a show of my own

[Bunsey]

yes i'm still on this! :lol:

i've sent an email to Pete, asking about it, even though i know it will most likely be a no-go because one of the other midland shows would have to be scratched.

I looked around ages ago trying to find a hall over the Cheshire border so it could be classed as northern ( :P ) but couldn't really find anything that's just of the motorway. i'd hate to have one somewhere that people can't find and no-one turns up :cry:

anyway, i was just wondering, in regards to making it a northern show, how much of a big deal is it that it MUST be in Cheshire (technically northern) rather than Staffordshire (technically midlands), like 5 mins down the road! It seems a bit picky, but is that basically the rule and that's that or is there some flexability? i've at least 3 halls in mind without looking, in Clayton, Newcastle-under-Lyme

look i even drew a map! :lol:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/ayms2/hamsters%20feb%202008/mapazillion.jpg

[souffle]

Why don't you give Sue the secretary of Northern a call and talk to her Bunsey. Northern actually only have 11 shows set up this year so there may be a slot for you :wink: I doubt anyone will measure the borders but you do need to discuss it. It would be nice as more midland people would likely come.

[Bunsey]

cool, i think i'll drop her a line then :D

edit: i've just sent her an e-mail with an attachment of the demonstratory map :lol:

who wants to bet on who replies first, pete or sue? :lol:

[souffle]

Sue does not always get e mails as she has problems with her internet so I really would phone. She is very nice so don't worry :lol:

[Bourne Valley Hams]

I think you may find that having yet another Northern show may cause some friction with there only being 7 Midland Shows and 10 Southern/SOE shows.
There have been severe rumblings about how unfair it is with the Exhibitor of the Year comp especially as Northern shows tend to be small and therefore much easier to win points.
Not telling who has been moaning - but feel I should mention it!!

[internet_nobody]

I'll grumble :P The North is too far away, I want more Midlands shows! Don't put it in Cheshire, Bunsey!!

[Spuds Mum]

Northern shows tend to be small and therefore much easier to win points.

that may be so Sue, but it certainly isn't me thats winning them all! :wink:

[Spacemonkey]

At least you guys have shows near you, I have none, I'd love to go to one but fear I never will :(

You should have a show in Essex. Just one even! The nearest one to me is right across London, too far to travel with Hamsters I feel.

[Bourne Valley Hams]

[quote="Bourne Valley Hams":31o9ek4p]Northern shows tend to be small and therefore much easier to win points.

that may be so Sue, but it certainly isn't me thats winning them all! :wink:[/quote:31o9ek4p]

Me neither - far too far for me to travel!! I think last year you had a Southern infiltrator at most of your shows!! :wink:

[Bourne Valley Hams]

At least you guys have shows near you, I have none, I'd love to go to one but fear I never will :(

You should have a show in Essex. Just one even! The nearest one to me is right across London, too far to travel with Hamsters I feel.

I agree - I do feel the East of the country is sadly neglected. Unfortunately most exhibitors seem to live in the West of the country and Essex is just too far to travel. What we need is for lots of Essex/Kent hammy owners to travel to a few shows so they can then make a good case for having their own show! :D

[Spuds Mum]

Well to be honest, I get confused about people taking it all so very seriously as to complain about such things :wink:

As a very small exhibitor and novice in a club that also has lots of other novices and intermediates, I think I would have been very downhearted if the HH points and first place cards meant everything to me! :D

Luckily, I and many of the people I have met at Northern shows think the shows are great to learn more about the standards, to talk to other breeders and judges, and to cheer each other on when one of our guys does well, meaning getting a place, or even just getting a couple of extra points from the last show!

And to my mind, travelling at least 2 hours for most shows (and often longer) is worth it for that social side.

