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Warne takes BIS at BBFCC open show

The British Border Fancy Canary Club (BBFCC) has celebrated another successful open show with a total entry of 836 birds. At the previous show, in 2009, the entry was just over 700. Best in show went to Border great Phil Warne, who won with an unflighted green variegated yellow hen.

Club secretary and treasurer Robert Norman said he was delighted with the weekend show, held at Fleetwood, Lancs, on November 19-20, 2011. He said: "This show always attracts some of the top Border fanciers in the country. And one thing we did differently this year was to bring forward the lifting time to 2.30pm on the Sunday."

He explained: "The majority of exhibitors at the two-day show come from the south of England, so this year the committee was asked to bring the lifting time forward for fanciers to get home earlier. That definitely helped achieve more entries, as more people were willing to exhibit."

The club's dinner and dance evening on the Saturday attracted 80 guests, and Mr Norman said this also had a positive effect on the entry numbers. He said: "Fanciers like the social side of our show. The club's been successful in running a dinner and dance for four years. It's great because some fanciers only started coming for the social side and now they bring along a few birds with them too."

Mr Norman added:  "I was very impressed with Phil Warne's Border. Seeing as I'm the club's secretary I don't always get time to go round and check out all of the birds, but I saw Phil's winner and it looked nice all through the weekend."

● See show report, page 25. British Border Fancy Canary Club website: www.bbfcc.co.uk Tel: 01928 567319.