We are pleased to inform everyone that following his admission to hospital several times during the end of 2006 Tony York is now back and running courses with the same passion and enthusiasm as ever - a little older in body with all the aches and pains of age but with the same committment to teaching how to keep Rare Breed pigs 'cost effectively' and 'profitably' as ever. Tony wishes to thank everyone who helped him through a very difficult time and course dates for 2008 further reflect that everything is now very much back to normal. All courses in 2008 will be held in Wiltshire and are jointly run with Carron McCann (Piggywigs Farm) who did so much to keep things going during Tony’s period of ill health.

So far in 2008 we have had bookings from as far away as Ireland (North and South), Scotland, Cumbria, Newcastle and the North East, Leeds, Manchester and the North West, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Liverpool and Merseyside, Wales, Birmingham and the Midlands, Oxfordshire, East Anglia, the Home Counties, Kent, London, Devon, Cornwall and the South West and from just about everywhere in the UK not to mention overseas visitors from Ghana, Australia, France, Canada and New Zealand so please book early to secure places’s for 2008.

 

RARE BREED PIG KEEPERS WORLDWIDE - A CHANCE TO HELP

During 2004 we had many enquiries from people who were either leaving England to live elsewhere or who were already resident in another country............. the plea was always the same ........'Do you know any one here who has Rare Breed pigs?'. Many enquiries were for specific breeds but a lot were just enquiries for any of the Rare Breeds. They came primarily from FRANCE (more people leaving the UK to live in France than ever before), SCOTLAND (There seems to be a dearth of Rare Breed pig breeders north of the border), IRELAND both north and south (We now have a small breeding centre in Eire), CANADA and the USA (Often desperate for Tamworths, GOS and Middle Whites), AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND (Again many ex-pats who having moved now want contacts in their new country).

With the cost of exporting small numbers of pigs (even to France) often proving prohibitive plus the many restrictions, difficulties and bureaucracy that many pig keepers have had to contend with we felt that there might be a better way. We therefore decided that in 2005 we would start building a database of Rare Breed pig keepers and breeders in all these countries so that we can pass on the information to anyone seeking pigs. ........ a sort of free 'clearing centre' for those breeding pigs and a free 'contact point' for those seeking pigs.

If you are reading this, live in (or are moving to) any of the countries mentioned (or for that matter ANY country) and you either breed Rare Breed pigs, keep Rare Breed pigs, want to keep Rare Breed pigs or know someone who does have Rare Breed pigs please send us an e-mail giving contact details, breeds kept or wanted, whether breeding or not and if there is a pure bred boar available. It will take time to build a comprehensive list but we are sure it will be worthwhile in the end ....... but we need YOUR HELP. We will put people in touch with each other.

The breeds most in demand seem to be the GOS, Oxford Sandy & Black, Kune-Kune, Tamworth, Large Black, Berkshire and Mangaliza (Hungarian Curly Coat similar to the now extinct 'Lincolnshire Curly Coat') but all Rare Breed pigs are important.

If there are a number of people seeking pigs in a particular country (France for example) and stock cannot be sourced in that country we might well consider putting together a complete trailer load of pigs to meet everyone's needs. By exporting 'in bulk' we would hope to bring down the costs and keep the exporting headaches to one load rather than many small ones. Delivery could then be to individual areas or farms or even one farm/smallholding for collection. It would be nice to see people in these countries keeping the Rare Breeds they so desperately want but more important we will all be doing just a little bit more to help save some of these endangered pig breeds.

 

SOME 'This is a FIRST' stories

Our 'Gift Packs' (Christmas, Birthday, Anniversary and 'Just Because I Love You') continue to increase in popularity but in 2008 we had a first with a major company buying a 'Gift Pack' for one of their employees as a 'Leaving Present combined with a Wedding Gift' - one really delighted ex employee who was leaving to get married and at the same time downsizing to move to the country where along with her husband she planned to keep pigs having decided to move from the city to Somerset............... ........ in 2004 we had a first when we were asked to prepare a gift pack for the 'Bride and Groom' to present to the grooms parents at the wedding breakfast as a 'Thank You' for letting them erect a marquee so they could use the grounds for wedding reception..........can you imagine the expressions on the faces of all the guests when the groom made is 'Thank You' speech and then announced that ..."My new bride and I want to show our gratitude by sending you both on a PIG COURSE!" .....it turned out to be a great success and the parents ended up recommending it to their neighbours (who came later in the year) and to their other son and his wife who also joined us for a day.

Thanks to the Internet we had our first visitor from Canada who was a director of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in Canada who took back a lasting memory of her first ever trip to England................'A picture of her taking the temperature of a pig'..........isn't that what all English people do at the weekend!!

We had another first when we held a course where there were more Scottish and Irish people with us for the day than there were English people .... we felt almost as if we were intruders!!

2008 has already seen more people from Ireland and Scotland coming on courses than ever before but it was another first when we had a couple from Ghana and a couple from Nigeria on the same course ......... an ever increasing number of people from Africa who currently live in the UK are planning to return to their homeland to keep pigs..........apparently land is cheap and as one African couple told us "We are determined to make sure that the Chinese do not buy it all"

We are sending the first ever 'Curly Coated Mangalitzas' to Southern Ireland in June 2008 and we wish Morag and Eileen (both of whom came on a course in early 2008) every future success. They are also breeding Large Blacks, Oxford Sandy & Blacks and Kune-Kunes so will really be a great 'breeding centre' in Eire for these breeds.

