Article
Andrew Cairns 06/08/1946 - 13/12/2024
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Andrew (Andy) Cairns on 16/12/2024 at The Royal Derby hospital where Andy was being treated for cancer.
On Tuesday 14th January the funeral of Andrew took place at Trent Valley Crematorium Derbyshire with 200+ mourners in attendance.
In accordance with his families wishes country and shooting attire was worn by the majority of those attending giving the funeral an atmosphere that Andy would have greatly approved of.
A total of £920 was given in donations and divided between Help the Heroes, a charity that was close to Andys heart and McMillan Cancer Care who helped Andy so much during his illness.
Although probably best known in the Midlands area as a referee, a keen shooter and a passionate collector of vintage cartridges, Andy was one of the many unsung heroes of the clay and field sports World.
Upon retirement Andy decided to qualify as both a CPSA and FITASC referee, in order give back to the sport he loved and was soon refereeing at all the major competitions (the most recent being the British Open in 2023) plus regional shoots and helping out at the local game shoots with his (often well behaved) dog Jason.
With a background in engineering and the military (TA) Andy was what can only be described as “old school” in his approach to both life and shooting. Any task or favour asked of him was always done to the best of his abilities with a high level of craftmanship and ingenuity. His encyclopedic knowledge of the CPSA handbook was legendary among his fellow referees and any competitor that challenged or question his decision soon found this out and were put in their place with his famous “That’s not how it works” speech. All of this was however tempered by his dry sense of humour and quick wittiness.
Andy was also well known for being stuck in his ways. He always called a broken clay a “Kill” rather than a “Hit” and insisting on calling out the order of play…every time, much to the amusement of those around, for example “Johnson to shoot, Smith to follow, make ready Jones” was a well-known mantra that could be heard coming from his stand.
I am sure that many of you out there will have fond memories and anecdotes of Andy which we encourage you to share and help keep his memory alive.
Andy leaves behind his long-time partner Barbara Bond and a sister Shelia, his faithful dog Jason, many friends in both the clay pigeon, target rifle shooting and game shooting World, the rambling club, the local community as a whole and, of course, the local pub!
Andy Cairns R.I.P.
06/08/1946 – 13/12/2024