THE Countryside Alliance thanks all those in Worcestershire who gave up their day on September 22 to be part of the display of people-power that brought more than 400,000 people into London to march peacefully for liberty and livelihood.

It was also gratifying to see so many representatives of the regional media travelling down on coaches and trains with the marchers and giving very fair and balanced reporting.

Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming success of this event has brought detractors and denigrators out of the woodwork.

Some politicians have asserted, absurdly, that the hunting lobby "hijacked" the march. But it is pretty difficult for us to have hijacked our own event!

The Alliance is the main defender of the rights of those who wish to hunt - although we are far more besides.

The march was conceived, planned and run solely by us and its purpose and themes decided entirely by us.

We witnessed political attempts to pass off as "muddled" the message of this, the largest demonstration in the UK's history.

But any muddle is in the minds of the politicians, not the demonstrators.The event's message was crystal clear - the unjustified political attack on hunting has united the countryside behind the hunting community and behind an uncompromising demand for our politicians to do something for rural area them rather than to them.

CLARE ROWSON,

Countryside Alliance Regional Director for Worcestershire & the West Midlands.