Dinner and Prize Presentation Evening

Saturday, 21st November saw the 2015 season finally put to bed with the BBC’s annual dinner and prize presentation held at The Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth, with the Annual General Meeting taking place on the same day. The evening was again a very enjoyable occasion with just over 140 guests at Saturday, 21st November saw the 2015 season finally put to bed with the BBC’s annual dinner and prize presentation held at The Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth, with the Annual General Meeting taking place on the same day. The evening was again a very enjoyable occasion with just over 140 guests attending. It was lovely to see members from all of our sections making the trip to celebrate our prizewinners of the year. Our host for the evening was President Nigel Rigiani, who began by saying grace before we sat down to an outstanding four course meal served by the staff from The Marsham Court Hotel. After the meal Nigel went on to introduce the guests on the top table Mike & Jade Shepherd-Palomares from Countrywide feeds, Steve & Nettie Richards, Peter & Sue Bennett, who all deserve our thanks and gratitude for their continued support of the Club. Unfortunately our Patron Mark Gilbert was unable to make it, but on behalf of the BBC I would like to thank Mark for his sponsorship of the Palamos Section Winners engraved glass decanters. Personally, I would like to thank Christine White for all her help with the trophies, Anne Hooper for organising the lovely flower arrangements and Robbie Hooper for ferrying Anne around on my behalf. To present the cups and trophies we called upon the ladies from the top table, up first was Jade Shepherd-Palomares followed by Sue Bennett and finally Nettie Richards who all carried out their duties perfectly. For our Blue Riband winner we normally call upon our Patron to present the awards but as Mark was absent it seemed fitting for a very special lady who has attended these dinners for many years, to step in and take the reins, Mrs Marilyn Weaver from Ludlow in Shropshire, wife of Don Weaver who very sadly is no longer with us. Our Blue Riband winners Corey & Roger Owers’ performance from Palamos this year was an exceptional one which will probably go down in the history books of the BBC. Not only did they manage to record the only bird on the winning day but to take 1st and 2nd Open with the only two birds on the winning day flying 684 British Homing World, December 11th, 2015 21 TheBritish BarcelonaClub DINNER AND AGM REPORT The 2015 BBC Race Winners with Nigel Rigiani. miles is a great achievement. Also that the birds were mother and son, Corey Boy being timed at 5.58pm and his dam Gilli at 9.29pm. The cups and trophies winners collecting on the evening were as follows Carentan National: Garnett, Moore & Withers – 1st Open winning The Norman Fysh Memorial Trophy, The Hyatt Trophy, The Peter Bennett Special Presentation Plate and The SECTION B MEDAL; B. MCALLISTER – THE SECTION J Medal. Messac National:Mr & Mrs L. Cowley – The Dorset Cup & The Section B Medal; S. Slade - The Section C Medal; Mr & Mrs Beckett & Sons – The Section E Medal; M. Bulled - The Section J Medal. Fougères OB National: Mr & Mrs J. B. Langbridge – The Section G Medal; B. McAllister –The Section J Medal. Bordeaux National: M. Hope – 1st Open winning The Master Jason Rigiani Memorial Trophy, The Jane Witts Memorial Trophy, The Jason & Naomi Hart Memorial Trophy, The Don Weaver Memorial Trophy and The Peter Bennett Special Presentation Plate and The SECTION E MEDAL; MR & MRS A SHORE –THE Guernsey Silver Can Trophy and The 2nd Open Medal; P. Newton – The Trevor Dodd & Grandson Trophy, The Mr & Mrs Hooper Trophy and The Section C Medal; Mr & Mrs J B Langbridge – The Section G Medal; Mr & Mrs D. J. Newman – The Trevor Cox Rose Bowl; R. L. Spooner – The Sue Bradshaw Memorial Trophy. Coutances YB National:S. Slade – 1st and 2nd Open winning The Petlife International 22 British Homing World, December 11th, 2015 P Entwistle & Dtr with Nettie Richards. Mr & Mrs D J Newman. D Melinte with Marilyn Weaver. Mr & Mrs J B Langbridge with Sue Bennett. M Bulled with Jade Shepherd-Palomares. W Stribling. Corey & Roger Owers. Harkers Trophy, The Mr & Mrs F. Sopp Challenge Trophy, The Bilco Consolation Challenge Cup, The Major Buckingham Challenge Trophy and The Section C Medal; Mr & Mrs N. Smith –The Section B Medal; P. Entwistle – The Davis Challenge Trophy. Coutances OH National: A. P. & S. M. Lucas – 1st Open winning The Crowley & Green donated Trophy and The Section C Medal; Mr & Mrs A. Shore – The Nigel Rigiani donated Trophy and The Section E and The 2nd Open Medal; P. Priddle – The Section A Medal. Average