I dont even mind if we have infiltrators (!) although it would be lovely for us to have a chance every now and again :wink:

[Bunsey]

the thing is though, that every northern show but Lymm is in Yorkshire and every midland show but willington is south midlands. A show in my area would be nowhere near any other show by either northern or midlands and therefore might allow new members to get to a show where they previously couldn't.

i know The idea of the 3 clubs is so that people in a certain area can go to all of their club's shows, but for me and other people in a similar position, it's impossible to get to all the shows of one club. the very closest Yorkshire ones are 2 hours away and apart from Willington the closest midland ones are 2.5 hours away.

Perhaps the people grumbling that the northern shows are too small should set up a show in their area so it's more accessible to more people. By setting up a show in my area for example, i'd imagine that it'd have similar attendance to Lymm which is the most popular northern show, and therefore that answers the grumble of northern shows being smaller. one in my area would be bigger. :P

anyway, people shouldn't grumble if they aren't trying to do their bit to help, like i am. Shows are lacking in the northwestish area and i'm trying to help :D
i don't like grumblers who don't try to do anything about anything. the only thing i know to help is find a venue.

and to be honest, i don't understand why it actually matters if it's technically called northern or midlands. it's gonna be in the same place either way! when i talk about staffordshire or cheshire i'm on about like 10 mins difference in distance! :wink:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a371/ayms2/hamsters%20feb%202008/showmap.jpg

anyway, Pete said all the Midland shows are booked for this year anyway and i can just mention this to Sue to bring up at the AGM....

an AGM discussion about whether lil Bunsey can have a lil show in a lil village. oh my. it seems complex :lol:

[Mollz]

Well I sort of understand what you're saying, but maybe it would be better for them to be more central so like 45 minutes away from you? That would make it accessible to people like me (and other midlan/southern members) as well as people like you? I think the key thing is that shows need to be only 5 or 10 minutes off of a motorway or main road, rather than in the middle of a small village.
I just want more shows altogether (that I can get to!!), I'm way to addicted :P

[Bunsey]

my clayton show would be 2 mins off junction 15 down 1 straight road ;)

45 mins further south of me is Stafford, which is still another 45 mins from central b'ham. I don't know any of the halls elsewhere though, so it's just not practical for me to organise a show that far away i'm affraid. :(

[souffle]

You should put it to the committee at the next AGM. I have a feeling that shows are set at that time for the next year.
It must be up to the individual clubs how many shows they can run so all have an equal opportunity to run the same number if they wish and people must come forward to organise and help out these, from show sec to catering and even sweeping up. It is not hard, it just needs willing people with local knowledge and a good brushing technique :wink: . Our first show was not so large but this year we actually had a good turn out and a relaxed and fun day. To be honest, few of the BIS and Harry hamster points go to Northern members if you look at the results as some people are happy to travel North from the more southern areas.
We could never make it as far south as Southern or even Midland Shows and the people in Scotland have no choice as they could seldom travel down here so it is swings and roundabouts really. If you want a show in your area you need to get involved in your club and volunteer. You may need to wait a while but hopefully one will get set up eventually and from there could become a regular event.
The best part of a show in my opinion is the Pet class. To see the sparkle in a child's eye and the pride in their faces when they receive a rosette, even as Highly Commended is a sheer joy. Even adults at their first show positively glow when they get an award. They are our future and I think we should take a step back sometimes and share their joy. :lol:
And I'll say this again...my mantra..'You always take the best hamster home' :lol: :lol: :lol:
Mollz - the beauty of having a show near the organiser is that then they can put up posters, plug it locally, leaflet drops, local schools etc which does bring in lots of pets and public and more revenue. If you had to keep driving 45mins it would be a bit more difficult. It is also handy for going the night before to set up and take food down etc so everything is ready for the nest day. Well it was for us when we did Brockholes. Just thought I'd explain that from our point of view having just done one :lol:

[Spuds Mum]

'You always take the best hamster home' :lol: :lol: :lol:

You are right in everything you said Souffle - loved your show it was really nice and relaxed (even though there were a few moments of panic as show sec!) apart from one thing -

