Our names are Peter and Sandra Sackett and we have been regular visitors to the Hawk Conservancy Trust for the last nine years. Our first visit together was back in the summer of 1997. I had been to the Trust many years before when, after numerous trips to Cornwall, my parents got fed up with me saying “Can we go in there one day Mum?” each time that we passed the brown sign for the Trust, on the A303. As I had done all those years ago, Sandra fell in love with the place on her first visit, and it is a love that has never left us.

We used to visit about 3 or 4 times a year, but we moved house in 2002 which brought us slightly closer to the Trust and visits became more frequent. In the summer of 2005 we became members and we ended up visiting nearly every other week. We enjoyed all the displays, the friendliness and humour of the staff and we wanted to help out in any way that we could to try to give something back as a thank you for all the pleasure the Trust has given us. We helped out on the members’ work days which were great fun and very hard work. We ached in places we never knew we had, but it was all worth it. We really enjoyed helping, and we wanted to do more, but we weren’t brave enough to ask. Luckily we didn’t have to ask.

It was a freezing cold and windy day in January 2006 when we turned up for the final members’ working day before the February opening. We stood around waiting for a job to be given to us when Sandra spotted a sign saying “help wanted in the shop”. We didn’t have to think twice. The thought of spending a nice easy day in a warm place was too good to miss. We cleaned and re-stocked the shelves and had a general tidy up before the first day of the new season. At the end of the day we thanked Sonia for keeping us supplied with cups of coffee, and offered our services if any help was ever needed in the shop in the future. We never expected to hear anything, but a couple of weeks before the Easter bank holiday weekend we got a phone call…”Hello. This is Sonia from The Hawk Conservancy. What are you both doing over Easter?”

Peter and Sandra with the Gift Aid sign

We were asked if we could help with Gift Aid. For those of you who may not know, Gift Aid is a Government scheme where charities can claim tax back on donations made by UK taxpayers. This is a simple and very important scheme as all the extra money goes directly towards the cost of running the bird of prey hospital which is used to treat injured wild birds as well as birds at the Trust. So next time you are asked if you are paying the Gift Aid admission price, please say yes!

Our first Gift Aid day was on Good Friday. We were both a bit nervous, but soon got in to the swing of things. It is really enjoyable to meet all the visitors, to hear the stories of how many times they have passed the Hawk Conservancy, but never came in; people who have been visiting for years and hearing about their favourite birds and staff members, and excited children who can’t wait to start collecting the stamps hidden around the park, for their passports, although I think the excitement is more for the free lollypop than anything else. After the main bulk of visitors had arrived, we packed up the Gift Aid table and then helped out in the shop for the rest of the day. We enjoyed the day so much that we were back again on the Bank Holiday Monday to do it all over again. We have since helped out on most Bank Holiday weekends and every weekend during the school holidays, and love every minute of it.

We are both very proud and privileged to be able to help out at the Trust and hope to spend even more time there in 2007 as we are hopefully moving in to a cottage in Amport village, which will mean we will no longer have a 95 mile round trip every time that we visit. We are looking forward to the next phone call saying…”Hello Peter and Sandra, this is Sonia. What are you both up to this weekend?”