HUNTS across the district reported record support on Boxing Day, with hundreds turning out to cheer on their local hunts. More than 700 people gathered at Crowcombe's Carew Arms to show their support for the Quantock Staghounds, while crowds were out in force in Minehead's Wellington Square to meet members of the Minehead Harriers. The Boxing Day meet of the Exmoor Foxhounds was particularly poignant for Tony Wright, who made history twice - when he became the first huntsmen to be convicted of breaching the Hunting Act and then the first to win his appeal against conviction. He was out with the foxhounds at Kentisbury and received a rapturous welcome from fellow hunters and supporters. It was a similar story across the country, with the Countryside Alliance claiming more than a quarter of a million people had taken part in over 300 meets. Pictured is huntsman's daughter Sophie Clifford, on the left, with Hayley Green of the Wellington Hotel at the Minehead Harriers meet in Wellington Square, Minehead. Photo: Steve Guscott