DOMINIC PONSFORD joined the throng of Wiltshire protesters on the Countryside Alliance's Liberty and Livelihood march. Here is his report.

THE hunting community set its sights on a different quarry as over 400,000 countryside supporters marched on Whitehall.

Among them were more than 2,000 backers of Wiltshire's Vale of White Horse Hunt including hundreds from Swindon and its surrounding villages.

They set off on two specially-chartered trains from Swindon station and on 10 coaches.

Most were marching to signal their defiance against the Government's impending plans to outlaw foxhunting.

But many said they had joined the Countryside Alliance's Liberty and Livelihood march because of much wider concerns about rural life.

They listed grievances ranging from the closure of rural post offices to the continuing financial hardships faced by many farmers.

Alex Mason who was co-ordinating transport to the march from Swindon, said: "The response has been absolutely staggering. There's a much wider cross section of support than we had when we went to Hyde Park."

The Countryside Alliance's last mass demonstration in London on March 1, 1998, attracted 280,000.

The Wiltshire marching contingent were by no means all drawn from the tweed-wearing country jet-set.

There were country folk of all ages and income brackets including many who said their jobs were literally on the line.

The Vale of the White Horse Hunt employs seven full-time staff and many more in associated industries.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Evening Advertiser encountered many urban dwellers also registering their protest.

We spoke to a council estate resident from Middleleaze and a warehouse worker from Penhill.

Acerbic quiz show host Anne Robinson, who lives in Cirencester, was also among the demonstrators travelling down from Swindon.

After arriving at Paddington at midday the Wiltshire group took an exhausting five-and-a-half hours to walk the few miles to Hyde Park corner and then on to Westminster.

The Countryside Alliance commandeered the palatial headquarters of the Institute of Directors in Pall Mall to use as its march HQ.

As thousands streamed past it a huge cheer went up every time organisers displayed the latest estimate of total march numbers.

Throughout the day the streets resounded with the deafening sound of thousands of hunting horns and whistles.

And every few seconds an ear-shattering "Mexican roar" of hoots and cheers would sweep through the crowd from front to back to provide encouragement for those still waiting to get on the march.

Despite staggered starts from 9am onwards the last marchers did not go through the Countryside Alliance's official counting line at Whitehall until 6.30pm.

A good-natured carnival atmosphere pervaded among marchers who were probably not used to taking part in acts of mass civil defiance.

But many of the slogans on display hinted that future protests may not remain this jovial if the Labour Government proceeds with its plan to outlaw hunting with dogs.

One motto adorning dozens of rugby tops was: "Born to hunt ready to fight."

Vale of the White Horse committee member Martin Riley, 50, from Cirencester, said he believed more forthright direction could be on its way.

He said: "I've heard from many sources that people are now thinking about more forceful ways of demonstrating blocking roads and that sort of thing. People are angry."

The Evening Advertiser asked a cross section of marchers on the second train out of Swindon what had moved them to demonstrate. Their views are below