A 12 month leafletting campaign by Greyhound Action's North London co-ordinator Steve Norman and his small, but intrepid, crew of volunteers, has brought about the closure of Walthamstow Stadium, the flagship of the British greyhound racing industry.

The group's persistent leafletting of Walthamstow race-goers, almost every Saturday evening, drove down attendances to such an extent that the stadium's owners have now announced that it is to be sold for house-building and greyhound racing will cease there in August.

The closure of the stadium is a massive victory for the cause of greyhound protection, as the existence of the Walthamstow track is responsible for the slaughter of over 500 of these dogs every year.

It is also a spectacular triumph for Greyhound Action's Winning Words! campaign, which is based on our belief that most ordinary people in this country are fond of dogs and would not support greyhound racing, if they were aware of the killing and cruelty involved.

For Anna - Our victory at Walthamstow is dedicated to local animal protection campaigner Anna Smith, whose sudden death just recently saddened us deeply. Anna devoted her life to fighting against animal abuse and had been a Greyhound Action supporter for many years. She is pictured taking part in a candlelit vigil outside the stadium.

Winning Words! is aimed at educating members of the public who are going for "a night at the dogs" about the suffering and slaughter caused by the greyhound racing industry in order to persuade them never to go to greyhound racing again.

The main idea of the campaign is for our leaflets to be distributed as often as possible to people going into major greyhound tracks on race-nights, especially on Saturdays, when they have their biggest attendances. To hold large demonstrations outside such tracks requires a considerable number of participants, but such leafletting sessions can be successfully carried out by just two or three people at a time.

Walthamstow is going under, but 29 major tracks still remain in British greyhound racing's flotilla of death. Help us to sink them all by getting involved with Winning Words! Regular leafletting is currently taking place at several, but our aim is to eventually cover every single one.

Since Greyhound Action's campaign began in 1997, more than 20 UK greyhound tracks have been forced to close and we have been instrumental in preventing over a dozen proposed ones from opening. Now help us get rid of the rest

How you can help....

By taking part in the campaign. Please let us know if you would be interested in distributing leaflets outside your nearest track. We'll give you advice and information (as well as the leaflets, of course!) and put you in touch with other local people who want to do the same.

By sending us a donation. To keep the Winning Words! campaign going, we are having to get tens of thousands of leaflets printed on a regular basis, which will obviously increase as the campaign extends to more and more of the stadiums. As we operate on a shoestring budget, this is imposing a severe strain on our finances and we are in urgent need of donations to keep the "war effort" against the greyhound racing industry going. So, even if you are unable to actively take part in the campaign, you can play just as important a role by sending us a donation to keep the production of "ammunition" flowing.

Please make cheques/POs payable to Greyhound Action and send to Greyhound Action, Winning Words Campaign, PO Box 127, Kidderminster, DY10 3UZ.

Please feel free to forward/crosspost/circulate this message.

Tony Peters, Greyhound Action

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PRESS STATEMENT FROM WALTHASTOW STADIUM OWNERS:

Agreed Sale of Company's Land -16 May 2008

The directors of Walthamstow Stadium Limited have agreed to the sale of the Company's freehold property at Walthamstow Stadium to a development consortium led by Yoo Capital and K W Linfoot plc. Formal contracts have been exchanged and completion is expected on or before 1st September 2008. Racing will continue until the middle of August 2008.

Since the abolition of General Betting Duty in 2001, with the consequent loss of the unique advantage of tax-free betting only on-course, greyhound punters have been able to bet tax-free off-course, and with betting offices and exchanges open throughout the evening to accommodate them, attendances and betting turnover on-course have declined dramatically. Walthamstow's totalisator turnover alone has fallen by some 35% during the period.

With all of the principle income streams in sharp decline, and general running costs rising relentlessly, the company's operations have become unsustainable.

Staff and trainers have been notified and now enter a consultation period. It is hoped that all will find alternative positions after operations cease. From an animal welfare point of view, it is anticipated that most of the greyhounds currently racing at the Stadium will be accommodated at other racecourses. If, however, certain owners choose to retire their greyhounds, every effort will be made to support them in finding suitable homes.

For further information, please call:

Charles Chandler 01707 644288

MANY involved with the 'sport’ are lamenting the imminent closure of Walthamstow Stadium and its greyhound racing track. But do they also worry about the fate of the dogs they see racing there?

Loyal Honcho was an impressive winner last Saturday, one of many hounds sired by Top Honcho in Ireland. But where would he have been if he hadn't been so fast or had suffered an injury which prevented him from running, like so many other dogs?

I'm the proud owner of one of Loyal Honcho's half-sisters, a beautiful, graceful, gentle and loving girl, found wandering the streets of South Yorkshire last year. How did she end up there? No longer useful to her owners, she was simply discarded.

She was one of the lucky ones, taken in by a rescue centre and given a new and loving home. Many aren't so fortunate. They're shot, hanged or simply thrown out, miles from familiar territory, as soon as their racing days are over.

As all racers have identifying tattoos in their ears, in some cases these are cut off to make the dog untraceable. Look at any rescue greyhound site on the web and you'll see pitiful pictures of terribly abused dogs.

This is allowed to happen because the 'sport' makes money for the owners, the bookmakers and the Government, but the greyhound industry is 'self-regulating' and no one will pay to improve conditions for ex-racers — the 99 per cent of dogs who don't win.

BARBARA WILLIAMS Wrenthorpe, West Yorks.

GA note: if you write to a magazine, local or national paper please explicitly mention this website www.greyhoundaction.org.uk. A mention in a magazine, local or national paper can potentially bring 100's or even 1000's of visitors to this site where hopefully they will discover the full facts and get involved with our campaign. The same is true if you get on a radio talk show, comment on a You Tube video etc. please always mention Greyhound Action and help us educate and recruit new campaigners.