Good Evening,
We would like to announce the plan for the final race: the date for the Final race has been set for Saturday 14/9/24, I will publish a full loft list tomorrow afternoon here on the blog. For the final the pigeons will be transported by the North Road Championship Club (NRCC). They will be officially marked at home on the Friday morning, then transported to the NRCC marking station at Wyberton where the pigeons will be transferred to the Geraldy crates on the NRCC lorry, whilst a list is checked by an NRCC official against the pigeons ring numbers for transparency.
The plan for the liberation on Saturday morning is for the NRCC to liberate their main convoy first. Whilst this is happening, our 2 crates will be removed from the lorry and covered so the pigeons are unaware of the liberation, avoiding any potential distress, and will then be liberated from the ground to avoid moving them excessively whilst in the crates. The choice has been made to go with the NRCC as they have the same transporter crates as us, and a feeding and watering system in the case of a holdover. This way it also allows me to be at home to call the birds in, and to liaise with anyone who wishes to come and watch the birds’ arrival.
At the site I will have a BBQ on the go, where I will be making burgers while we wait for the birds. There will also be tea, coffee and lager on offer. All refreshments will be provided and paid for by myself. We will also do a ‘guess the flight time’ at £1 a go, winner takes all, and there will be a raffle – the raffle is NOT only open to attendees, it is open to anyone. It will be £5 a ticket and there will be some top prizes on offer – I will publish a list of prizes after the weekend. The money raised from the raffle will be split evenly between the “Future of the Sport” fund and a charity chosen by Sue and George Bristow, in honour of their beloved husband and father, Frank Bristow, who sadly passed away recently. Anyone who knew Frank will agree that he was one of the nicest blokes around, and also one of the best pigeon fanciers in the country, winning several nationals.
I can speak from the heart when I say Frank was a dear friend of mine that I have grown up around from being a tiny boy, and I shall miss him dearly. I saw frank regularly at the club and at his house, and he would’ve certainly attended the final, not only to support me but also in the hope that his single entry of a pigeon for a local school could win some money for the school. So I would be very appreciative if we could get a lot of support on the raffle, to honour a great man.
If anyone would like some tickets please don’t hesitate to call or text me on 07839 360798. You have until 3pm on the final race day to enter, and the draw will be made at 5pm, or at a convenient time if the draw clashes with arrivals.
Jonathan