Stadium of dreams for dog racing fan
8:56am Thursday 9th February 2012 in News
A GREYHOUND racing enthusiast is fulfilling his dreams of reopening the Westhoughton stadium — and hopes it will help keep the sport alive.
Kevin Brown, aged 53, from St Helens, will open the stadium when Bolton Council approves his betting and alcohol application.
A whippet race, which does not involve betting, will take place on Sunday, February 19.
Mr Brown used to sell food at Westhoughton Greyhound Stadium in Wigan Road.
He said: “I have always been into the dog game. It is not about making money it is about keeping the sport going.
“There is plenty of interest but there’s not many flapping tracks now. We need all of the support we can get.”
Flapping is the name given to independent tracks, which are not regulated by the National Greyhound Racing Club.
There are 29 NGRC tracks and 14 flapping tracks in the UK.
Mr Brown said: “You don’t make much money from it.
If you break even you are doing well. It is just the buzz I get out of it that I enjoy.
“There will be four parttime staff and four casual staff who will be working at the stadium. I have got the old staff to take back on.
They are from Bolton, Westhoughton and Hindley.”
He expects the attraction to put Westhoughton on the map, with people coming from as far away as Scotland as well as Ellesmere Port and Wales.
Mr Brown has a two year contract for the stadium and hopes races will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Earlier this year the dreams of greyhound lover Jason Seddon, from Leigh, fell through when he was forced to abandon his plans to give the stadium a £100,000 revamp.
