The father and son partnership of Mark and Dick Evans from Whitley Bridge, North Yorkshire is one of the most successful and consistent breeding and racing lofts in all of Great Britain. It holds records in several different organisations, and has won hundreds of first prizes at Club and Federation level with up to and over 5,000 birds competing. In the last six years the results achieved in Classic and National races have been fantastic, acclaimed as among the best achieved in British pigeon racing. Mark has his own haulage transport business, but Dick now is retired, giving him the time to dedicate to his sport.

After years of research, enthusiasm and hard work Mark and Dick have achieved their ambition of breeding a family of pigeons that will win from 70 miles through to 500 miles, coupled with the ability to perform in all weather conditions, whether it be a hard or easy day. Example of this came in 1997 Mark and Dick joined the Northern Classic in which their very first race with the club they entered 9 birds winning 1st & 2nd Sect, 1st & 2nd Open, also winning 19th, 20th & 27th Open, both first and second positions were claimed by hens. The winner from their Karel Herman family the other of Gaby Vandenabeele breeding. Also a result I must mention is the Conisborough Open. This race is open to members in all four counties of Yorkshire and attracts some of Yorkshires best. Mark and Dick have won this race on many occasions but breaking all records this year winning 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th Open.In 1998 Mark and Dick joined the Midlands National Flying Club. In the first race with the club they entered 30 birds to Thorness 203 miles winning 29th, 30th, 33rd, 71st, 94th, 117th, 126th, 138th & 150th Open when 672 Members sent 5,617birds.The second race that year was certainly the race to show this partnership in style, the race they had set out their stall for entering only 15 birds to Picauville approx. 300 miles. The birds were held over for 2 days then on their fifth day in the basket they were liberated in to a strong north, west wind and up to gale forces in the channel. Mark and Dick were winners of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 9th, & 14th Open Midlands National when 998 members sent 4,154 birds, please note this loft wants over one hundred miles over fly on the front lofts and on a strong N.W. wind. This is why this result was described by top fanciers and scribes from all over England to be the best U.K performance of 1998.

Myrtle Lofts goal is very simple, they want to breed the best racing pigeons in the world, and everything about their program is geared toward breeding better racing pigeons. This means that in the early years they spent a great deal of money and effort acquiring some of the finest genes available in the sport for the purpose of establishing a world class gene pool from which we could work. Once this was accomplished, the Evans's efforts shifted to evolving that gene pool. As they move forward in this regard, the famous birds that are the foundations of the lines become more distant in the pedigrees. However, the value of the birds produced should increase with each succeeding generation if the lofts are to be considered successful in our breeding program. Not everything sold will win or will breed a winner. However, thier success as breeders has to be measured by the success of many of thier customers who return year after year.
Myrtle Lofts do not mass produce to make large amounts of money, they only sell youngsters of the same breeding pairs we use to supply thier own racing lofts, which holds records in several different organisations, and have won hundreds of first prizes at Club and Federation level with up to and over 5,000 birds competing. In the last seven years the results achieved in Classic and National races have been described by top fanciers and scribes as fantastic, acclaimed as among the best achieved in British pigeon racing.

Their bloodlines have now won to date 21 x 1st Nationals in the last eight years