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The late Jack and John Newell of Feltham. I was very sad to hear of the passing of Jackie Newell in March 2020, just a few weeks short of his 98 birthday. He was a true gentleman and a legend of pigeon racing in the Middlesex area for over 70 years. Jack was simply the best! The Newell’s are a pigeon racing family through and through and have won it all in Federation, Combine and National events over many years. Jackie raced very successfully in partnership with his late son, John, for many years. The 1991 National Flying Club Pau Grand National was the highlight of Feltham’s, Jack and John Newell’s successful 70 year racing pigeon career. They won the greatest prize in British pigeon racing, with nearly 5,000 birds taking part, recording 1st, 4th and 36th open. A fantastic performance! Their Pau National winner was their Marriott dark chequer hen, Champion ‘Betty’s Choice’, so named because Jack’s wife, Betty, picked her out for the National. This hen was on her second time at Pau and was sent to win, feeding an eight day old youngster. Jack and John’s second bird was clocked over one hour later to record 4th open and was a Marriott blue chequer hen called, ‘Carrie Ann’. This was this hen’s sixth time at the Pau National, sent sitting 14 day old eggs and had previously won 1st club Nantes. In recent seasons the Newell loft had recorded many positions from the NFC Pau Grand National race including: 112th, 148th, 160th, 180th and 199th open. The Newell’s race natural and widowhood, with the main ‘H’ shaped racing loft housing stock birds, young birds and the natural racers. This loft had a slate pitched roof and open door trapping. Their widowhood loft was built on top of the garage and this loft housed eighteen cocks, with most of these being Janssen based, and fly the card through to Bergerac (450 miles). They were fed a standard widowhood mixture and were broken down. The cocks reared two babies each, being paired up at the end of January, and flew out one hour morning and evening. The loft had won its best positions from the Pau National with natural hens, sent sitting about ten day old eggs and small youngsters. In its long and highly successful racing career the Newell loft had won 1st Federation countless times and 1st open Combine from France several times. One of the all-time great lofts! Ron & Jim Newell of Feltham. Ron and Jim Newell are sons of the Feltham ‘ace’ fancier, Jack Newell and started their pigeon partnership in 1976 with late breds from their father and some stock from Jack Jackson of Southall. The brothers were novices until young bird racing in 1978 when they had four races in the Ashford SRFC and recorded: 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation (1,456 birds) Weymouth, 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation (1,091 birds) Exeter, 1st club, 1st Three Borders Federation, 1st open BTB Combine (2,656 birds) Plymouth and 6th club Weymouth. Brilliant young bird racing! The first two Federation winners off the Newell and Jackson bloodlines, and the BTB Combine winner, ‘Johnny’, was bred from two gift birds from their friend, John Lister of Feltham. After three races, Ron and Jim, stopped the main team with 1979 racing in mind and the 6th club was chalked up when sending a team of late breds flying their first race. The brother’s three section loft was 24ft long, with a low trapping system, and the 20 pairs of racers were raced on the natural system. All the old birds were paired up the second week in February and about 40 young birds were bred each year. Ron and Jim fed the birds on a good sound mixture and they were trained twice a week. Ron told me his most thrilling experience in pigeons was in 1970, when his dad left him to clock his Pau National single entry, a pied cock, and recorded it at 20.05hrs on the day, to be the second of only three birds clocked on the day in the London Metropolitan area. Jack was at the local club marking the birds for a Federation race and Ron said it was a great feeling when he went to the club and told his dad he had clocked the pied cock, as no birds were expected home on the day. Brilliant pigeon racing by the Newell family! Text & Photos by Keith Mott (November 2025)

Good morning folks

Morning folks

Copied from Facebook 13th November 2025

One of the legends of the sport, mr. Dirk Van den Bulck, together with his son.

