A promotional film produced by Turners Film Productions for Vaux Breweries of Sunderland on the Lille to The North 400 mile pigeon race from Lille in Northern France back to the region that is sponsored by the company. The film follows members of the Up North Combine club as they register and ship their birds by train and airplane to Lille where local fanciers and officials release the birds to fly the six-and-a-half hour race back to the region. At Skinningrove on the North Yorkshire coast...

A promotional film produced by Turners Film Productions for Vaux Breweries of Sunderland on the Lille to The North 400 mile pigeon race from Lille in Northern France back to the region that is sponsored by the company. The film follows members of the Up North Combine club as they register and ship their birds by train and airplane to Lille where local fanciers and officials release the birds to fly the six-and-a-half hour race back to the region. At Skinningrove on the North Yorkshire coast local fanciers stand beside their lofts waiting as their birds to return home. The final part of the film shows members of the club working out the winner and the film ends on Mr Alan Hicks of Skinningrove being congratulated as the 1961 winner of a Vaux Gold Tankard. Title: Up North Combine presents Lille to the North Title: Vaux Encourages Sports: North East Pigeon Fanciers Compete for Vaux Gold Tankards Credit: Produced for Vaux Breweries Sunderland by Turners Film Productions Newcastle upon Tyne England The film opens at a marking centre for members of the Up North Combine pigeon club and a number of pigeon fanciers, mainly older men wearing flat caps, standing beside a table. A number of wicker baskets sit on the table in front of them. They chat together and pass around a number of racing pigeons.    The film changes to show the engraved Vaux Gold Tankard which is being offered in competition for the national race from Lille in Northern France to destinations in the North East of England. Sitting behind the table a man writes details of a pigeon in a ledger watched by other men around him. Another older man takes a pigeon from an old Fairy washing-up liquid box and hands it to an official who uses a machine to place a rubber band around the pigeon’s leg. These are used for positive identification, details of which are added to the ledger. Registering complete the pigeon is placed into the wicker basket on the table. A man writes details on a small luggage tag attached to the basket. The basket now full of around 20 birds is then sealed to prevent tampering. A larger red luggage tag attached to the side of the basket identifies it being for the Newcastle Federation. The film cuts to Newcastle Central railway station and two porters pulling a luggage wagon full of pigeon baskets. An electric station wagon drives past towards a waiting train, porters unload the baskets into a goods wagon. Inside two men walk up and down the carriage checking on the birds and writing details into a small book. On the platform the station master gives the signal for the train to depart and the wheels of the steam locomotive begin to move. As the train pulls out of the platform it passes a light with the name of the location, Newcastle, printed on the outside. Outside the marking centre sitting or standing on a patch of grass members of the club set their clocks to the master clock which is being set by an official sitting at a table.   The film cuts to show traffic passing a road sign reading ‘Gatwick Airport and Railway Station’. In the near distance the terminal building, car park and runway. On a section of grass the baskets have been unloaded and stacked four high. Two men walk past, one holding a bucket of water which he uses to fill troughs attached to the basket. The thirsty pigeons drink from the trough. On the runway stands a Dan-Air London aeroplane into which the baskets are loaded from a lorry. The tags on a number of baskets identify the clubs from which these bird come from; Seaton Delaval Station, West Hartlepool H.S. and Horley Station. Loading completed the doors are closed, the aircraft taxis and then takes off into the sky. The film cuts to the airport at Lille at night as the aeroplane comes into land, the landing lights only visible. The film cuts to the following morning and views around a rainy airport. Two men, one in uniform possibly a Gendarme, stand besides a building looking up into the sky. At another part of the airfield two more men both in rain coats look up into the sky. General views show the rain soaked airfield and a wind sock blowing in the wind. The film changes to the following day and a sunny airfield. Standing on the runway are five rows of baskets stacked four high. General views of French pigeon fanciers and other officials chatting and looking over the birds in their baskets. A man cuts the secondary seals on one of the baskets and the first row of pigeons from Up North Combine are released. Other rows follow at fifteen minute intervals from the West Durham Amalgamation, Yorkshire Middle Route and finally the Great Yorkshire Amalgamation. A man sits on a bicycle watching the sky, general views show the birds in flight. The film cuts to views of village of Skinningrove sitting in a valley beside the sea. Along the far side of the valley are a number of pigeon lofts or crees. Standing around their lofts are a number of female as well as male fanciers looking up into the sky waiting for their birds to return. One man kneels on the ground stroking the wings of one of his pigeons. In the sky a flock of pigeon flies over, the film cuts to one of them coming into land outside its loft. As it goes inside it is followed by its owner. More views of a flock flying overhead is followed by the release of Fantail pigeon which is used to encourage other pigeons to land. Another pigeon comes into land and is collected by its owner who removes the rubber ring around its leg and places it into a thimble. The thimble is then placed inside the clock which is then punched recording the time he bird landed. The film cuts to the marking centre and officials checking over their clocks against the clubs master clock. On a table the clocks are opened and details from the dials and rubber rings are recorded and checked against the club ledger. Up North Combine club Secretary Mr. J.W. Towers approaches the loft of Mr Alan Hick of Skinningrove to check the loft and metal ring of the winning birds. Mr Hicks goes inside his loft and brings out his bird and show it to Mr Towers. The bird is released to see if it flies back to the loft, it does. With details confirmed Mr Towers advises Mr Hick’s that he is the winner of the 1961 Vaux Gold Tankard. They stand chatting with Mr Hicks smiling happily. The film ends on a view of the engraved Vaux Gold Tankards and the narrator asking who will be next years winner?