Mr & Mrs C Aldridge & Son

Watchfield In The Vale Flying Club with MB
*Remember there are No Secrets from a Bottle, just Hardwork, Dedication & Determination*


Well folks we are now in the middle of March and the new season is fast approaching, i’m sure there are plenty of members who have commenced training to get them ready for the early races. I did have reason recently to call in and visit one of the area’s top fanciers and our clubs top prizewinners last season, so decided to use the opportunity to carry out a mini loft report as promised.

Loft Report – Mr & Mrs C Aldridge & Son (Michael) “Club Champions 2009” with 9 x 1st Prizes.
Also winning the club the Inland Points Cup and Best Performance Old Bird.

The lofts are situated at the rear of Cliff and Lisa’s home in Swindon and are an absolute credit to the family, by his own admission Cliff is an out and out sprinter and has achieved more than his share of the top prizes in his racing career often being top prizewinners.

Cliff and Michael race their birds on the widowhood system, over the years they have concentrated on the cocks, as in Cliff’s own words being that “when they have their cocks on form, no hens will ever compete with them” and the proof is in the pudding, this being witnessed most weeks by multiple drops and the cocks all being home within 2/3minutes from the sprint land races. There is nobody who can argue with this statement with the loft averaging between 10 to 20 first prizes per year since 1996, who can argue!!.

However for the 2010 season the lads have another vision and want to have an assault on the channel races and have put together a team of their best selected hens which will be conditioned and raced weekly to get them ready with the Channel races in mind, all the birds are in immaculate condition (as can be seen by the pics) and all birds are trapped into a walk-in style traps directly into the loft sections and recording with ETS being in use at the lofts.

The main race loft is of timber construction with pan tiled roof, with clear tiles fitted intermittently above each of the sections to get the benefits of the warmth from the sunlight, the internal ceiling above the sections is wooden with sliding vents to control the temperature within the loft. Although this is a partnership racing loft, both Cliff and Michael have their own birds and sections to create that bit of friendly rivalry on a race day and as such, Cliff is starting the season with 18 widowhood cocks in 3 x sections in conventional widowhood nestboxes and Michael has 11 roundabout cocks in his own section fitted with up & over nestboxes and they have the additional team of 11 roundabout hens, and a 10ft section for the young birds, normally approximately 35 to 40 youngsters, with a separate stock loft with aviary.

The loft environment is certainly in good order and obviously is healthy for the birds housed (as can be seen by the condition of all birds), there was no stale smells or smell of pigeons which you get in some lofts, the ventilation has certainly been adapted and corrected over the years by Cliff and the performances achieved in this loft are testament to that.

The family housed at these lofts are Robert Van Soest Janssen’s, which Cliff has had since 1996 when the first direct purchases were made, the following season a further 8 youngsters were purchased direct from Robert Van Soest which all gained 1st Prizes. A great friendship developed and now visits are made each year between these friends, Robert himself is a winner of 2 x 1st Nationals and a brand new car in recent seasons. The quality of birds housed in these lofts are superb and i have never come across a family with so many multi 1st prize winning pigeons housed in one loft from one source over such a prolonged period of racing, credit must go to Robert for creating this astonishing family.

I handled some of these birds and as stated they were fantastic and going by the quality and condition of these cocks and hens i predict a very good season for Cliff and Michael with similar continued results from these tried and tested birds being at the top in 2010.

Some of the highlights from the 2009 racing season:-
1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th Kingsdown 85m 18.04.09
1st, 2nd, 6th Kingsdown 85m 25.04.09
1st, 5th, 6th Kingsdown 85m 25.04.09
1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Lulworth 67m 23.05.09
1st, 6th Exeter 100m 30.05.09
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th Kingsdown 85m 06.06.09
1st, 5th, 7th Lulworth 67m 27.06.09
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Exeter 100m 29.08.09
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th Seaton 82m 12.09.09

Again i did write in an earlier article that the clubs seems to have had a severe injection of interest and motivation recently, which will certainly add an increased competitive edge for this coming season and the Aldridge’s have certainly got their fingers on the trigger and here we have a totally die hard sprint, widowhood cock man, now bringing out a team of hens for the distance races. All adds to the competition within the club.

Well that’s it for this week, try hard, work harder, be happy and good returns.

Any news/views to Mark Brown





could members please bare with me as these reports of marks are very extensive and also include photos.......

many thanks very interesting...

yes martyn, first chance ive had to read it properly........will make the effort and get the photos on as soon as i can so members can enjoy the article more.

excellent reading mark, thank you.