The last pigeon race of the season has taken place which seemed an appropriate time to speak to a leading figure in the sport.
Involved in pigeon racing virtually all his life, Les Blacklock has twice had the honour of being president of the RPRA, and has seen so many changes in the sport over the years.
Just to start with Les, can you tell me how you first got involved in the sport from an early age?
My father was a life-long pigeon fancier, following on from his uncles who were flying in the Workington & District Club before the First World War. My dad joined the NHU ( National Homing Union) in 1939, flying beside the railway line at Siddick.
My grandfather was not really a pigeon man but if dad said let the hens out at 1pm for 40 minutes, that’s what he would do to the minute.
He was excellent at mental arithmetic. He used to have 6d doubles on the horses and if they came up he knew to the ½ penny how much he would get back. He taught me to do velocities by long division – no calculators then.
In 1964, I was nine and dad and his race partner Harold Farr won the DVF Big Cup.
In those days the Fed OB programme was 2 Christchurchs and 3 French races, while the YB’s had two races. Keeping only 20 old bird racers he won the following, when there were over 250 lofts in the Fed.
Christchurch No1 30 mins behind; Christchurch No2 3rd Fed, Special for 1st Yearling; Dol 9th and 12th Fed; Rennes 1st Fed; Nantes 6th and 14th Fed; Cheltenham YB 6th and 12th Fed.
In 1972 at the age of 17 I took over as secretary of the Workington Victoria Flying Club when the club had 40-plus lofts, but the most of them that sent during my time was 39.
It used to take me six to seven hours to do a result, as there were no calculator until 1975.
Over the years what have been your best birds and performances?
One called Silver Wedding, a pure white hen, was 1st Fed Beauvais Vaux Usher and 1st Coal Board Cup both Feds.
A blue cock came as a stray bred by Gavin Drysdale of Cark in Cartmel. At the time it was the only pigeon to win the pontoon twice in the same season, 1st Cheltenham and 1st Rennes
Jimmy’s Pride, bred by Jimmy Dixon, of Tommy Gilbertson bloodlines, was Ist Sartilly, 1st Rennes, 1st Nantes.
Broken Legs. In 2018 I won the Fed Big Cup and she won it for me. Not the fastest pigeon ever, but undoubtably the most honest I have ever had.
A barless hen was 1st Combine, the only bird on day in the Amal.
Another season has gone by, in general terms what has been racing like for Cumbrian fanciers?
The 2022 old bird season was, in my opinion, reasonable. The three Guernsey races were testers and my dad always said if you could get a pigeon out of Guernsey in good time, French races would not be a problem for it.
Young birds have not been good for myself, not sure why. Some members have done not too bad while others have had significant losses.
Numbers have been declining for a number of years. Is there anything that can be done to reverse this trend?
The loss of members is very worrying. All over the country we have lofts that are virtually professional, keeping and sending a lot of pigeons and the little man who the sport has always relied on is getting more and more disillusioned.
We will keep recruiting the odd one or two but at the other end more are leaving the sport.
The RPRA now has nine schools with pigeon lofts and we have a development officer working hard to improve the sports profile.
What are the main difficulties experienced by the sport now – cost, the raptor problem, changing weather conditions, outside influences perhaps like mobile phone masts?
The reality is that many traditional sports are struggling, young people do not want pigeons. Hawks are part of the problem, also 4g and 5g could have an effect and I believe we have diseases effecting the pigeons’ homing ability.
You had two stints as president of the RPRA, a tremendous honour. What were the highlights of your time in that role?
Representing the RPRA at various engagements, in this country and abroad. The Blackpool Show was very good and I was also the councillor who proposed the adoption of ETS clocking. At the time it was claimed I was apparently on the payroll of an ETS manufacturer! Fifteen years later I still don’t have the ETS.
The one loft races have proved popular since their inception. What’s your views on them and should there be more?
One loft races are OK. The RPRA One loft race is the oldest One loft Race in the country and any profits go back into the sport.
Most of the One Loft races are commercial ventures and the RPRA has no control over these One Lofts. If competing in these races keeps fanciers in the sport then that’s a positive.
A generous benefactor leaves £1 million to the Cumbria Region. How do you think it should be spent?
I would give the £1 million to worthwhile initiatives in Cumberland, eg maternity unit at West Cumberland Hospital, the stroke unit and dementia care in West Cumbria. Reasons – my wife worked in maternity for 30 years, my dad had dementia while the WCH needs a fully staffed stroke unit.
