Lucy and Chestnut the Tawny Owl have a chat

As with so many people, our association with the Hawk Conservancy Trust started as a Saturday afternoon visit. After moving to Basingstoke in 2000, my husband and I had driven past the brown signs on the A303 a number of times and thought we’d pop in for a quick visit. It was so unlike any bird park we had visited before that from the first entry, we were hooked. What made the Conservancy stand out from the others is how much everyone involved loves their work. From the birds, to the falconers to the staff in the gift shop and Duffy’s, there is a buzz about the place that we’ve experienced nowhere else.

Willing Volunteers

We joined the Trust and attended every members’ night we could, feeling very fortunate to be part of such a special place.  We enjoyed the benefits of membership, including the unlimited visiting, so much that we couldn’t help but feel that the Trust was doing more for us than we were for it. The enthusiasm of the staff that we noticed on that very first visit became infectious and we decided to get more involved ourselves.

We soon discovered that the Trust provides a wide range of opportunities for volunteering.  The most popular are the Working Days held during the closed season.  These days, of which there are two or three per year, are held on a Saturday and are open to all members who wish to lend a hand around the park.  The work is largely physical, with raking leaves, painting fences, building aviaries and burning things high on the agenda, but the staff always finds work to suit all Members.

Julianne dishes out the well-earned Coffees

Being heavily pregnant with my first baby didn’t get me off the hook; I was quickly put to work making coffee and tea, taking photos and doing the lunch run to the chip shop!   As soon as Lucy, pictured above with Chestnut, is old enough to hold a rake, I’m sure she will be put to work too!

Lucy gave her first interview for South Today

From the Working Days our volunteering took different directions.  With my day job in Publishing in mind, I became involved in the proofreading of Hawk Talk as well as the processing of the finished copies and inserts for mailing.  My husband, a software engineer, started work on a membership database and occasionally assists with the website.  Over the years I have lent a hand on both Owls By Torchlight and Fly by Night (the art exhibition and flying display held in 2005) and helped create an audience for the BBC South Today filming described in the June 2006 issue of this magazine.

Together, we have also spent a few Bank Holidays inviting visitors waiting for admission to the park to support its work by filling out Gift Aid forms.  While this role doesn’t provide the same physical satisfaction of looking back on a newly-painted fence at the end of a long day, it is one of the most important; valuable extra revenue is raised for the Trust through the reclaiming of tax provided for by the Gift Aid programme and volunteers are always needed for holidays and other busy times. It’s also great fun seeing the look on people’s faces as they leave; it’s hardly necessary to ask if they’ve enjoyed themselves, and it’s much easier than raking wet leaves for six hours on a rainy November day.

One of the best things about the Trust’s approach to its volunteers is how much it values everyone’s skills, no matter what they are, as well as however much time one has to give; volunteers are treated with kindness and appreciation whether they give an hour of their time or are regular staff members.  Indeed, only after working as volunteers ourselves did we realise how much the daily running of the park depends on its unpaid staff; many falconers and other essential staff are freely giving of their time in support of a common interest.  The Trust could not exist without its volunteers and Ashley makes sure every single one of us knows how much our support is appreciated.

Outside Duffys coffe shop on a working day in December

Help from those with particular trades like plumbing or building is always appreciated, but the most important skill is enthusiasm.  For our part, we look forward to every Working Day and issue of Hawk Talk as a chance to give something back to the Trust and to meet up with the wonderful staff and volunteers we have met over the years. I will always remember Ashley mentioning that some volunteers came from as far as the Netherlands to rake leaves on Working Days.  Before I became a member of the Trust I would not have believed tales of such dedication on the part of volunteers.  Now that we are part of it, we wonder how far we’d have to move to be kept away!

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