Saturday 11 February 2012
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Sophie ‘Matched the Pigeon’ as Event Raised £5K
28 September 2009
Some 65 pigeons, entered by pigeon racing enthusiasts from the Keighley and Skipton area were released in the village of Hullavington in Wiltshire and flew home over 160 miles back to their lofts. There human rivals assembled at the Cavendish Pavilion and chose to walk one of four routes ranging from 2 to 8.25 miles with the aim of crossing the finishing line at the same time as the first pigeon touched down in Skipton. Conditions were good for both walkers and racing pigeons and most of the participants took this into account in calculating their finishing time. Maps were also positioned around the routes giving walkers the estimated position of the pigeon every half hour as seen on the attached picture. Sophie Ogden of Newsholme near Oakworth was delighted when the results were released and she realised her time of just under 3 and a half hours matched that exactly of the first pigeon home. “We knew conditions for the pigeons were good and that they would fly quicker than their average speed of 40mph but to match the pigeon exactly was pure luck. I’ve never been in a helicopter before so I am delighted to have ‘Matched the Pigeon’. Each of the 65 pigeons involved was sponsored and named for the day by individuals or businesses and it was a pigeon called Adrian who won it’s sponsor Sharon Bayliss dinner for two at the Burlington Brassiere in the Bolton Abbey Estate by achieving the fastest velocity of all the birds released. The bird was owned by Derek Breckon of Skipton Homing Society who had helped with the organising of the event. The best result from the Keighley based clubs was a bird owned by Les Scaife of Silsden. Both owners win a bag of Bucktons pigeon feed donated by Cranswick Pet Products.Sue Ryder Fundraiser Andrew Wood was delighted with the event and thanked all involved including their hosts at the Cavendish Pavilion who raised over £250 on the day. “This event was something of a first and to raise £5,000 towards the work of the hospice in the local community is a fantastic. It has also stimulated a lot of interest in the sport of pigeon racing which is also a great result.”