News

Show is called off after entry slump

The Scottish National CBS has announced that the show has been cancelled for the second year running.

Due to a significant drop in the number of entries, the committee decided it was impossible for the event to go ahead as planned. The show, which would have taken place on December 31, 2011, and January 1, 2012, in West Lothian, has had an unfortunate couple of years, with the 2010 show being cancelled because of the bad weather.

CBS secretary Jim Dean said that there were too many outgoings involved in staging the show for it to go ahead this year. He said: "We are very disappointed, as a lot of time and energy went into organising it, but it is financially impossible to stage an annual show with so few entries."

The society had received only 296 entries, compared to 1,600 in 2009, and with the closing date for entries only days away, Mr Dean said the committee had to make a decision. He said: "The money received from entries, donations and entry to the show is all vitally important to the financial wellbeing of any cage bird society, so as you can appreciate everything has a knock-on effect."

He continued: "If the entries are not received, there are fewer memberships received and fewer visitors to the actual show itself."

Mr Dean said he believed the drop in entries might be down to rumours circulating that the show had been cancelled. He said: "It could also be due to the show date, the venue, the expense involved, or fewer fanciers showing their birds."

He thanked all fanciers who entered and traders who had showed an interest. He said: "We hope people will understand that we had no option but to make this decision." A meeting will take place at the end of January to decide the future of the Scottish National, he added.

 ● For more information about the Scottish National CBS, contact Jim Dean. Tel: 0131 453 3080.