In 1996 a young poultry fancier called Fleur Hulme from Brixworth thought that it would be a good idea to try and form a club of other like-minded enthusiasts. So with the help of her parents she contacted as many local poultry keepers as she could find and asked them if they would be interested in forming a club for Northamptonshire. Fleur arranged a meeting, and in the spring of 1996, 12 people turned up to the Royal Oak pub in Crick. After that promising start, and with Fleur's enthusiasm and dedication, it wasn't long before the club was affiliated to the Poultry Club of Great Britain.
The first small club show was organized, and people from all over the county and the surrounding area supported the event. Held at the village hall at Crick, an ideal venue being easy to get to and with good facilities, the first show was a little "suck it and see": the club didn't really know how many pens the hall would hold, and the 400+ show pens were placed on the stage, some "leaning" against the stage four high. Others were stacked so tall that one judge found of diminutive height needed to use a chair to reach them.
In the years that followed the club collectively learned a lot and the shows became more organised, and eventually moved to holding two shows per year: one in the spring and one in the autumn. More recently, the shows have taken place at a larger and more suitable venue at Marrowell Farm, off the West Haddon Road.
With poultry-keeping again increasing in popularity, the Northampton & District Poultry Club is proud to have links to a long tradition in the county. Fleur Hulme kept two breeds -- Large Minorcas & Large New Hampshire Reds. She knew of a certain Mr. Adkins (now sadly deceased ) as a top breeder of Minorcas. When Mr Adkins joined the new club, he mentioned that as a young man he had also been involved in a 'Northampton Poultry Club' that held its meetings in a working men's club in the town.
The club now has many more members, young and old, and holds regular social events as well as shows. Anyone and everyone with an interest in poultry can come along, and will be made very welcome.
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19/01/2010
people interested in the Club have visited this site