Winners:D. Melinte – The F. E. Griffin Memorial Trophy for best average longest OB and YB Nationals; Corey & Roger Owers – The Tony Hustler Memorial Trophy for best average Messac and longest OB Nationals and The Tommy Rae Memorial Trophy for best average two longest OB Nationals; P. Newton – The E. G. Bracey Trophy for best average Messac and Bordeaux Nationals in to Section C. Palamos National:M. Bulled 3rd Open winning The Bert Wiffen Memorial Shield, The Hillside Greater Distance Trophy, The Ron Bissett Challenge Cup, The John Parish Memorial Trophy, The Mark Gilbert engraved decanter for Section J winner and The Section J Medal; W. Castledine – 5th Open winning The British Homing World, December 11th, 2015 23 Mr & Mrs L Cowley. The New Team Jim H, Clare, Roger Hurst. W Castledine. P Newton. B McAllister. Mr & Mrs N Smith. S Slade. M Hope. Willcox Trophy, The G. Stubbs Memorial Trophy, The Spanish Trophy, The Gazette Challenge Trophy, The Mark Gilbert engraved decanter for Section A winner and The Section A Medal; W. Stribling –6th Open winning The Jack Edwards Memorial Trophy, The Horace Baker Memorial Trophy, The A. G. Mullholland & Son Avon Trophy, The Reg & Myrtle Venner Memorial Rose Bowl, The Mark Gilbert engraved decanter for Section C winner and The Section C Medal; K. Young – The Frederico G. Vaccaro Cup, The Mark Gilbert engraved decanter for Section H winner and The Section H Medal; D. Melinte – The Middlesex Trophy and The 10th Open Medal. Winners of the Palamos National 2015: Corey & Roger Owers –1st and 2nd Open winning The Harkers Challenge Trophy, The Ron Michieson Challenge Trophy, The Spanish Challenge Trophy, The Woodsider Trophy, The Doug Horwood Memorial Salver, The L. A. Bartlett Trophy, The Eileen Bunn Memorial Challenge Trophy, The Ron Michieson Memorial Rose Bowl, The Arthur Bartlett Memorial Trophy, The Albert Padfield Blue Riband Memorial Trophy, The Peter Rigiani Memorial Trophy, The Cyril Medway Memorial Trophy, The Mr & Mrs Ken Hine Memorial Trophy, The Bert Bryant Challenge Cup, The Ron Youde Memorial Trophy, The Barcelona Olympic Challenge Cup, The BBC Appreciation Challege Trophy, The W. Gale Challenge Cup, The Tony Hodges Memorial Trophy, The Roy Hanney Memorial Trophy, The Frank Lloyd Memorial Trophy, The Peter Bennett Special Presentation Plate, The Mark Gilbert engraved decanter for Section B winner and The Section B Medal. The 2015 AGM was opened at 2.30pm. Apologies were given for those Committee members who were unable to attend. The minutes of the 2014 AGM were passed and any matters arising covered. We received 104 resignations which were accepted with regret. As it was the end of 2015 business all offices were declared vacant and Tony Whitehurst kindly stood in as temporary Chairman. The 2016 BBC Committee and Officials are as follows: President – Jim Hooper; Chairman – Roger Hurst; Life Vice Presidents as before, Jim Hooper, Mrs Hazel Hooper, Mrs Ingrid Jurd, Roger Hurst and Richard Green; Life Vice Presidents serving on Committee –Dave Whitefield, Chris King & Nigel Rigiani; Committee – Martin Norman, Jill Rogers, Stephen White and Clive Merrills; Secretary/Treasurer – Clare Norman; Auditors –Jill Rogers and Dave Whitefield. Proposition 1, proposed by A. E. Shepherd (A620). Delete Race Rule 2 and insert new RACE RULE 2 TO READ: ‘BIRDS WILL HAVE AN EARLY morning liberation except the longest old bird RACE WHEN THE LIBERATION SHALL NOT TAKE PLACE 24 British Homing World, December 11th, 2015 Corey & Roger Owers. K Young. P Priddle. Garnett, Moore & Withers. Mr & Mrs A Shore. R L Spooner. before 08.00 hours on the appointed day should the Club be liberating on their own. In the case of a holdover the liberation will be left to the Convoyers discretion.’ There were 20 For, 28 Against and 1 Unsigned. Proposition failed. Finally, permission was given to destroy old documents and the AGM closed at 3.10pm. A note from your new President The very welcome news that Mrs Clare Norman had decided to stay on as Secretary of The British Barcelona Club was just the boost that the Club needed. To lose Clare would have been a serious blow for all concerned as the secretary is without doubt the heart of any organisation. Her action also persuaded me to put myself up for nomination as President. Now duly elected as the BBC President I am so proud and honoured to have that position entrusted to me and also to be able to work alongside Clare, a Secretary who, has proven to all in the past that she is a person that puts in a great deal of effort in all that she does, a true asset to any club, and having been secretary of the Club for 13 years I definitely know what is required, Clare certainly fits the bill. To have Roger Hurst of Romsey as our