Thelma, Maddy and John Cobbold with Harris Hawks

The Cobbold family consists of Thelma, John and Madeleine, and we have been members of the Hawk Conservancy for more years than we can remember! We sponsor a bantam called Buffy, and Madeleine, the Secretary Bird, so our names may be familiar even if our faces are not.

At first, we were purely visitors to the park, but gradually we have become more and more involved, taking on the “one-off” jobs, as John puts it.

Our first big assignment was a request from Ashley to act as a normal family on a day out in the Park for a film unit (not too sure about the “normal”, Ashley!). They were producing a piece on places to eat out, for a programme called Al Fresco. We spent over 5 hours being filmed eating bacon baguettes, walking round the grounds and talking about how lovely a place the Hawk Conservancy is. When the programme was finally transmitted months later, we were on screen for approximately two minutes. We decided not to pursue film careers after this – too time consuming. However, Thelma did speak about being a Member on Radio Solent last year when their outside broadcast unit came to publicise the Park and its attractions. Another two minutes of fame!

Madeleine has been working in the Coffee Shop for three seasons now, and enjoys her Saturdays meeting the public, laying on birthday parties and manning the barbecue. For years she has wanted to fly a hawk so, for her 16th birthday, we bought her an Activity Day when she not only flew a hawk, but a Barn Owl, Bataleur Eagle, Black Kite, and helped launch the Bald Eagles for the 2 p m. show. It was a birthday to remember.

Apart from Members Days, most of our voluntary work is paperwork-based. When Mick Miles decided to retire as Mr.100 Club in May 2004, we agreed to take over and are enjoying the contact with those Members involved in the Club. Putting faces to names at the Members’ Nights is fun, and there is a lovely warm feeling as we post off £100 to the winner of the draw each month. Anyone who wants to be a winner can contact us through the HCT Office – we will be delighted to hear from you.

Most recently, we helped the office staff by organising the invitations, tickets and attendance lists for the Fly By Night weekend. It was a big job, but we enjoyed being part of what was a fantastic event, as anyone who attended will know.

Most of all, being a volunteer means being part of a like-minded family, and that makes it a very special experience. So here’s to the next project.

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