Copied from Facebook 12th November 2025

Congratulations all

Well done everyone

Copied from Facebook By Steven Dalgliesh Here's some info from WP on the winning lofts from the Solway 2025....well done to my fellow clubmates and Karl. 1 / 3 Solway Federation Trophies for 2025 were presented to the winning fanciers at the Federation AGM, which was held in Lockerbie on Sunday 9th November. Highest Prize winners were Karl Guenther and grandson Lewis from Brydekirk West who received the Festival of Britain Challenge Trophy for Highest Overall from the Old Bird Open race, the Ryan Nith Challenge Trophy for Highest West Section from the Old Bird Open Race, the Richard Rennison Trophy for First Yearling from the Old Bird Open Race, the W. Kirk Challenge Cup for Highest West Section from the Young Bird Open Race, the George Grant Challenge Trophy for Highest Overall from the Longest Inland Race, the j. Wallace Rose Bowl for First Yearling from the Longest Inland Race, the W.J. Gass Challenge Cup for Best Average from the Old Bird and Young Bird Open Race and the Albert Hay Trophy for the Best Average in the West Section from the Old Bird and Young Bird Open Race. Karl, who previously competed in partnership with his good lady Liz now competes in partnership with his grandson, Lewis and is no stranger to the prize winners table. In 2004 he and Liz were presented with the trophy as Runners-up to the Solway Fed. Fancier of the Year and the following season they were presented with the trophy as Federation Fanciers of the Year. In 2011 they were awarded the trophy as Runners-up to the Federation Fancier of the Year and in 2012 were once again presented with the Trophy as Federation Fanciers of the Year. In former years an independent adjudicator was invited to view the weekly Federation results after which he selected the fancier of the year and runner-up to the fancier of the year. It was decided nine years ago, however, that fancier of the year trophies would be presented to the top fanciers in the East and West Sections of the Federation with the winners being decided on a points system. With the new format in 2013, the partners were awarded the Cochran Cup as West Section Fanciers of the Year; they won it again in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The loft title was subsequently changed to Karl Guenther and grandson with the new partnership winning the trophy in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. In 2025 the Federation O.B. Open Race was flown from Brighton with birds being duplicated out of the National. Karl and Lewis did not just win the Section with the National they were in fact 1st 2nd and 3rd with the three pigeons being 5th, 6th and 7th Open National and with birds being duplicated into the Federation they were 1st, 2nd and 3rd Open Federation. The Fed winner was a 2 y.o. Mealy cock, the Sire of which is a Gunter Prange x Koopman, containing the lines of ‘261’ that gained 10 – individual 1sts and ’520‘ that gained 7 –individual 1sts. Dam is a Gunter Prange x August Woutars that contains the lines of ‘Blue Dream’ which was 1st National Ace Pigeon Belgium and gained 10 – individual 1sts. The Mealy cock was 1st Fed. Shap as a y.b. competing against 1268 birds and as a yearling was 1st Club, 1st West Section, 6th Open Federation, 6th South Section, 29th Open S.N.F.C. Kettering 221 miles, competing against 3,175b birds. George Firth from Hoddom was presented with the Sir John W. Buchanan Jardine Trophy for Highest East Section from the Old Bird Open Race. George resides near the village of Boreland, North of Lockerbie and was formerly a member of Lockerbie Club, joining Hoddom Club some months ago. Prior to moving to Scotland he lived at Leeds and was involved in the administration side of our hobby. He was Secretary and Delegate of Bramley Club in Leeds, Aire and Wharfdale Combine and Leeds Amal. He was also President of Mid Yorkshire Combine and along with Tony Oates was one of the prime movers in the formation of the Combine He is a very good fancier and has gained a number of prominent positions at his current address with the highlight being when he won the Y.B. National from Buckingham in 2014. The National winner was a home bred Blue hen named ‘My Way’. He always has a team of quality pigeons about him evidenced by the breeding of ‘My Way’. Dam was bred from a hen that bred the Section winner from the 2012 Y.B. National. It was bred by 2 / 3 Ronnie Evans from Sunderland out of Blue hen ‘Tilly’ when paired to Chequer Pied cock ‘354’ that gained 3 x 1st Club, 2 x 1st Fed. and 1st Sect. against 4,000 + birds. Sire of the 2014 Y.B. National winner was a Blue cock that was bred by Wall, Lunt and Green. His Sire was obtained direct from Andreas Drapa bred direct from his No. 1 Cock ‘Champ’. Paternal grand-dam of the 2014 Y.B. National winner was bred direct from Wall, Lunt and Green’s ‘Adonis’, which was a superb breeder, being Sire of two times Provincial winner, ‘The Promise’ and many other winners. Having explained that the 2025 Fed. O.B. Open was flown from Brighton with birds being duplicated out of the National it should be understood that George’s Section winner, which is a 2 y.o. Blue cock, was 4th Open Fed., 4th Section 7th Open National. Alistair Little from Hoddom was presented with the Sir John W. Buchanan Jardine Challenge Cup for Highest East Section from the Young Bird Open Race. Alistair has had an interest in the pigeon hobby from schoolboy years being initially tutored and encouraged by his late father. He then left the fancy but following his marriage, decided to form a loft at his home address being assisted by his wife Cindy and his father-in-law, Jimmy Dalgliesh. Alistair has his own joinery business and with time being at a premium he chose once again to leave the Fancy for a time but re-entered the hobby and as the years have passed he has gone out his way to obtain best bloodlines. Consider, for example that in 2024, competing with the S.N.F.C. from Nort-Sur-Erdre he was 2nd Section 3rd Open National with a handsome 3 y.o. Blue Chequer cock, the bloodlines of which are 100% Jan Aarden, with both parents having been purchased from The House of Aarden. Sire a Chequer W.F. that was bred direct from ‘Padfield Jack’, with the Dam a Dark Chequer bred direct from ‘Padfield Dave’. Davie Little from Hoddom was presented with the Percy Cameron Memorial Trophy as East Section Fancier of the Year and also received the S. & T. Allen Gold Ring Challenge Shield. When it was known that Davie had won the Fancier of the Year Trophy I penned an article on him, which was posted on the Federation Facebook page on 15th October. Winner of the West Section Fancier of the Year Trophy is Jim Russell from the Nith Valley Club. Jim was unfortunately unable to attend the Meeting and my understanding is that Michael Currie the Federation President is going to deliver the trophy to Jim’s home address by hand and will get a photo, which will be posted on the Facebook page in due course. All the above trophies were presented by Dennis Anderson. There was, however, a further presentation made by Michael Currie. In 2024 the highest Prize Winner was Jackie Gilmour from Hoddom who regrettably passed away two weeks before the presentation. Jackie was a super fancier and right nice person and I’ve no doubt that he would have been ever so proud to have won the trophies and with equal pride Jackie’s son, John stepped forward at the 2024 Presentation to accept the silverware on his father’s behalf. The trophies that Jackie won were the Festival of Britain Challenge Trophy for Highest Overall from the O.B. Open Race, the Sir John W.Buchanan Jardine Trophy for Highest East Section from the O.B. Open Race and the W.J. Gass Challenge Cup for Best Average from the O.B. and Y.B. Open races. It should be explained that the plan in 2024 was that the O.B. Open race would be flown from Guernsey, being convoyed by Lanarkshire Federation, but due to conditions at the race point the convoy was brought back to England and liberated at Cheltenham. In 2024 Jackie also won The NHS trophy in memory of Graham Alexander Hughes for first nominated pigeon from the race being the first winner and £500 sponsored by Scottish Distance Doo Club. At his own expense, Michael Currie arranged with a local photographer to prepare a 3 / 3 Montage showing Jackie’s widow, Sylvia and the family holding the four trophies with a historic image of Jackie in the background. It is absolutely beautiful and at the Meeting Michael presented the framed photograph to Jackie’s son John with a request that he pass it on to his mother.

