My weekend at The Dome

JON ASHBY shares his experience of this year’s Budgerigar Society Club Show

- JON ASHBY

THE annual Budgerigar Society Club Show took place at The Dome in Doncaster over the weekend of September 21-22 and, as is now usual for me, I was in attendance for the whole weekend, travelling up on the Friday from sleepy Hertfordshire and arriving at teatime in a sun-drenched “Donny”.

This year, the show was held a week earlier than normal due to the cycling UCI Road World Championships taking place over the town on the last weekend of September. While this meant that we had more daylight and longer days, it was an inconvenience to some fanciers, who felt their birds might have benefited from another week of preparation. But to my mind, as exhibitors, we were all in the same boat and knew of the revised date of the show last year, well in advance.

The first thing that I was on the lookout for was the work done to the green area of land through which you walk from the car park to the rear Dome entrance that I have always used. This included the lovely bridge across the large lake, stocked full of carp. Although I knew the pond would be going and the area developed into a raised BMX track, I could not help my heart sinking when I first saw it. The track will get lots of use, for sure, and will be very much enjoyed by young people, but it is such a shame that an idyllic spot had to make way for it. At least it was not a housing estate, was the thought I comforted myself with.