"The Cobbler"
Northamptonshire
Ramblings
February 2010
Ramblings
February 2010
"The Cobbler"
Any views on Pigeon Racing in Northamptonshire to
Tel: 01933 410322 or
Email: russellbradford@talktalk.net
Copyright, all rights reserved, Russell Bradford 2010
Ramblers Itinerary Racing Pigeon Post RPP Index to Articles
Any views on Pigeon Racing in Northamptonshire to
Tel: 01933 410322 or
Email: russellbradford@talktalk.net
Copyright, all rights reserved, Russell Bradford 2010
Ramblers Itinerary Racing Pigeon Post RPP Index to Articles
Another year and another Blackpool show slips into the memory. Without doubt the BHW show of the year provides everything a pigeon fancier could want, but can I be the only fancier who goes to Blackpool believing the Winter Gardens is a dump, and the Fancy should be striving for a better venue. I dread to think if the place had to be evacuated in a hurry (say perhaps a fire) at the height of the rush on a Saturday morning what sort of disaster would ensue to the human population, even alone the pigeons. I truly wonder how the local council can grant a license, and like most things these days if something did go wrong, there would doubtless be an inquisition after the disaster, rather than sanity prevailing before the event.
RPRA Accounts
Whilst on the subject of the BHW Blackpool show, and having given some scrutiny to the recently presented RPRA accounts in the Homing World, I do question why a charge for the best part of £17,000 is in effect being levied against the whole membership for the Blackpool show. It would seem to me that in these financially and economically taxing times, and when the RPRA is showing a very substantial loss and thus wishing to increase membership fees by almost 100%, the cost of organising the show should be taken from the show proceeds before distribution to Charity, and not from the membership whether they like it or not. I cannot think of a worse point in time to be asking for such a large increase, when there are clearly other options open to investigation. Let’s hope there is a councillor with a little financial savvy, who will query these accounts and not just accept them as read.
Another point worth raising, (albeit perhaps an arguable one in accountancy terms), is the figure shown within the assets of the RPRA relative to the property owned. The original cost price of presumably The Reddings and Selby House, and not today’s obviously far higher figure is used, which in my eyes does not thus represent a true set of accounts. These properties should be professionally valued and an accurate value relayed to the membership. Imagine if you have lived in your house for some thirty years, still believing its value was £5,000 instead of perhaps £200,000 but that I am told is what Council wish to see presented within the accounts, and I cannot for the life of me understand why.
Well that’s got a couple of things off my chest so on to pigeons
The “D”-Day Race
June 6th 2009 is the sixty fifth anniversary of D-Day and the landings in Normandy to liberate Europe from the tyranny of Hitler. A successful race was held in 2004 with a thousand birds being liberated by the Mayor of Merville. June 6th, this year is a Saturday, which clearly helps, and it is hoped to have upwards of two to two and a half thousand pigeons in an open race for 2009. I’ll let Brian Newsome report on the organisation and where all the marking stations are going to be, but suffice at this stage to say that there will be a marking station in Northamptonshire, and the thoughts at the moment are, that each marking station will form a section.
At the moment an Ex-Caterall’s transporter will be used, so proper baskets rather than metal crates, and the entry fee looks like being £2.00 per bird with full section pools, plus any specials that can organised or nominated for the Northamptonshire section. Perhaps the Harrowden Federation might like to give consideration to include Merville in their race programme ~ a cracking yearling race at around 210 miles into the county and lots of prestige if you have a good pigeon. I certainly know of two Northants clubs who are going to fully support the race.
AGM’s
The Northamptonshire Championship Club held their AGM in mid January and all officers remain the same. The subscription remains the same at £150 to include five Channel races plus three free trainers from the coast. In its inaugural year the club paid out a fraction short of £2,000, so if you want a share of the pot now is the time to join.
The Northampton SRFC had a change of President with Marc Bull the new incumbent, but that apart, and with no propositions the meeting was over in short order. The race programme is for discussion at the next meeting so will report in due course.
RPRA Accounts
Whilst on the subject of the BHW Blackpool show, and having given some scrutiny to the recently presented RPRA accounts in the Homing World, I do question why a charge for the best part of £17,000 is in effect being levied against the whole membership for the Blackpool show. It would seem to me that in these financially and economically taxing times, and when the RPRA is showing a very substantial loss and thus wishing to increase membership fees by almost 100%, the cost of organising the show should be taken from the show proceeds before distribution to Charity, and not from the membership whether they like it or not. I cannot think of a worse point in time to be asking for such a large increase, when there are clearly other options open to investigation. Let’s hope there is a councillor with a little financial savvy, who will query these accounts and not just accept them as read.
Another point worth raising, (albeit perhaps an arguable one in accountancy terms), is the figure shown within the assets of the RPRA relative to the property owned. The original cost price of presumably The Reddings and Selby House, and not today’s obviously far higher figure is used, which in my eyes does not thus represent a true set of accounts. These properties should be professionally valued and an accurate value relayed to the membership. Imagine if you have lived in your house for some thirty years, still believing its value was £5,000 instead of perhaps £200,000 but that I am told is what Council wish to see presented within the accounts, and I cannot for the life of me understand why.
Well that’s got a couple of things off my chest so on to pigeons
The “D”-Day Race
June 6th 2009 is the sixty fifth anniversary of D-Day and the landings in Normandy to liberate Europe from the tyranny of Hitler. A successful race was held in 2004 with a thousand birds being liberated by the Mayor of Merville. June 6th, this year is a Saturday, which clearly helps, and it is hoped to have upwards of two to two and a half thousand pigeons in an open race for 2009. I’ll let Brian Newsome report on the organisation and where all the marking stations are going to be, but suffice at this stage to say that there will be a marking station in Northamptonshire, and the thoughts at the moment are, that each marking station will form a section.
At the moment an Ex-Caterall’s transporter will be used, so proper baskets rather than metal crates, and the entry fee looks like being £2.00 per bird with full section pools, plus any specials that can organised or nominated for the Northamptonshire section. Perhaps the Harrowden Federation might like to give consideration to include Merville in their race programme ~ a cracking yearling race at around 210 miles into the county and lots of prestige if you have a good pigeon. I certainly know of two Northants clubs who are going to fully support the race.
AGM’s
The Northamptonshire Championship Club held their AGM in mid January and all officers remain the same. The subscription remains the same at £150 to include five Channel races plus three free trainers from the coast. In its inaugural year the club paid out a fraction short of £2,000, so if you want a share of the pot now is the time to join.
The Northampton SRFC had a change of President with Marc Bull the new incumbent, but that apart, and with no propositions the meeting was over in short order. The race programme is for discussion at the next meeting so will report in due course.