The Chairman’s Letter

Hope all is well after a safe and joyful Christmas and festive period.

After what seems like an eternity we are finally able to provide an update on the challenging insurance situation which has faced all Hunts throughout Ireland.

The IMFHA and IMHA committees have been working tirelessly to secure a new insurance/underwriter solution and last week addressed all the hunts of Ireland with the following Group Insurance Programme proposal. This Programme depends on the participation and support of virtually all the hunts to be successful and will enable hunting to recommence within weeks.

This insurance Programme provides both Public & Employers Liability cover for the hunt clubs of Ireland. There are two elements to the programme, the first is the insurance solution and the second is the group fund that will be grown over the coming years in order to create a long-term sustainable solution for the Irish Hunting community.

Based on this new programme, all hunts will start a new policy on the same Inception Day – which the hope will be as early as next week, depending on how fast we and the rest of the hunts can provide our commitment and initial payment.

Unfortunately though this new Insurance policy is significantly more expensive than what we have paid in previous years and there is the additional criteria outlined below that all members are going to have to meet before sitting up on a horse!

Insurance Cost: The new 2022 annual cost covering both elements amounts to €22,096, made up of the premium costing €13,810 with the 2022 fund allocation amounting to €8,286, which is going to have the knock on impact on what our annual membership fees will have to be. To set the context, our previous insurance costs amounted to approx. €6k a year.

Public Liability Policy: In advance of hunting, each member of every hunt will need to have their own individual public liability policy to a minimum limit of €2,600,000 and will need to show proof of this policy to their respective hunts before a member will be allowed to ride.

Waiver: Every individual member will need to sign a waiver (click here for copy) and provide proof to their respective hunts that this has been signed – over time there will be a requirement for this to be witnessed in the presence of a legal representative.

Annual Membership: Full Membership Fees MUST be paid in full before the first hunt otherwise the member and therefore the hunt is not covered, this is non-negotiable. Instalment plans are specifically prohibited.

Day Membership: For any visitors, they will be required to sign up as a day member, pay the relevant cap and produce proof of the waiver and public liability policy before they will be allowed to ride.

We appreciate that this is a lot to ask both from a financial as well as a logistical stand point and hence why we are now looking for the input and feedback from you, our previous members, landowners and helpers to see if you can commit to these new requirements and ensure the survival and existence of the Bray Harriers Hunt Club this year and beyond.

All we need is for you to take 5 minutes to fill out the following Google form which will help us get a better sense of what you can and will pay with regards membership fees and whether you can commit to the additional waiver/public liability demands.

We are also looking for any additional support in the form of sponsorship/fund raising as we are looking at a minimum of a €25,000 to cover a gap in funds after we factor in membership fees and cap, as well as the fund raising activities which includes our Hunt Ball and P2P.

Speed is of the essence as we have to provide an answer by Friday 21st to ensure the participation of our club within this new Group Insurance Scheme to the IMHA and the Insurance Underwriter.

Please be rest assured every Hunt in Ireland is under the same aggressive timeline and having the same challenging conversation amongst their committee and members, this new insurance premium is going to see the end of many hunts around Ireland and we are praying that the Bray Harriers Hunt Club is not going to join them.

Any questions or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact one of your Committee officers

· Eamonn Holmes – Chairperson - eamonholmes01@gmail.com

· Gillian Hughes – Secretary - gillianlaurahughes@gmail.com

· Mairead Waters – Treasurer - maireadwaters@hotmail.com

We cannot reiterate the importance of you filling out the Google form to ensure we can fairly represent you, your wishes and the entire Hunt Club.

Lastly, yet again we would like to thank you all, our members, landowners and helpers for your continued support over the many years the Bray’s have been hunting, we are still holding on tight to the hope that we will see you all again...out on the hunting field.

Eamonn Holmes

The Bray Harriers Chairperson