Meet the team – Helen Cutter

Meet Helen Cutter – as Lady’s Wood’s front of house, she’s the first friendly face you’re likely to come across when you visit us here at the shooting school.

Helen previously worked in commercial banking for twenty years. She has been at Lady’s Wood since current owner Ernie Hemmings took over in 2013. With its small team and personal feel, Lady’s Wood provided a welcome change to life working for a corporate organisation! Helen loves the change of pace working at the shooting school has given her. It’s the perfect way for her to combine her background in customer service with her love of country pursuits.

At Lady’s Wood, no two days are ever quite the same. Helen arrives at the shooting school for 8am. She spends an hour or so ensuring the lodge is in order and sorting through emails before clients start to arrive.  Some days are filled with back-to-back lessons and appointments. On these days Helen’s main priorities are greeting clients and ensuring their visit is as enjoyable as possible. Helen prides herself on getting to know the school’s many visitors. She believes that it’s these personal touches that make Lady’s Wood so special. Most weeks see Lady’s Wood hosting one or two bigger corporate events, which require a lot of organisation. Helen loves the atmosphere of days like this and enjoys seeing the lodge full of people. Between organising events, looking after customers and dealing with enquiries, Helen is always kept busy ensuring everything runs smoothly in the lodge!

When she’s not at Lady’s Wood, Helen enjoys a range of activities and loves everything about the outdoors. She loves travel, diving, walking the dogs and is an ardent advocate of hard back books! She also shares a love of motorbikes with her husband. Keen to improve her shooting abilities and participate with other female guns who visit the school, Helen also recently received her shotgun certificate. She loves the heritage and etiquette of a traditional English shoot, though you’re most likely to find her in the beating line.

Having applied in September 2016 and undergoing the necessary checks, Helen received her certificate in February 2017. Her husband, a keen shot who himself owns several shotguns, gifted Helen with her own Silver Pigeon. Since then, Helen has had regular lessons at Lady’s Wood with owner and APSI trained instructor Ernie, getting in practice whenever she can. Helen has learnt a lot from Ernie’s wealth of knowledge and feels that his calm and patient approach has really helped build her confidence.

So what are Helen’s top tips for a novice shot? Some people learn quicker than others, so it’s important not to get despondent if it doesn’t come naturally right away. A lot of it is about finding a great instructor who you like and can build a rapport with. Once you’ve found that, stick with them and listen to their advice! Luckily, Lady’s Wood is home to some excellent instructors. They offer friendly and supportive tutelage to novices and seasoned shots alike.

So whatever stage you are at with your own shooting journey, contact us here. Helen and the rest of the Lady’s Wood team look forward to welcoming you soon!