takes her first shot.”

Mhairi-Ann, or Mars as she’s known to some, is often called ‘the pink lady’ because of her bright pink DLSC-branded activewear. She said she chose the colour as a cheeky, fun nod to the fact that shooting is still quite a male-dominated sport. She said she’s still proud of the traditional tweeds typically worn at game ‘sim days’ – where they simulate the experience of a hunt but without the animals – but also said she thinks it’s fun for a new generation to bring brighter colours to the sport.

Mhairi-Ann, who lives in Madehurst, started shooting at the age of eight as her father was the founder member of a shooting club. She said she was hooked straight away by the excitement of it.

Naturally sporty, she was gifted at shooting from the start but didn’t start competing until a few years later. Having wanted to be a police dog handler, she applied to the cadets but was told to experience the world first, which led her to becoming a flight attendant for BA.

After moving to Cheshire, she then joined the trap shooting team there where she gained experience from people who shot for England who were ‘superb influences’.

She then moved down to the south coast, and here she fulfilled her dream of being a police officer – a role she did for five years. She also joined the West Sussex clay target shooting team.

She said: “DLSC was an idea I came up with during lockdown. I was home-schooling my two boys and my two stepsons and it was scary times trying to maintain that and family life. I was lucky to be in a property where we have beautiful surroundings, but I kept thinking about those people who didn’t have the luxury of being outdoors, living in flats, etc, and it really affected me.

“I thought ‘when this stops, ladies will want out for their mental wellbeing’. And what better than to get them outdoors and into a new empowering sport?”

Mhairi-Ann stressed that shooting is one of the few sports where men and woman are equal, as it’s based on hand-eye coordination not strength. She is dedicated to redressing the balance of male domination in the sport and promoting shooting as a fun sport for everyone.

And while she also coaches men and juniors now, too, she hopes more women will join her for a taster session to find out more about shooting. She said it’s suitable for people of all abilities, whether they want to have a fun birthday or hen experience with their friends, or if they want to work on advancing their skills.

She also thanked all the organisations that support her, including SWATCOM, Ranger UK, Southdown Gun Club, Browning Europe and more.

For more information, visit the DLSC Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/dynamicladiesshootingclub/ or call or WhatsApp Mhairi-Ann on 07734 617512.