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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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.

We are delighted to announce the final results for our 2019 Photographic Competition – keep watching to find out the overall winner.

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