Greyhound Rememberance Day in the West Midlands

posted 26-7-04

Greyhound racing in the UK began on July 24th, 1926 at Belle Vue, Manchester. On the nearest Sunday to this date every year a special event is staged, called Greyhound Rememberance Day, in memory of the hundreds of thousands of dogs that have been abused and killed by the greyhound racing industry since that day.

On Sunday 25 July, vigils were held outside greyhound tracks across the UK. In the West Midlands, we currently have 4 tracks - Monmore Green Stadium in Wolverhampton, Perry Barr and Hall Green in Birmingham and Coventry Stadium at Brandon. All 4 were visited during the day and a minutes silence was held and flowers laid at each. Upto a dozen rescued greyhounds joined campaigners at the various tracks, which gave a great photo opportunity.

Dozens of little `in memory` tags were tied to the fencing and gates at all 4 of the tracks. At the Perry Barr track, the main road was very busy and we received loads of supportive honks on horns from passing traffic. A man coming out of the stadium approached campaigners and donated £10 towards the campaign! Even the race goers recognise how cruel the industry is!

The last vigil at Coventry was extremely well supported and a great end to the day. 35 people were there not only for the rememberance event but also for the weekly Sunday demo as punters arrived for the evening racing. Several large banners and dozens of placards lined the road. The support from passing traffic was once again fantastic. Many of the protesters were on their first demonstration and vowed to come again whenever possible.

For more information about greyhound racing and how you can help bring the suffering to an end, please check out the Greyhound Action website - click the link to the left.

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