News
Up North Combine Ltd
16th. February 2011
To All Federations and Officials
Last week I travelled to France to inspect numerous race sites located on the West side of the Country. The only site available to suite our needs was named Fontenay which is approx. 7 miles by road from Chartres (the race point selected by the membership) to replace Andrezel. The distance comparison to a loft location in Trimdon is Andrezel 459 miles, Fontenay 452 miles.
I visited many different sites in this area and this one was definitely the best.
I then tried to find a replacement for the Clermont site. The membership had chosen Capanneville, unfortunately this site was not adequate for the UNC . I then visited two further sites in the surrounding area one called Val de Reuil and other Mantes le Jolie, again both sites were unsuitable. I then visited Rouen which is considerably shorter than our preferred option, once again not adequate. The only option for the UNC (and it would be adequate for the whole of NEHU) is Lisieux which is a perfect liberation site. The distance comparison is Lisieux 387 miles, Clermont 404 miles, to the same loft in Trimdon. The last site visited was Brionne, which was certainly not adequate.
Therefore the two replacement sites will be Fontenay and Lisieux, subject to permission being granted by the French Authorities, this could take several weeks. Distances should not be applied for until permission is granted.
Pam Grange Secretary
Up North Combine Ltd
28th March 2011
To All Federations and Officials
The RPRA have just confirmed that we have been granted permission to use the two new French racepoints that we applied for namely Lisieux (Clermont replacement) and Fontenay (Andrezel replacement).
You may now apply to the NEHU for your distances.
Weather Forecasts For the 2011 Old Bird Season we will be using the services of Mr.T.Scholey.
Pam Grange Secretary
Horror attack as arsonists blaze kills pigeons
5th April 2011
A PIGEON fancier told of his devastation after 28 of his birds were torched to death in a suspected arson attack.
Fire gutted a caravan at a plot within East View Allotments in Boldon Colliery Sunderland during the early hours of yesterday morning.
The flames spread to a nearby pigeon cree – killing all but four of the birds inside.
Today the owner of the pigeons, Billy Miller, 45, was assessing the damage at the allotment.
He said: “I got a call just after six o’clock yesterday morning. Twenty- six of the young ones and a couple of old ones were killed. They didn’t stand a chance. The fire brigade got here and managed to get four of the birds out alive.
“It’s horrible but it’s not that big a surprise, it’s the second time recently pigeons have been killed.
“Just a month ago, a cree was targeted just along from here and another couple of allotments have been broken into.
“There’s always kids riding around here on bikes, with their hoodies up. They just jump over the wall, it’s not that high.
“I have a separate aviary with four birds in, that was unaffected, but this is a huge blow.”
Mr Miller has been racing pigeons for just two years and is a member of Boldon Homing Society.
His brother John, 49, who helps out at the allotment, added: “The caravan was quite old, it was just somewhere to sit, and wasn’t worth that much but you can’t put a price on the pigeons.
“I’d like to think whoever did this was ashamed of themselves, but they’re probably not.”
In January, several chickens and a goose were killed after fire ripped through another plot at the East View Allotments.
But firefighters used an oxygen mask to revive one chicken caught up in the blaze.
Firefighters from South Shields Fire Station attended the blaze just before 6am.
The police are now investigating.
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