Outstanding Members Award
These Awards are for the grass root fanciers of the Border Fancy nominated by their Clubs, who year in year out have served the Fancy erecting and dismantling staging, sweeping up, making refreshments, washing up, selling raffle tickets, stewarding and long standing committee member.
In short these are the people who are the backbone of the Fancy never in the limelight and go unnoticed at shows, rarely having a bird on the top table whereas in reality without them most Clubs and Shows would cease to exist
Bob Legg 2019 Cleveland
For his contribution to our club and show over 40 years , Bob was there at the start of the club and there at our last show doing many roles within the club and will be sadly missed .
Bob would help anyone and was always encouraging the younger ones from around the country .
Des Horswell 2019 G.C.& W.
Anyone that has visited our show in recent years will have been greeted by the friendly face of our President, Des Horswell.
Des is well in his eighties and has always been involved in birdkeeping from chickens, during his war time evacuation to his grandad's farm, to Budgies, Mules & Hybrids and finally Border Canaries. Des was given his first Borders by a former work colleague, Bill Henley, in the 1950s and joined Bristol CBS where he met Bruce Sutton who it turned out was a relative.
Over the next 50 or so years, Des has had considerable show success culminating in winning 2nd Best Border to Alec Atkins in 1976. He has also given his time as a judge and has judged all over the country including the National Exhibition in 1976 and the last ever Convention show in 1982.
Des was a founder member of the GC&W in 1959 and has held almost all the possible committee positions.
Reg Eagles British Border 2019
Bert Aldous West Wales 2019
Brian Watts Cleveland 2019
For 40 years loyal service to the Club
Ian Candy Wessex 2020
For as long as we can remember, at least back into the late 80's Ian has been Show Manager for the Wessex. Always there to erect and dismantle the show, towed the box trailer to the show and back to the storage place for years. He even continued with this task after he was overtaken on the M27 by one of the wheels off the trailer!!
Another time his clutch went whilst at the show and could only get limited gears, but still he did the job!
On show day Ian is there first, always smartly dressed in blazer and slacks and oversees the running of the show. So, what's so special about that??
Perhaps if one considers that he doesn't keep birds!! (he does again now! He used to keep British and his father had Borders but apart from a brief term as partners that was it.
Because of this he cannot be classed as a judge, but he has a really good eye for a Border so we often use his skills at member's shows.
Only recently we began looking at how we could run a show and stay safe with Covid-19, how reassuring it is to know that we have a Show Manager that has the attitude, "it can be done"
This guy is truly someone in the background a true unsung HERO