Cow's about that... Frank wins bull-runner honour (From Andover Advertiser)

Cow's about that... Frank wins bull-runner honour

4:00pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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HE HAS put his life on the line by running from raging bulls in a Spanish town year after year, and has been just inches from death.

Now, Frank Taylor’s feats have been recognised as he has been named “Guiri Del Ano” – Foreigner of the Year – at the Pamplona festival, famous for its bull-running tradition.

Frank, 77, is the first British person to receive the honour, which is given to someone who has contributed most to the international flavour of the festival.

Already in the Basque region of Spain, Frank and his wife Sheila will enjoy Guiri day tomorrow, where he will attend a huge party alongside previous winners of the Guiri del Ano title.

In his younger years, the Dogmersfield resident loved nothing more than the morning thrill of facing the Pamplona bulls which storm through the town’s streets at 6am, hunting those brave enough to take them on.

The thrill of being involved in the chase could quite easily have cost Frank his life – and one time he was just inches away when another man was mauled by the bulls and died.

Frank said: “It is great fun when you are young but it can be quite dangerous, particularly if you are knocked over and trampled under foot. Every year someone is either killed or seriously injured.

“The closest I came to trouble was in 1975 when there was a huge bull right behind me and I had to leap up and grab a hook in the wall to pull myself clear.

“The poor bloke behind me wasn’t so lucky. He was trapped and gored to death and I saw it all from just a few feet away.”

The bull-running, which happens every day for a week during the festival, is the trademark of the “fiesta” and sees the bulls run through boarded-up streets to the town’s bull ring.

Frank and wife Sheila have been attending the Pamplona festival since 1969, and Frank only stopped partaking in the risky bull runs at the age of 62.

As part of Frank’s responsibility as the new Guiri, three members of the festival awards committee spent three days in Hampshire, culminating with a Spanish night at the Barley Mow at Winchfield.

Even the festival mascot Mr Testes, a bright blue bull, came along to attend the celebration, bringing the trademark red panuelos for all the revellers to wear.

Frank, a former Thames TV outdoor broadcast unit engineering manager, is no stranger to big challenges, walking 2000km from Dogmersfield to Santiago de Compostela for charity. Frank raised 30,000 euros for cancer research after his son Guy died from the disease.

And although he is now in his late 70s, Frank still travels all over the world to take part in the World Veterans Swimming Championships.

He said: “The best I’ve done is fourth place, but in September, in Cadiz, in Spain, I hope to get among the medals. However, it will have to go a long way to beat being chosen as Guiri Del Ano.”

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