West Of England Falconry

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.