Established 1979 Company Number: 11693988 VAT Registration Number: 284 0522 13 +44 (0)1606 836036 +44 (0)7871 701585 [email protected]

A TRIBUTE TO ALF ROTHWELL OF TYNEMOUTH - 01-05-24

A TRIBUTE TO ALF ROTHWELL OF TYNEMOUTH.

Z8 01 05 24x

The sport of pigeon racing lost one of it’s great competitors and administrator when Alf Rothwell passed away on 20th April aged 84. Alfie was a lovely man and I have kept in touch with him since I first met him at the North of England Homing Union Peterlee show in 1997. He was the secretary of the NEHU for many years and ran the show, which is one of best one day events in the UK. I travelled up to Peterlee every November to judge at the show and Alfie and I always had our annual catch up. Alfie was very proud that in his time of being secretary of the Union the membership reached 10,000 lofts.  He was previously a section superintendent at the Prudential Assurance. The Mr. & Mrs. Rothwell pigeon partnership was one of the premier racing lofts in the Up North Combine area and his brilliant Busschaert and Van Wildermeerch winning bloodlines were world famous. The loft was called ‘Prospect Lofts’ and his lovely wife, Irene, was his pigeon partner and she was a major factor behind his success, doing a lot of the loft management and training. Alf was a great gardener and loved his sport.

One of Alfie’s best racing pigeons was wonderful Busschaert / Van Wildermeerch blue hen, ‘The Big Hen’ and she won every year up to eight years of age. She won 1st Federations, 1st sections and many club wins and other positions. This wonderful hen was a great competitor in the 2 birds clubs, Tyne and Tweed and the North of England Championship Clubs. ‘The Big Hen’ was sold at the ‘Prospect Lofts’ entire clearance sale in 2005 and was purchased by a premier fancier in Washington.

Z9 01 05 24x

I recently spoke to Alfie and Irene’s daughter, Christine and she told me, ‘mum and dad were married on the 15th October 1960 and I was born in 1962. He was a successful pigeon fancier when they met, but that didn’t put her off LOL, as my grandfather was a pigeon fancier. Dad worked for the Co Op  and then the Prudential before getting his dream job as secretary of the North of England Homing. Dad and mum were a very successful team with mum often taking birds training before she went to work and opened the shop. They made many friends around the pigeon racing world. Dad’s funeral is on 16th May at Tynemouth Crematorium.’ Alf Rothwell was a lovely man and he has gone, but will never be forgotten. Our sincere condolences to Irene and the Rothwell family. RIP Alf Rothwell.

Keith Mott (April 2024)