LATEST NEWS

GOLD RING 2025.

15.12.24: Due to a decreasing interest over the last few seasons, unfortunately our gold ring race will not run in 2025.

2025 LIFE RINGS

There are spare 2025 Life rings available, if you would like any please let me know and I can get these posted out to you.

2025 BREEDER BUYER

11.01.25: 2025 Breeder Buyer details have been announced!
We will be holding one auction at the Epsom Spring Show on 22nd March and the other auction will be held on Whatsapp and run from 2nd March and finish on 6th April 2025.
2025 Race Programme now available!
2025 Subscriptions will remain at £60 for the 2025 season.
I am waiting confirmation from the UBI&Homecounties of their subscription fee after their AGM which is late January. (If you wish to participate in those races you will need to pay their subs fee)
It is easy to pay for your subs on our website (then you do not need to fill out the attached form) www.thamesnec.co.uk/shop
Subs must be paid by 31/03/25 or will incur an additional £20.00 late payment fee.
If you are paying your RPRA Fees via Thames then payment is required by 16/02/25. RPRA Fees are £35 each. Please remember even if you are not paying your RPRA Fee via Thames, you still need to inform me of which club you are paying these via by 16/02/25 please.

UBI DATE CHANGE

14.04.25: UBI Wadebridge race has changed to 28th June 2025.

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GUERNSEY OPEN RACE CANCELLED

14.04.25: With the news received on Friday that the Guernsey libsite has now been cancelled because the Guernsey Ports have now taken the decision to prohibit future pigeon releases on Guernsey as they have now introduced an 8-mile exclusion area around the airport with immediate effect. This is because they have decided to align with UK policy for certified aerodromes with regards to pigeon releases going forward, we have had to cancel the Guernsey open race that was arranged for Race 5 - 26/04/25. This is out of our and the RPRAs control and is very disappointing as a lot of effort had gone into organising the race. We will instead run a normal Thames race from Yeovil

RACE 4 YEOVIL

17.04.25: Race 4 Yeovil will be Saturday marking for a Sunday race (20/04/2025).Marking will be a little earlier than normal. Pick up times are: Colchester 4pm, Hullbridge 5pm, Estuary 5.45pm, Tilbury 6.15pm, Dagenham 7.15pm, Sundridge 8.15pm

RACE 5 SUNDAY

21.04.25: Race 5 will now take place at Holmsley.

24.04.25: Just to confirm, we are looking for a driver for a race on SUNDAY this weekend at HOLMSLEY. Only one person has potentially come forward to be a driver for a Sunday race, who will test drive the transporter tomorrow & if all ok we will be marking Saturday for a Sunday race at Holmsley. If not then we will have to cancel. We hope to update around tomorrow (Friday) lunchtime.

25.04.25: Morning all, very pleased to say it's race on! Marking Saturday for Sunday from Holmsley. Big thanks to Paul for stepping in as convoyer & Jeremy showing him the ropes. Marking will be earlier, Colchester being picked up at 4pm. Will work out other times & advise. 

DEADLINE TO ACTIVATE 2024 BREEDER BUYERS

28.04.25: Sunday is the deadline for activating your 2024 breeder buyer rings for the BICC St Philbert race on 7 June. Just let me know the ring number(s) you have left and pay £10 per ring number 

UBI 1 MARKING

03.05.25: For those that are UBI members…
Details for the UBI 1 Race are below...
Marking station: Tilbury @ Chadwell St Mary Social Club, 21 Riverview, Chadwell St Mary, Tilbury, Essex, RM16 4DH

Marking date: Friday 9 May
Race date: Saturday 10 May
Marking Time: 7-8pm.
Cost: £1 per pigeon + a £2 admin fee per member
Race point: Exeter

Please let me know if you wish to send and approx birdage by the end of *Monday 5 May* so we can ensure we have enough UBI crates for marking.

There will be a top 20 Thames UBI result. You must use the Thames central marking station for this OR notify us with your race entry sheet and Thames entry fee prior to the race to be included.

ACTIVATED 2024 BREED BUYER

11.05.25: Activated 2024 Breeder Buyer Ring Numbers for 2025 BICC St Philbert race have been published along with prize money. Good luck! 

RACE 8

13.05.25: We are hopeful that we will be able to get into Yeovil on Saturday. Some clubs were there at the weekend and seemed to get in. Should this fail, we will end up at Wincanton but fingers crossed Yeovil will be ok. 

UBI 2 MARKING

14.05.25: For those that are UBI members…
Details for the UBI 2 Race are below...

Marking station: Tilbury @ Chadwell St Mary Social Club, 21 Riverview, Chadwell St Mary, Tilbury, Essex, RM16 4DH
Marking date: Thursday 22 May
Race date: Saturday 24 May
Marking Time: Earlier time of 6.30-7.30pm
Cost: £2 per pigeon + a £2 admin fee per member
Race point: Wadebridge
Please let me know if you wish to send and approx birdage by the end of *Sunday 18 May* so we can ensure we have enough UBI crates for marking.
There will be a top 20 Thames UBI result. You must use the Thames central marking station for this OR notify us with your race entry sheet and Thames entry fee prior to the race to be included.

UBI 2

19.05.25: With the poor forecast for Saturday the UBI combine are thinking of liberating on Friday after the birds have had a 3 hour rest so would be a 11/12 lib

RACE 9

22.05.25: Race 9 will be Saturday marking for a Sunday race from Holmsley. 

