Well thats it - our second season is over. I admit that I always feel a bit sad at the end of the year - I much prefer beginnings to endings. The birds are all well and looking forward to their Xmas lunch tomorrow :-) As expected - it has been an eventful year. Visitor-number wise, it has been a massive success. We are over 80% up on last year. A massive thank you to everyone who has visited - it wouldnt be the same without you. We bred our first birds too including both Griffon Vultures and Grey Buzzard Eagles. We lost a member of staff in May. This was not expected and left the bird staff much depleted. Well - when the chips are down, you find out who your friends really are. Anabelle - you were a legend, and Ill never ever forget the professionalism, commitment and hard work you put in whilst we were a man down. We hosted the inaugural Raptor Fair in June. What a huge success it was. Lots of visitors, happy exhibitors, great flying demos, inspiring seminars and great feedback. Many thanks have to go to Bob Dalton, Nigel King, Mark Habben, Simon Jewitt and all the others who helped so much. August saw Jimmy joining the team. He was thrown in right at the deep end and he responded by hitting the ground running. Jimmy has been like a breath of fresh air. Oh - and thanks for towing my van out today! Emma and Toby have both made the shop really work for us. Emmas ability to choose items to sell in the shop has led to a very significant increase in revenue for us. Running the shop and entrance gate isnt the most glamorous of jobs, but it is an essential part of the centre. Tobys efforts on the Raptor Fair website and his ability to fix my permanently knackered laptop are worthy of mention. Andi has proved to be the most amazing volunteer. Andi gives up his days off to come and help us keep the place clean and smart. I hope he knows how much his efforts are appreciated. Then there are all the other people who make ICBP Duncombe what it is. I am bound to miss a load of people off this list - but these people include Jemima and the ICBP Newent staff, all the staff from the Helmsley Estate, Jake and Raffa, Mr Saggers, Mark and the staff at Battleflatts Vets, Linda Wright, and Vicki, my wife for putting up with me. Merry Christmas and a Happy and peaceful New Year. Well see you in 2015. Charlie
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 17:58:35 +0000
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