Chatsworth Country Fair 2011
Friday 2nd, Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th September
THE NATIONAL LURCHER AND RACING CLUB
Situated on the hill, east of the road
The NL&RC has been going for thirty years now and is the largest Lurcher Club in the world. Throughout this time the aim has been to promote the dog known as the Lurcher, and the club has fought to bring respectability to lurcher work and lurcher people to the extent that many lurchers are now gaining acceptance within the shooting fraternity. Both the political landscape and society as a whole are vastly different from when we started in 1980, but the NL&RC continues to fight to keep the legal right to work our dogs.
A lurcher is a cross-breed of dog, usually a sight-hound, such as a Whippet or Greyhound, crossed with a working dog such as a Terrier or Collie, and are purposely bred for the pursuit and catching of edible game. What fascinates most people about Lurchers is the enormous variety of the dogs that fall within this category; smaller dogs such as the Whippet x Bedlington Terrier for catching rabbits; Collie x Greyhounds for all-round work; and traditionally, (pre-Hunting Ban), Saluki x Greyhounds (technically ‘longdogs’) for coursing hares, and Deerhound crosses, perhaps obviously, for deer. ‘Poacher’s dogs’, ‘Gypsy dogs’ and ‘pot-filllers’ are common terms for this type of dog, and for those who remember the earlier episodes of the TV series Heartbeat, Alfred and Greengrass are stereotypical of most people’s image of a Lurcher and its owner.
The NL&RC is a national Club, with members throughout the UK who have a wealth of knowledge and experience in all aspects of Lurcher activities. Our Membership is open to anyone who has an interest in lurchers, irrespective of whether they own one or not. The club offers members a chance to be involved in the running of shows, racing events and working demonstrations, along with newsletters, an annual club magazine, reduced price tickets into certain country fairs and much more.
Anyone interested joining the NL&RC may contact the Secretary Sue Hallam, c/o 20 Songthrush Avenue, Old Basford, Nottingham NG6 0NH, or by telephone on 01159 781542 or mobile 07729 366749, or e-mail [email protected] or visit our website www.nlrc.co.uk