No hope of Birdman in Bognor until 2010

The world famous competition is not going to return to the town until 2010 at the earliest.

Arrangements are already underway for the contest's second year at Worthing '“on August 22 and 23, 2009.

International Bognor Birdman Ltd chairman Barry Jones said it was already too late to start making arrangements for the contest of whacky flyers to take off from Bognor Pier next summer.

But he urged town councillors to support the return of the crowd-pulling competition for the year after.

"If we are going to get Birdman back, we have to have the council's support.

"I think we deserve that. We would not have run it for the past three years without the council's support."

He presented two reports from the oceanography departments at Southampton and Bangor universities which stated that Birdman could still take place off Bognor.

"I am passionate about Bognor and I do feel we should make the effort to return Birdman to where it belongs," he commented.

"We can do it quite safely. Birdman is an extreme sport. It's no different from skiing where you accept you might break an arm or a leg."

Competitors were also fully insured and made well aware of the risks, he continued.

The five members of the town council's events committee unanimously agreed to back the Birdman's return.