west of england falconry
Bath
West of England Falconry (WoEF) was established in 2009 inspired by Director Jay
Marshall’s lifelong interest in ornithology. WoEF is a registered charity
dedicated to the well-being, education and conservation of birds of prey. “It
was an experience similar to the ones we now offer the public which prompted me
to learn more about falconry. After working with experienced falconers I started
to develop a private collection and aviaries of my own. West of England Falconry
started in 2009 and has subsequently been granted charitable status in 2013”
says Jay. Experiences have always been well reviewed and continued to grow in
popularity. WoEF received their first TripAdvisor certificate of excellence in
2015 and have done every year since and is now in the 'Hall of Fame'. In 2015
Naomi Johns met Jay and started working with him as a volunteer. Today Naomi now
runs the centre alongside a brilliant team of staff and volunteers. WoEF’s work
aims to benefit both wild and captive birds of prey through training and (very
importantly) rescue and rehabilitation. Education, information and promoting and
sustaining the art of falconry are also a high priority. Due to redevelopment
proposals forcing relocation at short notice in early 2017, WoEF moved to Newton
St Loe, where the local Duchy of Cornwall office supported us by providing
larger premises. WoEF took full advantage of this opportunity and opened The
Owlery in October 2017 with 15 more resident birds. WoEF received a Gold award
for the Learning Experience of the year in the Bristol, Bath and Somerset
Tourism Awards in November 2017, and then went on to accept the Silver award for
the whole of the South West. In April 2019, DEFRA granted WoEF a Zoo License,
becoming Baths first Zoo, commending a high standard of animal care and
commitment to charitable conservation and education activities. In November of
2019 West of England Falconry received a further four Bristol, Bath and Somerset
tourism awards for the Small Visitor Attraction of the year, International
Tourism, the Learning Experience of the year and for Accessibility and
Inclusivity. 'We have come a long way in recent years, but we will of course
continue to inspire visitors, to conserve, to work harder for a safer future for
wild birds of prey, for the environment and for falconry' says Director Naomi
Johns. West of England Falconry Ltd. is a not-for-profit company limited by
guarantee. Its company number is 07495749, its charity number is 1152982. The
company's correspondence address is: The Grain Store, Newton St Loe, Bath, BA2
9BT.
