Pack of bloodhounds faces disbanding

A pack of bloodhounds may have to disband at the end of the season when the owners retire — unless sufficient help can be found to run the hunt.

Roger Clark, who is a farrier, founded the East Anglian Bloodhounds in 1992, kennelling hounds at his farm on the Essex-Suffolk border. His wife Fiona joined the mastership in 2002.

But Mr Clark, who is 65, says he and his wife would now like the time to “do other things”.

“We’ve had overwhelming support calling for us not to retire, but it’s just the two of us [running the hunt],” he said.

Mrs Clark told H&H: “There was such uproar that we are trying to see if we can keep anything going.

“It is very much a private pack; the hounds are ours and even to go away for a day involves military planning,” she added.

But the Clarks are struggling to find the right people to help with their hounds.

“There have been offers, but people either don’t have enough free time or are too far away,” said Mrs Clark.

Phil Broughton, chairman of the Masters of Draghounds and Bloodhounds Association, told H&H there would “be a big hole” if the pack was to disband.

Hunt supporter Tegen Dovey, 14,said she had enjoyed “many fabulous days out” thanks to the Clarks.

“It is so sad that it might be their last season,” she added.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (6 December 2012)

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