Month: August 2019

Another year and another show over. Thank you to everyone who helped to make Ditton weekend a huge success. As some of you are aware lots goes on in the build up to the show. Thank you to Jamie RileySteve Carpenterand Deirdre and Tanya Butler, Teresa Paterson and Alicia Oakley for your pre show work as well as on the day.

Thank you to all the judges and stewards who give up their day to help everyone and to the Rugby club for their usual support and great food.
We have lots of help from some of our Committee and also others. This is what helps to run the show smoothly.

Great to see our club president Maureen Shelley come along too and spend some time with us.

Sorry for the weather not being sunny all weekend but there are some things we can’t be in control of.

At least after the rain came the sun!

The show is a time consuming event but always feels worth the work when you see people working together and you get to catch up with friends.

Thank you all for the kind comments and thanks as this is always welcome, especially after a long weekend.

Please feel free to get in touch with Teresa Paterson if you can help us with judging or anything next year.

So, until our next show, enjoy your dogs and have fun!

Wow what can I say, we survived a three-day show!!

The weather threw everything at us, thunder, lightening, torrential rain, and a heat wave and the M6 motorway didn’t do much better with closures on Saturday and Monday morning holding up our competitors, but we kept smiling!!

My thanks as usual to the ‘Wigton Crew’, particularly Pat and Linda. As usual all camping pitches were marked out and the gate was manned with your usual vigour, we couldn’t manage without you and we are all very grateful.

Dave, Harry, Alan and Ian your help was invaluable, we just couldn’t have done all that setting up and taking down and packing away in the barn and container without you. Words cannot say how we appreciate your help and hard work. See you all next year!!

Thanks to all our judges and stewards for giving up your day to allow others to compete. Thank you to our Chief Stay Stewards, Roly Jackson, JP Greene and Steve Rutter and to all our stay stewards, a thankless but necessary task. Thank you to our ticket Judges, Dave Banks and Heather Grey and well done to our ticket winners, Herbie Watson and Philomena Barnes.

We may have to re-think our skips for next year, I cannot believe how much rubbish you all produce!! I do think if the skip was overflowing when I got there, I would take mine home! However, that said, on the list for discussion at our next committee meeting.

We have had quite a few offers of judges for next year but are still short if anyone would like to offer, 1/2/3/ August 2020, book your holidays early so as not to miss out. We are also looking for judges for our show 25th January 2020 if anyone can offer, we would be most grateful.

And finally, on a sad note, we have to inform you all that our caterers, Rhonda and Dave, have served their last buffet!! They will be greatly missed by everyone, their food and especially their puddings have been well received by everyone over the last 10 years. Again this is on the list for discussion at our next meeting, hopefully we will come up with a suitable alternative. Thank Rhonda and Dave for all your hard work and smiling faces, we will miss you.

Well that’s it for 2019, see you all next year.

Lesley Alsop

The sun shone brightly on the show this year it, and what a fantastic weekend it was. Team Halstead did it again. On Friday the happy campers were settled in, what a jolly bunch you are. Saturday evening the rings were put up by our merry band of volunteers, and before we know it the big day had arrived. Everything went smoothly and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, we even had ice cream wars to keep us entertained! We would like to thank all competitors for leaving the showground in the same immaculate state as it started, there were no poo issues, or any rubbish left for us to clear up, for that we are very grateful it makes the clearing away that much easier.

Now for, as our Mandy puts it “The Oscar speech”

Thank you so much to everyone that helped make the show run as smoothly as it did.

The dream team that are Ralph & Jeff who so expertly put up the rings

To Ivor although not a member hired the van, and loaded up, then unloaded the other end, and worked hard all weekend. Your help was invaluable.

Dave Gillet who paced out the rings for us and helped set up on Saturday

Betty & Jacqui who run their tea shop with such efficiency, keeping everyone supplied with tasty beverages.

To Wendy our new treasurer, you would never know it was your first ever dog show, you took to it like a duck to water.

Lisa Norfolk for running our raffle tent

Elaine our CS kept everything running smoothly and efficiently

Hazel for sorting out the ring plans, and generally working your socks off all weekend

The same goes for Mandy, Pierre, Georgie, Kate, Nicky, Anita, Tanya Miranda, Ricky & Lisa you are all amazing.

To John & Kath Westell for the loan of your awning as a storage facility, and John for being our first aider.

To Rod white and his stay team for running the stay rings without a hitch, thank you everyone that volunteered to stay steward.

To all our scent decoys

Last but definitely not least to Ann Cook our amazing show secretary, your last show. We thank you for all your hard work over the last 27years. I don’t think people realise how hard it is to be show secretary, so much goes on behind the scenes in order for you all to compete, we hope you enjoy your well earned rest, you will be missed.

Heartfelt thanks to you all. If there is anyone I have forgotten Huge apologies.

Thank you to our Ticket Judges Janet Oliver & Kim Innes and your amazing teams ( especially to Paul Spowage, My hero!)

Huge congratulations to our ticket winners Sue Plunkett & June Stenning. Good luck at Crufts 2020

Thank you to all our wonderful Judges, stewards and score boarders, without you there would be no show, we are truly grateful.

To all the competitors, thank you so much for coming. We really hoped you enjoyed your day, and look forward to seeing you all next year.

Becky Marshall

Chairman HDOC