The pigeon racing fraternity has been rocked by the death of another member of the Flimby Homing Society.
In fact, Billy Hunter was the race partner of Peter Rushforth, who died a fortnight ago and whose well-attended funeral service was held yesterday.
Billy raced for many years with his brother Raymond and they won the coveted Big Cup in the Derwent Valley Federation in 2015.
That success was their crowning achievement in the sport but sadly Raymond passed away not long afterwards and that was when Billy went into partnership with Peter.
The Hunter brothers were recognised foe the achievements of a blue hen (born 2010) which played a major part in them landing the Big Cup five years later.
She became a Fougeres specialist in her remarkable racing career – twice winning the Cumbria Combine; topping the Derwent Valley Federation three times and the West Cumbria Amalgamation three times. She was also fourth Cumbria Combine from Fougeres.
In total she won the Flimby club seven times from over the channel and was described as a “brilliant middle/long distance pigeon.”
