The Northern and Eastern Counties Papillon Club is the youngest of the four British Papillon Breed Clubs.

A meeting of the proposed Club was held on 5^th May 1984 when 19 of the 25 founder members attended. It is interesting to look back on the minutes to see that of those 19, four are still Officials, two, Hon Life Members, and until the passing of Netta Henderson earlier this year, the Patron of the Club.

By March 1985, interest was growing in the Club and there were 77 recorded members and the Kennel Club gave the Club formal approval in April of that year.

The first Show was held at Drax Village Hall in November 1985 and was judged by Mrs Madeline Wheeler. She drew an excellent entry of 112 dogs and 161 entries.

The Kennel Club approved the application to hold a Championship Show in 1991 and it proved to be a tremendous success. The venue was Brodsworth Miners Welfare Club, a venue that served the Club well for many years.

Due to changes in Kennel Club rules in 1994, only two shows were held that year, so the usual Limited Show in March became an Open Show with four special member's classes with prize money. Later that year, the Kennel Club lifted the restriction slightly, so those breeds having four or more Clubs could apply for a third show.

A letter from the Kennel Club literally "rocked" the Club, when a decision was taken to alter the CC system. The Club, along with many other Breed Clubs around the country lost CC status for 1996. Shock waves went around the dog fraternity and the Kennel Club was inundated with letters from Breed Clubs and General All Breed Societies. Eventually, with the help and support of the Parent Club, The Papillon Club of Scotland and the South Wales Papillon Club and through the joint resources of the Breed Council our Club regained it's CC status. Happily all CC's for Papillons have been reinstated for the year 2000.

1997 saw the return of CC status and in celebration the Club decided to present each exhibitor with a Limited Edition China Plate. The Papillon chosen to represent the club was Champion Inverdon Ganymede as a token of respect for our Late Patron Mrs Netta Henderson. The plate delighted everyone and will, I am sure become a treasured keepsake.

The 1998 Championship Show was the last to be held at Brodsworth. The Judge was Mrs Anna McKnight. There were 187 dogs making a grand total of 200 entries.

The last Championship Show of the millennium was held at a new venue, Snaith Sports Hall in November 1999, the judge Mr Mark Whitehill drew a super entry of 278 from 224 dogs.

Education and Health have always been priorities with the Club and included amongst the 'Chances to Learn' provided by the Club, were a Papillon Seminar held at Myerscough College in Lancashire and a series of Judges Workshops held at Brotherton in Yorkshire.

The BVA/KC Eye testing scheme was held for the first time at the 1995 show and over 25 dogs were tested. In the following years, further sessions have taken place and more dogs have been tested. Not only Papillons, but also other breeds whose owners have taken the advantage of having their dogs tested.

The Club values its junior members and has always looked for ways to support these youngsters who are the future of our breed and encourages them to take part in the Overall Papillon Junior Handler competition. Our aim is to make every Papillon owner proud of our Papillon Junior Handlers.

1993 saw the issue of the first Northern and Eastern Papillon Club Calendar. Papillon photographs are sent from all over the country and 12 (one for each month of the year) are chosen at the July Show, when exhibitors vote for their favourite photographs. The calendars are so popular that they are often sold out well before the start of the year.

1999 saw the issue of our first Club Newsletter. An effective way of informing all our Club members about the exciting plans we have for events throughout the year and an excellent way to keep in touch with those Papillon enthusiasts who may not attend the Club Shows, but who are still very valued members of our Club.

Technology has at last caught up with the Northern and Eastern Papillon Club. This, the Clubs own Web Site, went on-line in December 1999 thanks to the work carried out by Kevin Allison (Giverny) assisted by Carol Hatch (Macstrak) and Dorothy Simpson on the page content. We are now able to 'Log On' and have the Northern and Eastern Counties Papillon Home Page as our No 1 Favourite!

The new millennium gave the club a new mandate to forge ahead with bold and fresh ideas. The club had always been "well off" due in no small part to the superb generosity of its members. The officers and committee have always been very mindful of the responsibility that goes with this generosity and under their trusteeship had invested the members' money with the utmost care. By the year 2000, that care had been rewarded with the accrual of a most generous bonus. So it was felt that the year 2000 should be marked by the club in a way not to be forgotten. To this end the officers and committee, to show their appreciation for the loyal support that has been forthcoming from the members, embarked upon a year of "specials." - the various competitions, raffles and draws, the free tea, coffee and free catalogue at the Members' Limited Show. A free raffle for the beautiful papillon tapestry. £75 and £25 given for the Best in Show and Best Puppy at the Open Show that year culminating in the "£2000 for 2000!" - the fabulous £2000 prize money for the Championship Show. These were just some of the ways that the Northern and Eastern Counties Papillon Club started the new millennium.

By 2001, the club had outgrown its traditional venue at Drax, near Selby, for the March Members' Limited Show and July Open Show - the place just wasn't big enough. The committee cast its net in search of a bigger and better venue, but still in the same area of Yorkshire. The March Limited Show 2002 was held at the new venue at Thorpe Willoughby, west of Selby, a recently completed village hall - light and airy - and at over 3000 square feet in area, ideal for dog shows.

2003 will see the November Championship Show move to a new venue, but still in the same area of Yorkshire. The Goole Leisure Centre has additional facilities, is only two miles from motorway access and has plenty of parking for exhibitors.

The Northern and Eastern Counties Papillon Club is a relatively young Club, but we are a Club based on good teamwork and supported by a loyal and growing membership. We look forward to the future with excitement and enthusiasm and we will continue to help further the Breed and to maintain and improve the standard along the way.