A Nuthampstead shooting coach has been posthumously honoured at an awards evening at The Belfry Hotel & Resort on Saturday.

Martin Barker was posthumously awarded the Special Contribution award at the CPSA Awards.

The GB coach dedicated his life to clay shooting and was voted to receive the award by CPSA members from a shortlist of three contenders,

Martin’s wife Nicky and son Ed were presented with the award.

Speaking afterwards Ed said: “Thank you to the CPSA for putting this event on.

“The old fella would be overwhelmed to see this many people come out of Nuthampstead especially, he’d be very humbled.

“He never got much credit when he was around so he’s probably up there thinking what’s all the fuss about. Hopefully we can carry on his legacy.”

Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies MBE hosted the awards, with names from all corners of the shooting spectrum present.

The event was also attended by the Mayor of North Warwickshire, Councillor John Smitten.

A total of nine awards were presented on the night, each focusing on a different aspect of the sport to acknowledge outstanding achievement in that field.

All the nominees and winners of the awards were voted for by CPSA members.

Among the highlights of the night, Olympic Bronze medallist Ed Ling was voted Clay Shooter of the Year, having been voted from a shortlist of five contenders, which also featured fellow Olympic Bronze medallist Steve Scott.

Upon receiving his award Ling said: “It’s a great honour to be up here and I’d like to thank the CPSA for organising the event. I must also thank my family for all the support they have given me over the years. This is a fantastic way to round off what has been a great year for me.”

Commenting on Barker’s award, Nick Fellows, chief executive of the CPSA said, “Martin’s dedication and love for the sport was unquestionable. Having built up Nuthampstead Shooting Ground to what it is today, the ground is now recognised as one of the homes of the GB pathway. He had an incredible passion for encouraging all-comers into Clay Shooting. Having coached many of our elite athletes who competed at the Olympic Games, Martin was extremely well respected and this award is a fantastic tribute to everything he gave to the sport.”

The organisers would like to thank the sponsors who supported each of the award categories, many of whom generously donated prizes.