He came, he saw, he conquered the world of pigeon racing. Now, John Randall believes the sport will meet its demise with his generation.
Randall’s initiation into what was once considered Britain’s favourite pastime-turned-profession came during a dull evening in 1958. “My dad used to take me to the pub and sit me outside,” he recalls. “One day, I told him I was bored and he offered to get me some rabbits or pigeons because he knew people who bred them.”
But it wasn’t until 1963 that the enthusiast started racing pigeons. “Once you get into racing, it becomes competitive. Then you start researching and breeding your own babies from the eggs,” Randall says. “You then watch them grow, nurture them to become racing pigeons and push forward.”
In 1967, Randall won his first race and was hooked on the sport. But what was once a promising sport is now in its dying days…
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🎵: Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay (@AlekseyChistilin)