WIN a day with the Bird Team at the Hawk Conservancy Trust!

Enter our fundraising raffle to win this money-can’t-buy experience to be an extra member of our Bird Team for the day!

You and a friend will join us for a full day when we will invite you behind-the-scenes to areas not normally open to the public. You will have an opportunity to help with the day-to-day care of our birds, including handling, flying and enrichment sessions. Plus there’ll be a chance to work with a variety of species that call the Hawk Conservancy Trust home, whilst learning more about the techniques we use to train our birds.

On this special day, there will also be an opportunity for you to be involved in one of our three world-class flying displays!

During the day, we’ll also give you an insight into some of the techniques we use to create the flying displays that we are best-known for. With an expert at your fingertips, this will be the perfect time for you to ask everything you wish to know about working with our impressive birds and the Trust.

Please note that the exact activities included in this special experience may vary from those advertised and will be dependent on the time of year booked.

Raffle will close at midnight on 31 December 2023, and be drawn on Monday 1 January 2024 and notified within the week.

Terms and Conditions apply

From this May half term, discover the fascinating world of some of the trees we have here at the Trust on our brand new Tree Trail!

At the Hawk Conservancy Trust, we are all about conserving birds of prey and their habitats: trees are vital habitats to many birds of prey and the food they eat. Our 22 acre grounds are home to over 80 different species of tree, the most common including Elder, Silver Birch, Hornbeam, Hazel, Beech, Ash and Hawthorn.

As well as native species, we also have 45 non-native tree species which create a home for many different species, increasing habitats for our beautiful British wildlife. Most of the trees on site were planted by the founders of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, and we are planning on planting more native species in the coming years!

This May half term, be sure to collect your handout and join us on this inspiring new addition to our timetable to find out why trees are so vital and what we can do to help conserve our beautiful British wildlife. Fun for the whole family, follow the trail around our grounds to see and learn about these 11 different tree species, as well as the conservation and research we are undertaking at the Trust to continue conserving birds of prey and their habitats.

Bringing children along? Get the kids involved with deciphering the secret message we’ve hidden along the way!

Join us on this fascinating Tree Trail to discover all about trees, which species call them home, and how we can help trees that benefit our beautiful native wildlife.

National Bird of Prey Hospital^TM Manager Cedric Robert is once again lacing up his running shoes and hitting the road in his first attempt at the London Marathon to raise money for the Hawk Conservancy Trust!

Inspired by the incredible effort and support of Bird Team member and Registrar Ryan Stephens, who ran the London Marathon last year and raised nearly £12,000 for the National Bird of Prey Hospital^TM, Cedric wanted to do his part to support the Trust.

This time around, Cedric has chosen to raise funds to support the work of our UK Conservation Biologist Matt Stephens, and his hard work on our Raptor Nest Box Project!

Speaking on his marathon bid, Cedric said:

“Ryan did such an amazing job of running his first ever marathon last year, and raising so much money for the National Bird of Prey Hospital^TM at the same time, the area of the Hawk Conservancy Trust that I manage! It’s now only fair I put my running shoes back on and do my part to help another team member at the Trust with the area they look after.  A bit like the relay baton, I suppose!

I am so excited to be taking part in the 2023 London Marathon in April, raising funds for our incredible Raptor Nest Box Project. This project is very close to my heart. Matt (Dr Matt Stevens, UK Conservation Biologist) and I work closely together when wild birds of prey come into our National Bird of Prey Hospital^TM. The condition of these sick, orphaned or injured birds can give us an indication of what life is like for wild birds around the country. By understanding how these birds end up coming into our care, we can find out how we can help to conserve them.

I want to run this marathon to help Matt to continue the conservation work of UK species of birds of prey such as Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, Little Owls and Kestrels. This is a project that is really special to me because I treat and work with many of these wild species when they are brought to the hospital. It is especially important for Kestrels and Tawny Owls, who’s UK Conservation status’ are both Amber. I am hoping to raise enough money to fund new equipment for Matt, who spends most of his time out in the field installing, repairing and monitoring over 1000 nest boxes – his dedication is truly inspiring. This equipment will help us learn more about the lives of these birds in the wild, and what we can do to help them.

