Should you join our savvy BASC syndicate members?

- Features

January 23, 2024

It’s easy to overlook the advantages of affiliating your club or syndicate shoot with BASC; however, you really can pay less per member while getting added benefits.

There is a variety of reasons why affiliating a syndicate or club with BASC could be a better option than our standard individual membership. Perhaps your shoot needs to be savvier and switch.

Am I eligible for BASC club/syndicate cover?

If you have six or more members you can qualify for syndicate cover. All the syndicate/club members must be covered under the BASC policy.

Do I still get the standard BASC insurance package?

Yes, all affiliated members receive the same quality insurance cover, whether you are shooting with the club or syndicate or anywhere else. You do not lose any of the benefits of being a BASC member. Plus, you still receive the same market leading service from our expert staff, including our dedicated firearms team.

Do syndicate/club members get anything extra?

Yes, the extra benefits include…

All beaters, pickers-up or anyone else helping officially with club or syndicate activities will be protected under the Employer Liability cover, provided they are acting under instruction from a club or syndicate member.
Your occasional and official guests can also be included temporarily as insured persons, provided their full names and addresses are recorded before commencement of any insured activity, and they do not make up more than 50 per cent of the party on any one day.
You will receive copies of an official insurance cover note from BASC that you can give to whomever you lease your shooting rights from. Further copies can be sent free of charge.
The insurance cover includes third party liability for vehicles not compulsorily registered for road use and temporary premises hired by the club.
Cover for dogs injured on shoots from affiliated clubs will automatically apply where there has been some negligence of members during the shoot. The cover will be limited to £2,500 per incident for dogs involved in the shoot, or no limit for dogs of a third party.

What does this mean in the real world?

The guest Gun

Does your syndicate ever worry about the insurance cover of any guests? Especially as we are about to embark on beaters’ days at the end of the month, are you confident that all Guns will have their own adequate insurance cover?

As a BASC syndicate, this is covered. If the individuals’ full names and addresses are recorded prior to the shoot, and they are acting legally, then up to 50 per cent of the Guns can be guests.

The syndicate insurance also covers them without a shotgun certificate, providing they comply with the legislation on borrowing shotguns.

Syndicate liability

It is a fact of life that mistakes can cause injuries on shoots to people, property, or dogs.

Having BASC syndicate insurance means your syndicate liability is covered as a whole, not relying on an individual’s BASC membership.

Case study: the injured gundog

We had a recent case on a shoot in the South East. All was going well until the second drive, when a call came over the radio about an injured dog with a serious cut over the eye. The dog was immediately rushed back to the vehicle and off to the vet. A dog’s welfare always comes first in these situations, and inevitably, the vet’s bill follows.

The incident happened due to some old barbed wire left discarded in a patch of bracken. Marsh (BASC’s insurance brokers) were informed, a claim form was submitted by the dog owner and the gamekeeper – who accepted liability on behalf of the syndicate – and the claim was settled within two weeks.

No need for ill feeling or awkwardness, just a genuine mistake resolved and a shoot very grateful for their insurance policy.

What's the catch?

There is no catch, you really do get added benefits for less money. Syndicate membership is currently only £82 per member, compared to £89 for full individual membership. Perhaps it is time for your shoot or club to affiliate with BASC?

Find out more here.