One very embarrassed course member forgot to bring his Wellington boots at a particularly wet and muddy time of the year (Rain and pigs running freely outdoors equals MUD) and spent the majority of his time outside with the pigs wearing 'plastic bags' on his feet and legs tied up with baler twine. The only trouble was that they were old Feed bags and although now empty the pigs could obviously still smell the remnants of the feed ............. everyone got some wonderful pictures of all the breeds trying to remove these temporary 'Wellington Boots' from the poor unfortunate gentleman..........he did, we must say, take it all in very good part although we suspect that the rest of the group found it funnier than he did!!

SOME OTHER INTERESTING BITS AND PIECES FROM PREVIOUS YEARS

We have set new records with our oldest course member (An 92 year old lady 'Kate' a lifetime pig lover from Yorkshire), our youngest course member (a newly born three months old baby who accompanied his proud parents from Scotland and slept all through the lectures!!), our most distant booking (A pig fanatic from New Zealand who said our 'Kune-Kunes' were as good as any she had seen in her native country - praise indeed!). We also had our most often returned couple (Two pig lovers from Hertfordshire who have now been on THREE courses since we started in 1991!!). Before taking the booking they were told that there were very few changes to the format and that my 'jokes' remained the same. They insisted on coming and after the course said they enjoyed the day as much as their first time. The highlight of that course for everyone present was when (much to my embarrassment) they jumped up in the middle of one of my 'tales' and shouted ..."It's a new joke......you've added a new joke!" much to the delight of every other course member present..

	Two very happy couples on our 'Valentines Day' course 2008 Learning is so much easier if you are having fun
Two more very happy 2008 'Valentines Week-end' course members Not just learning but lots of 'hands on' experience
	What a great way to spend 'Valentines Day' with someone you love who loves pigs Valentines week-end course members 2008
7th November 2007 Course - Two very happy people holding piglets for the first time ever. Time spent with the pigs is important but so is the time spent learning how to make Rare Breed pigkeeping 'Cost Effective' and 'Profitable' The only way to save our Rare Breed pigs is to create the right market at the right prices.
Our oldest ever course member - 92 year old Kate Wilbern obviously enjoying herself as her son-in-law holds a Large Black piglet. Age is no barrier when it comes to keeping pigs.
	6th October 2007 Course. When it comes to Rare Breed pigs and piglets there is no sex discrimination. Ladies love pigs ......men love pigs and the smiles on their faces say it all ....... quite simply a great day out. But much more important you will ................... 'Learn more in a day than many Rare Breed pigkeepers learn in a lifetime'
	Course 6th October 2007 "I think the pig is wearing my glasses" said the man .......... "By the time I held him I think he'd eaten them" said the lady.......... "I'm so beautiful I don't need glasses" said the pig
7th May 2007 Course Not only did I hold a piglet but I also saw and worked with some amazing 'Curly Coated Mangalitzas'. A day of learning (Phew!) but also a day of getting some hands on experience duirng a funfilled day.
	Carron holds piglet on 3 May 2003 course.....when she decided to leave her career in education and become a Rare Breed pig farmer. Now five years later Carron in May 2008 holds another Large Black piglet having just seen our Gloucestershire Old Spots produce eleven wonderful piglets. Carron is now Tony York's partner and her contribution to courses is such that they now make the 'Pig Perfect' team. Pig Paradise now operates under the 'Pig Perfect' banner and although Tony York has had a difficult few years and was unable to run courses for a long time due to ill health it is thanks to Carron that he is now able to continue. Saving Rare Breed pigs is a passion for both Tony and Carron and their enthusiasm and committment to ensuring course members learn how to keep Rare Breed pigs both 'Profitably and Cost Effectively' is only too apparent on their courses..
9th June 2007 course members from a variety of counties throughout the UK with a variety of piglets
	'Curly Coated Manglaitzas' getting ready to go to Southern Ireland. May 2008 sees the preparations underway for exporting the very rare 'Curly Coated Mangalitzas' to Ireland for the first time. One 'Red' and one 'Swallow Belly' relax before the journey. We wish Morag and Eileen and all involved every success with all their pigs
All our pigs live outside as naturally as possible for 365 days a year. They breed outside......they farrow outside and they live as our Rare Breed pigs were intended to live......amongst trees and woodland in the open air with 'Traditional Wooden Pig Arks' to live in.
	Amazing 'Curly Coated Mangalitza' piglets .......'Blondes - b 14.2.2008'..... ....'Reds - b 10.2.2008' A joy to everyone on our courses who have seen them
Large Black piglets 3 days old on 1st May 2003

 

If you want to experience the same sort of enjoyment as the above course members, also learning a lot about Rare Breed pigs and natural pigkeeping , then send us an e-mail: tonyyork@pigparadise.com or telephone(01380 818677) for an information pack with current 2008 dates and vacancies. Finding out more about 'Pig Paradise' and our 'One Day Pigkeeping Courses' has never been easier......it might be the best e-mail or phone call you have ever made.....like so many before you it could change your life for the better.

Following editorial coverage of the return of our popular 'One Day Pigkeeping Courses' in smallholding/small farmer magazines we are delighted to say that bookings currently are significantly above our original forecasts. We have therefore added additional dates in our 2008 schedule to accommodate this increased demand.

As well as our special Birthday, Anniversary and 'Just Because I Love You' special gift packs we are also now taking orders for 2008 'Christmas Gift Packs'.... please order early for this Christmas as ALL our gift packs have to be individually prepared in order to add that personal touch. Why not bring a special smile to someone's face this Christmas and present a 'pig lovers' gift that is really different?!

Please bear in mind that all vacancies change daily and we urge you to e-mail (tonyyork@pigparadise.com) or telephone (01380 818677) for the up to date situation and a current 'Information Pack' with photos from past courses.

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See the links page for more details

 

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