🕊️ The Roger Lowe Roadshow Rolls On! (This is a rewritten feature based on information published in The Homing World Stud Book, 2019) The 2018 season was another outstanding year for Roger Lowe of Caversham, one of the UK’s most respected and successful pigeon fanciers. After a challenging season faced by fanciers across the country, Roger’s dedication and love for the sport once again delivered superb results — including two 1st Open National wins and several major Section positions. Channel racing remains Roger’s main passion, competing up to 450 miles with the NFC, BICC, BBC, and Classic Clubs. He often acknowledges the hardworking fanciers and officials who give up their own racing ambitions to keep these great organisations running — a contribution that benefits the entire fancy. ⸻ 🏆 Highlights of the 2018 Season Roger’s first National win of the year came from Coutances, a 169-mile flight to his Reading loft with the British Barcelona Club. Out of 2,726 birds entered by 276 members, Roger’s team achieved an exceptional performance, taking 1st, 3rd, 16th, and 25th Open. The winner, Fast As Lightning, was bred from Lou Wouters bloodlines obtained through Roger’s good friend Sheldon Leonard of Ireland and paired to The O2, a double granddaughter of My Little Diamond, herself a 1st Open BICC Guernsey winner. His second National success came from Sigogne, where The Main Son — a direct son of The Main Man, who was 3rd and 2nd Open NFC Saintes in 2011 and 2012 — claimed 1st Open NFC. Once again, the bloodline of My Little Diamond proved central to Roger’s success. ⸻ 🧬 The Strength of a Foundation Line By this point, around 75% of Roger’s family descended from My Little Diamond, a true foundation hen and one of his most valuable breeders. Her bloodlines have continued to produce winners for Roger and many others. Through meticulous breeding records and thoughtful pairing, Roger has refined his family year after year. Recently, he introduced Jan Hooymans “Harry” blood, known for middle-distance success — aiming to keep his line vigorous while retaining the winning qualities of his core family. ⸻ 🏠 Lofts and Systems At his Caversham lofts, Roger now houses ten National and Classic winners in his breeding section. He races both cocks and hens on total widowhood, with his young birds divided between darkness and natural systems — a combination that keeps him fully engaged throughout the season. His lofts reflect years of careful planning and experience, providing an ideal environment for breeding and training some of the finest racing pigeons in the country. ⸻ 💬 Dedication and Friendship Beyond his racing achievements, Roger is well known for his enthusiasm and generosity within the fancy. He enjoys the social side of the sport as much as the competition itself and values the friendships built over many years. The show and presentation evenings are always highlights of his calendar. ⸻ 🙏 Acknowledgement This post is a rewrite based on information from The Homing World Stud Book 2019, in which Roger Lowe reflected on a fantastic and hard-fought 2018 season. With continued success, outstanding pigeons, and a passion that never fades, the Roger Lowe Roadshow truly rolls on — with many more great seasons still to come. 🏁