UBI 3 MARKING

For those that are UBI members…
Details for the UBI 3 Race are below...
Marking station: Tilbury @ Chadwell St Mary Social Club, 21 Riverview, Chadwell St Mary, Tilbury, Essex, RM16 4DH
Marking date: Thursday 5 June
Race date: Saturday 7 June
Marking Time: Earlier time of 6.30-7.30pm
Cost: £2 per pigeon + a £2 admin fee per member (Free Nom)
Race point: Truro
Please let me know if you wish to send and approx birdage by the end of *Monday 2 June & not after this time* so we can ensure we have enough UBI crates for marking.
There will be a top 20 Thames UBI result. You must use the Thames central marking station for this OR notify us with your race entry sheet and Thames entry fee prior to the race to be included.

RACE 11 & UBI 3

05.06.25: Race 11 will be Saturday marking for a Sunday race from Stoneycross (earlier marking).
UBI 3 will be Saturday marking for a Sunday race from Exeter, marking at Tilbury 6.30-7.30pm £1 per pigeon. Truro will now be on 28/06/25.

LITTLEHAMPTON

14.06.25: Update from the RPRA regarding Littlehampton…

I have contacted Arun District council and at this time they don't have an opening date for Banjo Road coach park, but will let us know when we have a confirmed date for reopening. As part of the regeneration work, the layout of the coach park will be changing, and a number of concession units have been placed at the southern end. The Royal Pigeon Racing Association may need to complete a site visit once the coach park is nearing completion to assess if it is still suitable for liberations.

UBI 4 MARKING

17.06.25: For those that are UBI members…
Details for the UBI 4 Race are below...
Marking station: Tilbury @ Chadwell St Mary Social Club, 21 Riverview, Chadwell St Mary, Tilbury, Essex, RM16 4DH
Marking date: Thursday 26 June
Race date: Saturday 28 June
Marking Time: Earlier time of 6.30-7.30pm
Cost: £2 per pigeon + a £2 admin fee per member
Race point: Wadebridge
Please let me know if you wish to send and approx birdage by the end of *Sunday 22 June* so we can ensure we have enough UBI crates for marking.

There will be a top 20 Thames UBI result. You must use the Thames central marking station for this OR notify us with your race entry sheet and Thames entry fee prior to the race to be included.

RACE 15 SUNDAY

03.07.25: Race 15 will be Saturday marking for a Sunday race from Holmsley. Marking & Pick Ups will be the usual times (not any earlier).

EPSOM VET SALE

19.07.25: We are looking at having another stand at the Epsom show on Saturday 25th October to raise funds to help reduce the vet costs for 2026. 1. We are looking for volunteers to run the stand on the day, would anyone be interested in this? 2. We are looking for donations of pigeons to sell on the stand.
Please can you let me know if you are able to help/support the above please. This is just an idea at this stage, if there is not enough support then it will not go ahead.  

RACE PROGRAMME CHANGES

05.08.25: The works at Littlehampton have now been completed so we will revert back to Littlehampton for race 23 on 13/08/25 and race 26 on 30/08/25.Due to Avivan Bird Flu being in the Yeovil area, the RPRA have notified us that we are unable to go there for race 24 on 16/08/25 so we will be going to Wincanton instead.
Amended race programme attached.  

RACE PROGRAMME CHANGES

4.08.25: We had to move from Yeovil as there is bird flu there and unfortunately everyone else has had to move from there meaning Wincanton is very busy. With the weather, possible mist at lib site and the libsite not being the best when there are lots of lorries onsite, Adrian is rightly concerned he may not be able to get the YBs away early on Saturday. For these reasons we are changing to BLANDFORD this weekend. 

UBI 5 MARKING

20.08.25: For those that are UBI members…
Details for the UBI 5 Race are below...
Marking station: Tilbury @ Chadwell St Mary Social Club, 21 Riverview, Chadwell St Mary, Tilbury, Essex, RM16 4DH
Marking date: Friday 29 August
Race date: Saturday 30 August
Marking Time: 7-8pm
Cost: £1 per pigeon + a £2 admin fee per member
Race point: Honiton
Please let me know if you wish to send and approx birdage by the end of *Sunday 24 August* so we can ensure we have enough UBI crates for marking.
There will be a top 20 Thames UBI result. You must use the Thames central marking station for this OR notify us with your race entry sheet and Thames entry fee prior to the race to be included.

BREEDER BUYER VERIFICATION

21.08.25: Please verify your breeder buyer pigeons on our website www.thamesnec.co.uk if you clock in (the link is on the homepage) with your full breeder buyer info so a provisional result can be produced. There's no time limit we just ask for it to be verified on the day so that the result is as accurate as possible. Please do not text, whatsapp or messenger the verification details to me as this will not count. Provisional result will be available on www.thamesnec.co.uk the evening of the race. The result will remain provisional until the full BICC result is published, then the full result will be published after this followed by an objections period. Thank you to all those that entered as buyers & purchased as buyers, Good Luck!

EPSOM STAND

21.08.25: Epsom Stand
We are still in need for volunteers to run the stand at Epsom in October and donations of pigeons to sell on the stand please. Only those that donate pigeons will benefit from the reduced cost of the vet visit for 2026. If you are able to help out with either please let me know ASAP or we will have to look to cancel the stand. 

UBI 5 MARKING

28.08.25: UBI 5
The UBI race is now on Sunday so marking Saturday evening 7-8pm at HULLBRIDGE.

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