I've never taken Kipton or Bingley home :wink: :x

[internet_nobody]

I'm sure when I first started showing there were more around Birmingham that were fairly well attended. My next task for you Bunsey is to plot all shows on a map, and find which easily-accessible bit of country is missing, then task 2 is for you to put a show there :P

[Spuds Mum]

I'm sure when I first started showing there were more around Birmingham that were fairly well attended. My next task for you Bunsey is to plot all shows on a map, and find which easily-accessible bit of country is missing, then task 2 is for you to put a show there :P

your mission should you wish to accept it.....lol

Wow - mission impossible I_N - lets just hope your message doesnt self destruct in 10 seconds :wink:

[Bunsey]

I'm sure when I first started showing there were more around Birmingham that were fairly well attended. My next task for you Bunsey is to plot all shows on a map, and find which easily-accessible bit of country is missing, then task 2 is for you to put a show there :P

oh you think i won't do that don't you :lol:

maps are my thing baby... didn't say they were accurate mind :wink:

yeah, there was Great Barr for the midland club and when HAMSOC was alive there was Perry Barr twice a year, Stafford and Liverpool.

[internet_nobody]

No, it was a serious suggestion (the map anyway) to give you something to do til you're back on your feet :P

[Bunsey]

map is done... see map thread for, well, the map :P

[Carrington]

I attend every northern show and, as you all probably know, show syrians. In my experience there are usually between 65 and 100 entries on the bench for syrians. I wouldn't therefore consider these shows to be small. I recently judged at a Midlands show and was surprised to see less entries than at a typical northern show.

With regards to the Harry Hamster competition, only 6 shows are taken into account for the end result so it is irrelevant how many shows are attended by any exhibitor. Northern will have 10 shows this year as traditionally we miss Februrary and of course the Harrogate show was an NHC show, not a Northern show.

The Lymm show (which I organise) is on 25th May as you are all aware and we will also be having a show in November at the same venue. This venue is easily accessible from the M6 for Midland members and even those further afield so hopefully some of you will be able to attend.

I sympathise with you Bunsey, it usually takes me quite a while to get to shows from Manchester so I know where you are coming from on this. If you want to set up your own show, you need to speak to Pete Logsdail.

[babyboos]

in HAMSOC days we had two shows a year in the whole of Scotland and one of those was organised by me in Edinburgh every year - Northern told me they will consider a show up here if they ever get more Scottish members :cry: Sadly that doesn't seem to be happening in a hurry

[Spuds Mum]

Its like the chicken and the egg though isn't it? I'm sure the hamster clubs get a lot of their membership from people coming to shows and displays - ergo - none in Scotland = less Scottish members.
Its such a shame - I do think though when you look at the map, the Northern club has an immense area to cover.

Maybe you could join the club under 100 different pseudonyms Babyboos? :wink:

[Matty Day]

or maybe it would be better to have a scotish hamster club just a thought?

[Spuds Mum]

or maybe it would be better to have a scotish hamster club just a thought?

I'm sure if there were enough members to set one up Matty that it would have been considered. The clubs have to be able to be viable, and that means enough people to undertake all the work that comes with running a club I'm sure. But getting enough members to actually run a club for Scotland when there are possibly not enough to make a show worthwhile may be a deterrent!

[babyboos]

Yeah I did consider this :wink: there are a few of us up here - mostly everyone serious about hamsters is a member of HC too - it is was like a big HC reunion at the shows. And we got a lot of interest in HAMSOC at the shows but sadly the club did not keep members - renewal rates were low - clubs need dedicated committee members and a good journal etc every month or whatever to keep the people coming back. Even if we had a club up here we would need some trained judges to make the shows element official and I don't know anyone willing to take on the headache or responsibility of running a club anyway - I work now (started back this week) and have a wee boy and a house and hamstery to run so no way would I have the time to do everything involved. I had planned to throw myself into doing something about HAMSOC whilst on maternity leave but sadly I never got chance as it all went pear-shaped in October last year.

