Category:NEFRA

With an arrangement similar to 2024 we again hosted an event this year where we had two rings being judged side by side. One for our open show and one for a championship show.

The shows were held at: The Exhibition Hall, York Auction Centre, York on 4th May 2025

Championship Show Judge Mrs J.B. Campbell (Ronevorg)

Fosse Data Results

Major Prize Winners:

Best In Show	Sh Ch Kazval Angel in Your Sky over Feldkirk (K Anderson)
Reserve Best In Show	Stranfaer One Fell Swoop (Mr D & Mrs K Joyce)
Best Puppy In Show	Flatterhaft Santa Ines (Ms A Karlsson)
Best Veteran In Show	Seaheart Crian at Gloi JW (Miss & Dr L Smitherman & Roberts)
Best Liver In Show	Bramatha Brownie TAF (Miss S E F & Mr R Whittaker & Beevers)
Best Special Working In Show	Satinbaze Cracksman for Blacktoft (ai) JW Sgwc (Mrs H M Fox)

Dog Challenge Certificate	Rotherfield Secret Code (Mrs R & Mr J Anson & Mcmanus)
Reserve Dog Challenge Certificate	Hightyne Night Train (Miss M Hall)
Bitch Challenge Certificate	Sh Ch Kazval Angel in Your Sky over Feldkirk (K Anderson)
Reserve Bitch Challenge Certificate	Stranfaer One Fell Swoop (Mr D & Mrs K Joyce)
Best Puppy Dog	Flatcharm How You Doin (Miss K L Holland)
Best Puppy Bitch	Flatterhaft Santa Ines (Ms A Karlsson)
Best Veteran Dog	Seaheart Crian at Gloi JW (Miss & Dr L Smitherman & Roberts)
Best Veteran Bitch	Lizzlog Nun On The Run (Mrs L Walker)
Best Liver Dog	Bramatha Brownie TAF (Miss S E F & Mr R Whittaker & Beevers)
Best Liver Bitch	Wyrebeck Shes My Surprise (Miss V M Sullivan)
Best Special Working Dog	Satinbaze Cracksman for Blacktoft (ai) JW Sgwc (Mrs H M Fox)
Best Special Working Bitch	41 – Benvellyn Marakele Into Casblaidd JW Sgwc (Mr C & Mrs C Hewison)

Open Show Judge Mrs C. Simons, nee Smith (Whirleymere)

Fosse Data Results

Major Prize Winners:

Best In Show	Clandrift Bring Me Sunshine JW Kcwgc Sgwc (Mrs V Bowen)
Reserve Best In Show	Hightyne Night Train (Miss M Hall)
Best Opposite Sex In Show	Sh Ch Hightyne Ramblin Rose (Mr P R & Mrs C E & Miss L C Huyton)
Best Puppy In Show	Wychwizard Forester at Tarnmillcrag (Mr J & Mrs R Pierce)
Best Veteran In Show	Seaheart Crian at Gloi JW (Miss G & Dr L Smitherman & Roberts)
Best Liver In Show	Wyrebeck Shes My Surprise (Miss V M Sullivan)
Best Working In Show	Clandrift Bring Me Sunshine JW Kcwgc Sgwc (Mrs V Bowen)

Best Dog	Clandrift Bring Me Sunshine JW Kcwgc Sgwc (Mrs V Bowen)
Reserve Best Dog	Hightyne Night Train (Miss M Hall)
Best Puppy Dog	Wychwizard Forester at Tarnmillcrag (Mr J & Mrs R Pierce)
Best Bitch	Sh Ch Hightyne Ramblin Rose (Mr P R & Mrs C E & Miss L C Huyton)
Reserve Best Bitch	Hurstclough Joy of The Moors at Elmstock (Mr R D & Mrs V E Orme)
Best Puppy Bitch	Wychwizard Painted Lady (Mrs C & Mr A Leavy)

Novice Training Day & WRA Assessment

12th April 2025
The Lake House, Roby Mill, WN8 0QT

Training and WRA Day

NEFRA hosted a Working Retriever Assessment (WRA) and training day on the 12th of April at Roby Mill.

Training for both beginner and novice dogs took place in the morning with the WRA taking place in the afternoon.

Two dogs successfully passed the assessment; Jenny Jones with Roxwoodbay River of Yonsaff and Anne Haley with SkyBrook If By Chance.

Huge thanks to Garry Ellison and Gill Awty for being trainers and assessors for the day and Sarah Marfolw for the use of this amazing land.

Schedule found here

On Saturday, 22nd February, we held a training day at Hesketh Bank. The trainers for the day were Gary Ellison, Steve Burns, and Paul Egginton. Gary took the puppies/beginners, Paul took the early novice group, and Steve took the novice/intermediate group.

The puppies/beginners worked on obedience and then practiced retrieving, focusing on how to get the best from your dog and understanding each element of a simple retrieve.
The early novice group used some of the cover and wooded areas for their retrieves, which made breaking down their retrieves and learning how to succeed with their dog particularly important.
The more advanced novice group tackled longer retrieves and included water in their exercises, which proved challenging for the water-loving breed.