Copied from Facebook 10th November

Copied from Facebook 9th November 2025 It’s with a heavy heart that I’ve decided to step away from pigeon racing and the North of Scotland Federation. This has not been an easy decision, as the sport has been a big part of my life for many years, and I’ve met some truly wonderful people along the way. Unfortunately, due to growing work commitments, the travel involved, financial pressures, and the politics that can sometimes surround the sport, I simply no longer have the time or energy to give pigeon racing the attention and dedication it deserves. Over the years I’ve spent a small fortune on the sport — but it’s been spent with passion and commitment, and I have no regrets, as it’s brought me many great experiences and friendships. I would like to sincerely thank all the members of the Deveron Valley Club and the Fraserburgh Clubs for their acceptance, encouragement, and friendship over the years. Your support has meant a great deal to me and made my time in the sport all the more enjoyable. As I step away, I do have quite a bit of pigeon equipment that I’ll be looking to part with, so if anyone is interested, please feel free to get in touch. I’ll always look back fondly on the memories, the races, and the camaraderie that make pigeon racing so special. I wish everyone continued success and good health for the seasons ahead.

Copied from Facebook 9th November 2025 Scottish Central federation Presentation Night Friday 14th November Buchan Park bowling club EH52 5AF 7:30 pm buffet Pies Sausage roll sandwiches and home baking only £10 We have guests John Bosworth Keven Witham and Keith Cochran for a questions on their methods etc we have 10 birds for sale Kindly Donated by John Bosworth Keith Cocrane Kevin Witham C & G Cameron John Hadfield Jonny Mallon Peter Keogh R W Hamilton and Derek Hay To book your tickets call Jo Forrest on 07724450760 by Tuesday 11th

Meet GI Joe — the feathered hero who saved over 1,000 lives. 🕊️🇺🇸 During WWII, this brave pigeon flew 20 miles in just 20 minutes to deliver a message that stopped a bombing on Allied troops. For his courage, he was awarded the Dickin Medal — the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross. Not all heroes wear capes — some have wings.