Chairman, a BBC man through and through is another very big plus for the Club. Roger has a very long association with the Club, a committee member for a number of years Roger has also been a President of the Club. I know his feelings for the Club run parallel to my own, we both love the Club and will do our very best for the club and its members in the future. The Club and members will always come first,of that you can be assured. We also have a very good committee who have also shown strong feelings for the Club, that is why they are all willing to put in as much effort as required for the Club and its long term future and will be more than willing to listen to any suggestions and or ideas that may be put before them by the membership. If any good notions come about they will, if practical and beneficial to the Club, put them into being. That is the aim of us all, a good working relationship with officials and the members. The British Barcelona Club has always a membership that could be considered in the who's who in the pigeon world, I know that we have lost many good members through them passing on but the bedrock of such a successful membership still exists and it is going to be a pleasure for us all to work on their behalf to right any wrongs that may have caused some members to leave the Club. We all hope that they will with the above promises having been made return to the club, you are welcome to do so. The British Barcelona Club stands second to none, it is a very special club, a prestigious club with a very long history of performances that have been the talk of the town so to speak and to be a member of such a club is also something so very special, So come and join and look to the future with us,you know it makes sense? JIM HOOPER A note from your new Chairman My thanks to the members present at the AGM for having the confidence to vote myself in as Chairman again to what is one of the greatest clubs in the United Kingdom, namely the British Barcelona Club. I use the terminology ‘again’ as I have served the Club as Chairman and President in the past, it really is an honour to be back here again. When I state serve I feel it is just that for at the end of the day any club belongs to the members not the officials or committee. To this end after the AGM we held an informal chat between those present in an endeavour to get the feel of those members present as to where they want the CLUB TO GO IN THE FUTURE AND ITS CURRENT POSITION. This certainly provided food for thought and what was said has certainly been taken on board. I would ask all members throughout the year to talk to the officials and voice your opinions and thoughts on what is after all your CLUB! THANKFULLY CLARE AS SECRETARY DECIDED TO stay and she must rate as one of the best in the country. What can I say about the new President Jim Hooper, he brings with him vast experience of the Club and an inbuilt love for it, indeed I am sure if we cut him in half round the outside like a stick of rock would be printed British Barcelona Club! For my sake I only hope the Welsh do not beat the English in the Six Nations Rugby tournament. Anyway sincere thanks again and please please do not be afraid to talk to any of us no matter how trivial or unimportant you may consider it as we can only go forward with your help. To all members a successful forthcoming season. ROGER HURST Your £20 subscriptions for 2016 are now due and must be paid before 1st April. Gold Rings for the Young Bird Gold Ring nomination scheme are available at £5 per ring. Prizes are awarded for OPEN AND SECTION POSITIONS ON A PRO RATA BASIS. Application forms for new members are available on the website or by telephoning me and I will put one in the post for you. Clare Norman. Tel: 023 8057 3919Email: secretary@britishbarcelonaclub. com, 133 Laundry Road, Shirley Warren, Southampton, SO16 6AR. British Homing World, December 11th, 2015 25 Mr & Mrs Beckett & Sons. A P & S M Lucas. To: Brando Carenza on your 80th birthday, 16th December. Best wishes. PAM, PETE AND ALL THE MEMBERS OF EVESHAM & DFC To: Ray Knight and everyone involved in the first NRCC Day of Champions. The show was well attended at a great venue, which resulted in a lot of money being raised for the NRCC from the auction. The day was a credit to you all. Well done! MICK WILSON Brinsley To: Eric & Liz who were recently married and are now enjoying life as husband and wife. Eric & Liz were all smiles after the wedding ceremony and everyone who attended the wedding and reception at night had a great time. This was the biggest day of their lives and don’t they make a lovely couple. We all wish them many happy years together. JIM GALLOWAY Congratulations... The happy couple Eric & Liz