A mixture of emotions greeted the recent move for local fanciers in the West Cumberland Federation into the south section of the Derwent Valley Federation.
But some 120 years ago the self-same areas of the county were coming together to fly their pigeons in the same organisation.
It’s perhaps worth recalling that on August 13 1906 a meeting was held to form West Cumberland Federation.
The secretary was Mr J Skelton and acting Chairman was Mr G Jackson. The clubs represented were: Workington, Whitehaven, Chapel Brow, Parton, Lowca, Distington, Asby, Hensingham, Great Clifton, Winder, Harrington, Siddick, Frizington HS, Frizington United, Cleator Moor, St Bees and Mirehouse.
It was moved by Mr J Henney seconded by Mr S Stewart that it be called West Cumberland Federation and the boundaries be Silecroft to the south, Fletchertown to the north and Keswick to the east.
It was moved that Mr GW Valentine of Workington be the president, and three vice presidents were chosen in the shape of Messrs Jos Armstrong of Chapel Brow, S Stewart from Whitehaven and William Messenger of Distington.
That was 120 years ago and all of those clubs competed against each other as one federation, and here we are in 2026 doing much the same.
The names have changed but the will to continue the sport still exists.
At the weekend local fanciers raced from Penkridge – an old racepoint back in favour – and it continued the pleasing trend of good races so far this season.
The birds were liberated at 11.15am in a light south wind and the Derwent Valley Federation open winner was clocked in Workington at just before 1.50pm to the loft of McLuckie brothers.
The winning bird was a bit special, too. The blue hen, who had covered the 144 miles at 56 mph, had won the first race of the season from Garstang and topped the Cumbria Combine last year from Marlborough.
The two-year-old, who has other tickets to her name, is bred through Les Green’s UK Kittel. She won both the Workington clubs, Victoria and Social Limit.
In Harrington Central John Devlin won with a yearling blue cock on widowhood who was scoring for the first time.
He only raced to Appleton as a young bird and his sire and dam in the stock loft are responsible for seven different winning pigeons now.
Alan Parker scored his fourth win in as many races at Seaton RBL and this week’s winner also took the honours seven days earlier from Appleton.
A yearling hen she only had one race as a young bird and on Saturday was followed home by her two sisters – the dam was from Mike McGrady and the cock from McLuckie brothers.
Mark Hodgson topped the sheet in Flimby with a yearling chequer white flight cock and for good measure was second with a blue cock, also a yearling.
Leading the Derwent Valley Federation South section was the loft of Mike McGrady now flying in the Lowca club.
She’s a yearling mealy hen who was unflown as a young bird due to Mike’s loft suffering two bouts of sickness, the second infection striking two weeks before racing was due to start.
She was flying on roundabout and scoring for the first time. Both parents are from Davy Calvin with the sire breeding four federation winners and grandsire to three first Fed and one first Section.
Winning in Cleator Moor again were Joe Tomlinson and Brian Banks with a yearling blue white flight hen who raced consistently through to Appleton as a young bird priorb to being stopped with an eye on the future.
She was second last week at Appleton in both Cleator Moor and Lowca and was second in the south section of the Derwent Valley Federation.
From Penkridge she was well fancied and responded by winning Cleator Moor and being 4th DVF South section and 8th Open.
Her sire is a mealy cock who is off Niewe Goede Rode 921 when he was paired with a daughter of Lady Audie.
Her dam is a daughter off a pair of pigeons the partners purchased from McGimpsey brothers of Northern Ireland and they are responsible for breeding several winners in west Cumbria and Northern Ireland.
David Harrison won again in Egremont Rangers with the same blue hen that won last week from Appleton. She’s off the King Kong x Hereman Cuester bloodlines.
- DERWENT VALLEY FEDERATIOIN (1626 birds): 1, McLuckie bros (Workington Victoria) 1645; 2, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1644; 3, J. Devlin (Harrington Central) 1643; 4, 5, 6, W. McGrady and son (Lowca) 1642, 1641.9, 1641.9.
- DVF SOUTH SECTION (21 sent 517): 1,2, 3, W. McGrady and son (Lowca) 1642, 1641.9, 1641.9; 4, Tomlinson and Banks (Cleator Moor) 1634; 5, 6, Dobson, sons and grandson (Cleator Moor) 1631.4, 1631.06.
- DVF NORTH SECTION (1109 birds): 1, McLuckie bros (Workington Victoria) 1645; 2, Martindale and Lawman (Workington Victoria) 1644; 3, J. Devlin (Harrington Central) 1643; 4, Williams and Hadfield (Workington Social) 1634; 5, A. Parker (Seaton RBL) 1632; 6, Hodgson and Saldert (Flimby) 1630.
- CLEATOR MOOR CENTRAL (10 sent 244): 1, 5, 6, Tomlinson and Banks 1635.7, 1623.6, 1623.2; 2,3, 4, Dobsons, sons and grandson 1635.6, 1635.2, 1635.05.
- EGREMONT RANGERS (77 birds): 1, 4, 6, D. Harrison and son 1617, 1589, 1585; 2, 3, P. Bewsher, son and Park 1592, 1591; 5, Marr, Scott and Lofthouse 1587.
- LOWCA HS (8 sent 235): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, W. McGrady and son 1642, 1641.9, 1641.9, 1625.5, 1625.2; 4, Tomlinson and Banks 1634.
- WORKINGTON SOCIAL LIMIT (8 sent 227): 1, McLuckie bros 1645; 2, 4, 5, Williams and Hadfield 1634, 1614, 1613; 3, J. Dolan, son and daughter 1627; 6, Mr and Mrs Walters 1611.
- WORKINGTON VICTORIA (10 sent 342): 1, McLuckie bros 1658; 2, 6, Martindale and Lawman 1655, 1627; 3, Williams and Hadfield 1648; 4, Dolan, son and daughter 1640; 5, Evans, Taylor and Abraham 1628.
- HARRINGTON CENTRAL (7 sent 235): 1, 6, J. Devlin 1643, 1600; 2, Mr and Mrs Carter and sons 1624.6; 3, 4, Telford and Pooley 1624.1, 1623; 5, N. Semple 1613.
- SEATON RBL (3 sent 62): 1, 2, 3, 4, A. Parker 1656, 1610.9, 1610.2, 1580.
- FLIMBY HS (12 sent 413): 1, 2, Hodgson and Saldert 1630, 1608.7; 3, Nelson and Crellin 1608.3; 4, A. Bromley and co 1602; 5, I. McGarr 1593; 6, M. Varty and co 1589.
- CUMBERLAND SOCIAL CIRCLE (18 sent 36): 1, McLuckie bros 1645; 2, J. Devlin 1643; 3, Williams and Hadfield 1634.9; 4, 1634.1; 5, Nelson and Crellin 1588; 6, M. Varty and co 1587.
