After a very successful first ever season racing pigeons in the Bude Racing Pigeon Club, nine-year-old Elizabeth Cook finished the season as the highest prize winner out of all the members in the club (ages ranging up to 82-years-old).

She competed in six races in total and won four out of the six and being placed as high as 29th out of 500+ pigeons in the whole of Devon, beating many fanciers with more years of experience than her age.

With the success she achieved during the season the secretary of Bude RPC decided to nominate her and one other member in the club for region awards. The UK is divided into different regions by the Royal Pigeon Racing Association (RPRA) and the Bude branch are in the Devon and Cornwall region, so these awards are contested between all the fanciers in this area, there are some 500+ fanciers in the region.

The results that the fancier has achieved with their pigeons is submitted to the region and is judged against others in specific categories. Elizabeth was nominated for Best Junior and the other member, Roy Mears, was nominated for Best Young Bird (pigeon bred in 2019).

The results and prize giving were held at St Giles on the Heath on February 8, where Elizabeth, received her award from the region chairman, Don Headdon and won the Junior award meaning she was automatically nominated through to the RPRA National Awards.

The National Awards are presented at the annual show in Blackpool, where some 19,000 pigeon fanciers from all around the world congregate for a weekend of pigeon indulgence.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth didn’t manage to pick up an award on this occasion — but it can’t be that easy in the first year in any sport! Roy Mears was the runner up Best Young Bird, in the region awards, a very notable achievement for the Bude RPC in its first year back up and running, after being dormant for many years.

That was to be the end of a very successful 2019 season for Elizabeth, a nine-year-old girl tucked away in a picturesque part of Devon near Beaworthy but, in the pigeon world, recognised in the whole of the UK. Even when on holiday in Portugal she was stopped in the street to have her hand shaken to congratulate her on her performances.

Elizabeth is now busy, whilst in lockdown, preparing for the 2020 season to try and emulate 2019 and better her performances ­— but her main aim is to beat her dad and grandad!