Everyone enjoyed the day, and we thank Sam Slinger for the use of the ground, as well as the judges and helpers who gave up their time to ensure the event ran smoothly and was enjoyable.

Schedule found here.

NEFRA members will be saddened to hear the news of the recent death of Mr Les Geoghegan.

Les and his wife Liz had been in Flatcoats for a number of years showing under the affix Fenfleet and they were regulars around the show ring.

Les’s connection with NEFRA’s committee occurred almost by accident, in 2010, Liz a founder member, decided to stand for the position of secretary, tragically she died suddenly before this could happen. Les then decided to stand for the post in her place enabling him to keep his links with flatcoats and the friends they had made over the years. Les turned out to be a very efficient secretary and he served for 9 years retiring in 2019 when he was made an honorary life member of the Association.

Les died a few days ago after a short illness, he leaves no family but many friends and our thoughts are with them at this time.

Update: The funeral will be held at 1pm 29th January 2025 at West Lancashire Cemetery & Crematorium, Pippin St, Burscough, Ormskirk, Lancashire, L40 7SP

The thirtieth annual general meeting of the Northern England Flatcoated Retriever Association was held on Sunday 16th March 2025 at Fritchley, Derbyshire with the very kind permission of Mrs Paula Goulette.

Our new Hon. Secretary, Mrs Mel Salt was elected. Mrs. Kathryn Trevor was re-elected as Vice Chairman and Mrs Kate Jubb was re-elected to the committee. 

We thanked Mrs Margaret Melrose and Mr Steve Jubb as they retired from the committee and presented them with gifts as a token of our gratitude for their years of service.

Annual Awards were presented as follows:

President’s Cup – awarded to Mrs Mandy Romeo-Dieste for Hopevalley Morning Xanadu JW
Ceilidh Cup – awarded to Mr Andy Sweeney’s for Maddistream Black Powder of Wolfthistle
Inca Trophy – awarded to Mr Chris Hewison for Casblaidd Mirror Lake
Nellspeace Plate – awarded to Mrs Dawn Woodiwiss

PLEASE NOTE THAT 2025 SUBSCRIPTIONS WERE DUE ON 1^ST OF JANUARY 2025 AND IF PAYING BY CHEQUE THEY SHOULD BE SENT TO OUR HON. TREASURER:

MR D TAYLOR,  Cooks Lane House, Cooks Lane, Bradnop, Leek. Staffs. ST13 7HA

PLEASE NOTE SUBSCRIPTIONS WERE INCREASED IN 2021

View the latest rates on our membership page

PLEASE CHECK STANDING ORDERS AND AMEND THEM IF NECESSARY.

MEMBERS SUBSCRIPTIONS NOT RECEIVED BY 30^TH APRIL 2025 WILL HAVE THEIR MEMBERSHIP TERMINATED.

Kennel Club Working Test – Burton Salmon, Pontefract, LS25 5JX
Held by Kind Permission of Mr. David Foster

Judges:

• Mr. Paul Stogden (B3661)
• Ms. Yvonne Storr
• Mr. Alan Richardson

We hosted a Kennel Club Working Test at the beautiful grounds of Burton Salmon, Pontefract. The day was divided into two sessions: the Puppy and NDNH test in the morning and the novice dog tests in the afternoon.

Morning Session:

• Puppy Test: The puppies were assessed on their retrieves, steadiness, and overall obedience.
• Novice Dog/Novice Handler (NDNH): This group was also tested during the morning session.
• Puppy Test Winner: Ms Helen Fox with Westoncruive Ace of Spades by Blacktoft.
• NDNH – Unfortunatly there were no awards for this class.

Afternoon Session:

• Novice Test: This session included a walk-up and tested the dogs’ skills in both sloping grounds and wooded areas.
• Novice Test Winners:
  1. 1st Place: Mr. Garry Ellison with Ollersett Duchess
  2. 2nd Place: Ms. Helen Fox with Satinbaze Cracksman for Blacktoft JW SGWC
  3. 3rd Place: Ms. Jenny Jones with Roxwoodbay River of Yonsaff
  4. 4th Place: Mr. David Foster with Kenynten Styx

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the following individuals and organizations:

• The Judges: Mr. Paul Stogden, Ms. Yvonne Storr, and Mr. Alan Richardson for their time, expertise, and commitment to the event.
• The Helpers and Stewards: Your invaluable assistance ensured the event ran smoothly, and we are deeply appreciative of your support.
• Skinners: We are grateful for your generous sponsorship.
• Mr. David Foster: Our heartfelt thanks to Mr. Foster for granting us the use of his exceptional grounds for this event.

Schedule found here.

Enter Online here.

Paper Entry form found here.