[Bunsey]

it's such a shame about HAMSOC in my opinion. i'd just starting showing with them, had roped Internet_nobody along, too and i would've gladly joined if i knew they were that desperate. i didn't know anything was wrong until we phoned up to put show entries in and the BHA was no more!!

their website was a joke and they had no list of shows. they never advertised their shows through anything other than word of mouth it seems. It's a real shame because it means a lot of shows i could've gone to are cancelled (stafford, liverpool and perry barr for e.g.).

i really sympathised with their dilema over joining the NHC. if they'd joined then they wouldn't have been allowed to keep their shows in Liverpool, Stafford, Perry Barr etc. even though those areas are not served by the NHC and seemly there is no intenton to. It seems totally stupid. you can't show there even though we don't want to. i assume it's down the so many shows per year rule and you have to cancel some to make others. if they wanted to keep the shows, they therefore had to stay separate and that was their downfall because they couldn't get people to go to the shows. A lot of people avoided them because of some argument over the show pens they used. I have no idea about this as it was before my time, but i know there are some showers who would rather have poked their eye out than go a HAMSOC show :lol:

a crying shame if you ask me, anyway. seems to be that they collapsed just over silly rules and an argument :?

[Bunsey]

i thought i'd just post where i'm up to with this. Sue Kilburn said that to have a northern show in staffs requires permission of the midland. which i'm thinking i can basically go whistle for :lol:

so it's either host one in an area i don't know for the northern, or try to get the permission for a midland show at the AGM which means cancelling one of the other midland shows because i can't have it as an extra. another thing i can go whistle for. :lol:

so all in all.... no go show. :lol:

[Holly]

I think you may find that having yet another Northern show may cause some friction with there only being 7 Midland Shows and 10 Southern/SOE shows.


If there are 3 less Midland shows why can't you host another Midland show, Bunsey? Have it just over the "border". How many Northern shows are there (she asks, too lazy to go and find a show list :oops: ).

[Bunsey]

well, that's what i thought, but Pete just said that all the midland ones are booked and i can't have another :(

[souffle]

But you may be able to do one next year Bunsey. I think each club sets its show dates annually and they are all submitted and organised for a year in advance. You should make your offer at the next Midland AGM or if you can't go send it to the secretary then it can be scheduled for 2009. Ours was done that way.

[Bunsey]

yeah that's pretty much what Pete said, but the thing is, which one of the regular shows will have to be dropped to have mine. none of the midland members live up here apart from me, so no-one is gonna vote to loose, say, Alcester or Shurdington and replace it with mine. my show just aint gonna get the votes :(

[internet_nobody]

I'm all confused...so is there an actual limit on the number of shows per year, rather than just this year having been all sorted out?

[Bunsey]

i don't know. it seems that way, yes... otherwise i can't see why i couldn't just add another show, if i booked it well in advance. :?
i'm just gonna leave it. i'm not gonna bother upsetting people and if a show is cancelled for me to have my show "miles away" then people are gonna be annoyed.

[BVMARK]

I'm all confused...so is there an actual limit on the number of shows per year, rather than just this year having been all sorted out?

There isn't a limit on how many shows any club can have. The problem normaly is getting judges, kitchen staff, book and pen stuards etc. All these jobs are down to the show manager to arrange, and that is no mean feat when trying to sort them out for the whole year and trying to get different people.

[internet_nobody]

I'm all confused...so is there an actual limit on the number of shows per year, rather than just this year having been all sorted out?

There isn't a limit on how many shows any club can have. The problem normaly is getting judges, kitchen staff, book and pen stuards etc. All these jobs are down to the show manager to arrange, and that is no mean feat when trying to sort them out for the whole year and trying to get different people.

Yeah I spoke to Chris today and she said the same thing. I suppose it must be quite difficult as judges all have show hams so don't want too many days judging when they can't show etc.