A SHOOTING club is set to become the first in Kent to cater for blind and partially sighted people who want to shoot.

The Tubslake Shooting Club, based on land between Hawkhurst and Cranbrook, is to receive £3,379 from the lottery-funded Awards For All to provide specially equipped rifles for the visually impaired, allowing them to try shooting on a rifle range.

The rifles have already been demonstrated at the club during a day at which partially sighted volunteers were able to have a go.

The specially adapted rifles generate sounds when they are pointed at the target to tell the rifleman when to shoot.

The club, which has 50 members and is affiliated to the NSRA, does not have any blind or partially sighted members yet, but organisers expect some will join once the new rifles are delivered.

The grant to Tubslake Shooting Club is part of £126,833 awards to groups and organisations in Kent from Awards for All, announced this week.