Held on 3rd November 2024 at: Biddulph Leisure Centre, Thames Drive, Stoke-on-Trent, ST8 9HL

Judge (Dogs) Miss Kelly Holland (Flatcharm)
Judge (Bitches) Mrs Jan Egginton (Pajanbeck)
Referee and Judge for Special Members Stakes, Baby Puppy Classes and Brace – Mr Dominic Salt (Levelmoor).

Our major award winners were as follows:

Best In Show	Sh Ch* Hopevalley Morning Wicked, (Mrs M E Romeo-Dieste)
Reserve Best In Show Best Opposite Sex Best Liver in Show	Llantrussa As Big As The Ritz, (Mrs L & Mr L & Mrs C Nicholls & Nicholls & Price)
Best Puppy in Show	Hopevalley Morning Xanadu, (Mrs M E Romeo-Dieste)
Best Veteran in Show	Telurn Can’t Touch This SGWC, (Mrs B Reynolds)
Best Special Working in Show	Benvellyn Marakele Into Casblaidd JW, (Mr C & Mrs C Hewison)
Best Baby Puppy	Affinity Promises Kept for Woodfinch (Mrs R Bellamy)

Dog Challenge Certificate	Llantrussa As Big As The Ritz, (Mrs L & Mr L & Mrs C Nicholls & Nicholls & Price)
Reserve Dog Challenge Certificate	Hightyne Night Train (Miss M Hall)
Bitch Challenge Certificate	Sh Ch* Hopevalley Morning Wicked (Mrs M E Romeo-Dieste)
Reserve Bitch Challenge Certificate	Windyhollows English Holly at Llantrussa (Mrs Ca & Mrs L Price & Nicholls)
Best Puppy Dog	Flattie Symphony Lor Elrond (Mrs V Kralj)
Best Veteran Dog	Telurn Can’t Touch This SGWC (Mrs B Reynolds)
Best Liver Dog	Llantrussa As Big As The Ritz (Mrs L & Mr L & Mrs C Nicholls & Nicholls & Price)
Best Special Working Dog	Satinbaze Cracksman for Blacktoft (AI) JW SGWC (Mrs H M Fox)
Best Puppy Bitch	Hopevalley Morning Xanadu (Mrs M E Romeo-Dieste)
Best Veteran Bitch	Caehaidd Lets Go Crazy with Braemist JW (Miss L S Jones)
Best Liver Bitch	Shashkrox Never Grow Up (Mr P & Mrs S Holliday)
Best Special Working Bitch	Benvellyn Marakele Into Casblaidd JW (Mr C & Mrs C Hewison)

Full results: https://www.fossedata.co.uk/show-results/northern-england-flatcoated-retriever-association-november-2024.aspx

Photo collection courtesy of Harry Vasey: https://adobe.ly/4hxKcQZ

Today saw NEFRA members representing our breed at the annual Minor Breeds Test

Our host was Lesley Morgan at Roan Lodge near Buxton.

Judges were Jane Fairclough, Sarah Middleton and Susan Rodgers.

Our winning team was made up of Garry Ellison, Helen Fox, Anne Haley and Sonya Jenkinson.

Individual winner was Garry Ellison with Ollersett Shimmering Nymph and Judge’s Choice was Anthony Ciraolo.

Event sponsors were YuMove, A K Gundog Accessories and Leads & Lanyards

RoanLodge Gundog Training Centre, Quarnford by kind permission of Ms Lesley Morgan. Our judges for the day were Mr Phil Smithies 2367, Mr Casper Jonsen & Mrs Theresa Jonsen. We would like to thank Lesley for hosting us at her fabulous ground and thank you to our judges for giving up their day and their knowledge and experience for all our competitors. Thank you to all that came to help, dummy throwers, stewards, cooks and everyone that helped make the day run so smooth.

Awards were as follows;
Special Puppy
1st Gary Ellison’s Ollersett Duchess
2nd Caroline Hewison’s Benvellyn Marakele into Casblaidd JW
3rd Julie Matthew’s Ollersett Nymph
4th Rochelle Richard’s Kimberfield in Love Again

Novice
1st Vivienne Gatter’s Larksease Black Bryony
COM 13 David Foster’s Kenynten Styx
COM 15 Helen Fox’s Satinbaze Cracksman for Blacktoft (AI) JW SGWC

Congratulations to all in the awards and we hope you all had a great day.

13th July

July Training and WRA Day

NEFRA hosted a Working Retriever Assessment (WRA) and training day yesterday at David Foster’s ground in Burton Salmon near Leeds.

Training for both beginner and novice dogs took place in the morning with the WRA taking place in the afternoon.

Two dogs successfully passed the assessment; Rochelle Richards with Hopevalley Morning River Through Kimberfield and Anne Haley with SkyBrook If By Chance. This was Rochelle’s third successful assessment which means she has completed the Novice level and has been awarded her novice working retriever certificate.

Huge thanks to Garry Ellison, trainer and assessor for the day and David Foster for the use of his amazing land.

Online form found here.

Paper Entry and schedule found here.