The Festival of Hound Trailing on Saturday will stir memories of the original event in 1988.
The base used by the original committee was the top house pub in Wath Brow and their stated aim was to create a festival-like atmosphere with the chance of the lowest grade dogs getting their chance on the day.
It was a huge hit at its original venue, Cock How and the festival ran successfully for a number of years although the 1994 event was a non-starter as all trailing was suspended due to a hound missing.
Then around 2019 the committee couldn’t get permission on the current date at the start of July at Cold Fell due to the sheep being out on the fellside. Cold Fell had held the festival after moving from Cock How a few years earlier.
Then along came Covid and after the pandemic a new committee was formed with a stated plan to try and keep the special day going.
The festival originated at Cock How with fell running to start with, then fields and dykes before a finish on the fell which was a great test for the hounds. When it moved to Cold Fell this was all open fell running.
One festival was held at Potters Park, which has since held a number of Produce meetings, with a mix of open fell and fields.
The latest venue is Kirkland Leaps which provides fields to start, then out onto the open fell with a long finish to call them home.
Something different was tried last year with a points system over three trails and the final round at Cock How when it was great to be back at the original venue, but unfortunately at the start of July there is no hound trailing able to take place on the fell due to stock.
In 1988 the senior trail was £1,000 sponsored by Matty Browns Brewery. A number of years later Bowercross Construction, who were on Sellafield, continued the £1,000 sponsorship. As the years moved on it got harder and harder to gain sponsorship.
Sponsorship obviously plays a major part in sports events and hound trailing is no different and the new Festival committee is very grateful to the sponsors who have helped keep the Festival day going.
Saturday’s Festival has a seven-race card, starting at 11.30am. This year the senior hounds and open pups will be running for £250 with the other five races being £150.
The seniors is sponsored by McDonald’s Fencing; the Open pups by Jackson’s Timber Ltd; the Puppy Maidens by Tanya Satterthwaite; the Open non winners by Cockermouth supporters; the Veterans by the Tynan family in memory of Joe Tynan; the Senior Maidens by Jonathan and Louise Benn and the Open restricted by Neil Brown, Derik Bulman and Gordon Tinnion.
The Junior Club are putting on a party tent and a bouncy castle for all juniors.
The current committee is: James McLelland, Jonty Moore, Stephen Irving, Joe Fearon, Neil Brown, Gillian Bulman-Brown, Nicola Cameron and Tanya Hetherington who have also issued a big thank-you to all the farmers and land-owners who enable the festival committee to continue putting on this great day which puts the spotlight on the sport.
