pjc

doo racer, the RPRA have a mobile unit available for shows etc purchased for this purpose. If you know of a show or fete then contact Peter Bryant for the unit. Phil

AI has been done with many breeds for years! Just think how many studs buy a bird and are selling dozens of children and grandchildren within a very short period of time. I think its easier to use a bull box and feeders. Phil

He won't want to go out in the nasty cold outside world ever again! Spoilt comes to mind

I wish you many 2nd feds Ant!

have you spoken with the owner?

I don't think £25 is a lot for regular advertisers to pay. What about all adverts having to be approved before publication to prevent people joining just to place an add? Phil

Rose, They have contacted the fed sec I told them about yesterday and they have contacted another club near to them in the same fed I fly in so am hopeing for a much better outcome or words will be had!

Isn't S.Wilcox from Bristol? He may have a tablet you can use rather than having to buy a packet! Glad to here he is eating and drinking but may have a way to go before full recovery. Phil

When you've registered it with the WHU you may need to also register with the RPRA as a foreign ring. We in the WHPU have to register GB etc rings with the WHPU because if we were to win the welsh national etc with a GB ring it would be verified through there governing body which is the WHPU. If the ring is not registered with them even though it may be in the correct name with the RPRA the bird would be disqualified! Phil

I hope she does continue and is encouraged. I know Dean has probably been put of by it all but I know she's got your support. Glad you spoke with Derek and I am sure the other club will look favourably at the application. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help. Regards Phil

going back to officials, how difficult is it to get officials in your own club? I never see all the hand going up when jobs are vacent at AGM! How many clubs actualy send delegates for region meetings? Every club is entitled to! If members won't put there hands up at meetings whats the chance of them putting hands up a region! In most cases at region if they know somebody is standing down the dinosaurs will have linned up another to take the post so if an outsider does get put forward they get voted down. If you then do get onto region and become a council delegate, i beleive council meetings take place on a friday so that rules out anybody who works so back to dinosaurs! This does your head in!!!! ??)

Its not only the cost because I think most of us know you don't actualy have to spend a lot of money. There are plenty of cheap or second hand sheds around, most fanciers are happy to help breed new/young members birds. The RPRA run a clock loan scheme for young fanciers and a lot of clubs offer ruduced fees or free subs for under 16's! So, ok, we get a 14 yr old, he gets his shed , birds, clock etc, manages to get in a club (lucky chap or Lass) and starts racing to his parents back garden. He sticks with it and has realy got the bug, he ignores temptations (we all know what they are!) he then starts work, time is reduced but still sticks with it, then he wants a place of his own! Now the problem starts, can't afford a decent size house because of the current prices, can afford a flat, no garden or maybe lucky to be a ble to get a mortgage on a new build starter home and suprise suprise, handkerchief garden and covenents preventing the keeping of poultry and pigeons! Do I need to go on?

nobody will take the bull by the horns and give the sport a shake

Prob is Rab members don't use the power they have and stand and be counted! To many happy to stick there head in the sand.

I don't know if anybody goes to region meetings but when they are there they just want to excercise there power and score points off each other! They get power mad and if a vote goes against them throw there toys and spit dummys out!

You think we can get rid of the dinosaurs that sit on the regions and council first? Until we do we don't stand much chance of moving anywhere apart from backwards!

When I started Racing in Oxford area, there was 2 feds, they both went through bad times but they would never get together and help each other, it was the older fanciers that had clearly been waring about something in the past that prevented sense from prevailing! When one fed went to the wall some members packed up rather than having to go with the other fed!

Yep totaly agree, there are 2 ways to go in this sport if your not getting the results you require, you can run off and join an inferior small club where you may get results or you can take a look in the mirror and raise your game to compete! I would rather be 2nd or 3rd each week against 500+ birds than be winning every week against 50 birds!

Chriss, he only raced for a short period so don't think was any threat but has members of the family still racing at the club. He knows what they call the club but not sure of its official name, I will try and find it.

Rab, I can see one way the sport will survive is for each county to have 1 federation,maybe 2, 1 north & 1 south but all clubs racing together. Clubs having to accept members or just being marking stations. This is the only way some will survive by working together, how many half empty transporters run up and down the country each week burning fuel and paying drivers/convoyers?

The union rules should be change! Any members that resides within the club boundary shall be accepted unless there is a justifyable reason! Any application refused should be confirmed by the region with the club providing the reason fir refusal! I have spoken to the girls dad and it appears the reason the club are rejecting the application is that he raced with the club and then lost interest. His daughter misses the birds and want to race on her own but the club thinks that it is her dad who wants to race again but in her name! He was a fully paid up member that did not default so they have no reason to refuse! I have found out that the club involved isn't in the same fed as ourselves so I have given them our fed secs phone number to put them intouch with another local club. Phil

what area do you live in with the bird? There may be a local member on here who would be prepared to pop round and check on him.

he may be just exhausted but you need to keep an eye on him. If he stops eating then there is a serious problem and may need a visit to an avian vet. If he is still eating and drinking ok then he is just resting. Phil

I think there are a couple of members on here who live in Swansea but don't know what clubs they are in. Myself and Chichichi are north of Swansea but do race in the same fed. I am happy to speak to the fed sec but am waiting for some more info at the moment. Phil

I think he will be very happy in there! You can always hang an old towel or something over the front if we get a cold night. If you are able to try and face it south so he gets some sun! Good luck Phil