Each time we successfully rehabilitate and release a bird back into the wild after treatment in our Hospital, I wonder whether they’ll end up using one of our nest boxes to build a family. Wouldn’t that just be incredible?”

Cedric is a seasoned marathon runner, with multiple marathons under his belt. He actually prefers off-road marathons running through the countryside, and has only ever taken part in one road marathon in the past. His fastest time ever for a marathon in the countryside was an outstanding 3 hours and 52 minutes – imagine how fast he might be on London’s tarmacked streets!

If you’d like to support Cedric’s efforts in raising enough money to fund new equipment for our Raptor Nest Box Project, you can make a donation on Cedric’s fundraising page here.

Competition now closed.

Enter our Winter Woodland Lights Facebook competition to win two tickets to our sparkling Winter Woodland Lights event!

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This raffle has now closed.

Enter our fundraising raffle to win this money-can’t-buy experience to be an extra member of our Bird Team for the day!

You and a friend will join us for a full day when we will invite you behind-the-scenes to areas not normally open to the public. You will have an opportunity to help with the day-to-day care of our birds, including handling, flying and enrichment sessions. Plus there’ll be a chance to work with a variety of species that call the Trust home, whilst learning more about the techniques we use to train our birds.

On this special day, there will also be an opportunity for you to be involved in one of our three world-class flying displays!

During the day, we’ll also give you an insight into some of the techniques we use to create the flying displays that we are best-known for. With an expert at your fingertips, this will be the perfect time for you to ask everything you wish to know about working with our impressive birds and the Trust.

Please note that the exact activities included in this special experience may vary from those advertised and will be dependent on the time of year booked.

Raffle will close at midnight on 31 December 2022, and be drawn on Monday 2 January 2023 and notified on the same day.

Terms and Conditions apply

We’re excited to share that our Registrar and Bird Team member, Ryan Stephens is taking part in this year’s London Marathon. Ryan is hoping to raise £6500 to support the vital work of the National Bird of Prey Hospital^TM. He has never run a marathon before – so it is a big challenge!

Ryan shares his story about finding solace in running, and how your support can make a difference:

“Growing up I was never really a sporty person. I enjoyed playing a little bit of badminton and tennis, but apart from that, I was always side-lined during PE lessons. However, I used to love doing cross-country runs, and I used to be pretty good at it!

Fast-forward 20 years, long distance running is still the only sport that I really enjoy and it is a fantastic way to relieve anxiety. I started to fully commit to distance running during the first COVID-19 lockdown, as like most people, I had little else to do. I put my running shoes on and off I went!

It was at this time I set myself my first major challenge of completing a half marathon around Reg’s Wildflower Meadow to fundraise just a little of the money the Trust lost. Together we raised just over £4000! I was blown away by the support and warmth from everyone, especially two of my fellow Bird Team members, Ben Cox and Ria May, who were instrumental to the success we had.

At the beginning of 2022, I found myself in quite a rut. It seemed to be a very wet and murky winter which felt never ending. I caught a nasty virus which caused quite a lot of anxiety and left me feeling pretty low. Just when I started to feel back to myself again, a place became available to participate in this year’s London Marathon thanks to Investec, the Trust’s official partners. I jumped at the opportunity, as I needed something to get myself back on track with a focus. The opportunity to train and raise funds for the Trust was just what I needed!

This will be the biggest challenge I have yet to undertake in my life, but under the guidance of marathon veteran and our National Bird of Prey Hospital^TM Manager Cedric Robert, and the support from everyone at the Trust, I know I can do it. I hope to raise a fantastic amount for the National Bird of Prey Hospital^TM – It is just the most uplifting feeling to see a young Tawny Owl come into the hospital in a sorry state and, with Cedric and his team’s care, returned back into the wild fit and healthy. Having worked and lived so closely with owls over the years, it is a well-known at the Trust that the owls (as well as the donkeys) are my favourites!

Roll on October, and look out for my training progress and updates along the way! I’m hoping you can help me beat my £4000 half-marathon figure and get somewhere near the amazing £8000 that Gary Benton raised in 2016 when he ran the London Marathon! Wouldn’t it be amazing if I beat him?”

Donate to Ryan’s fundraising page here.