A birds-eye view: A tribute Wellbeing Centre patient Mr Jimmy McLaughlin.

Jimmy Mclaughlin, from Bromborough, had a real twinkle in his eye, a rye sense of humour and enjoyed a good laugh and a chat with his fellow Wellbeing Centre patients alongside the staff and volunteers who attended with him every other Thursday morning.

He was a handsome chap and married his wife Mary back in 1963.  They loved their Spanish holidays and dancing and, in 1972 son, Jamie, was born and Jimmy set about nurturing the two great loves of his life, his family and his passion for racing pigeons.

When you got Jimmy on the subject he was most knowledgeable about, he gave a fascinating insight into how he got started and his huge haul of medals down the years.

From the age of nine, Jimmy was learning all about homing pigeons and although not allowed to race officially he was training birds to fly distances with the help of some ‘old timers’.

As soon as he was old enough he was racing his birds. After he got married to Mary he took a break from the sport until 1971 although, once back into it, he began to work towards his ambition of having his birds transported to France ready to race back across the channel.

And, what a success he made of it!

To be a champion pigeon fancier takes dedication, skill and hours of practice of breeding, feeding and ultimately succeeding!

We’ve scanned in some pages from The Homing World Stud Book where Jimmy was featured (below) to give you some idea of Jimmy’s successes and how well regarded he was in his passionate pursuits. It illustrates exactly how much goes into it all, talking of breeds like Vermottes and Van Wildermeesch and transporter lorries picking up birds from across the UK to take them down to Niort in France to find their way home.

There’s prize money in it too. He doesn’t tell us how much but we reckon Jimmy did better than break-even in all his years.

After retiring Jimmy lived with a severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and attended our Wellbeing Centre, enjoying the social and fun aspects of it alongside the support he was able to access for his breathing difficulties, taking part in the relaxation and other complementary therapies.

He talked about the great people he met in the Wellbeing Centre, and like many patients initially, how he was a little reluctant about taking the plunge to come along.

When we met Jimmy he was with son, Jamie and, without a shadow of a doubt, Jamie was his Dad’s biggest fan. Jamie and wife, Yoko, have children Oliver and Sam who were simply the apples of Jimmy’s eyes.

Jimmy’s wife Mary died around six/seven years ago so Jimmy would enjoy a pint with Jamie in his local, The Bromborough, while catching up with some old pals where he’d reminisce about his golden days when, it is fair to say, he was one of the very best pigeon fanciers in the country.

RIP, Jimmy – fly with the angels!