Folkestone Owl Sanctuary

I popped into town today to go and see Brian Maxted and his Owls from the Folkestone Owl Sanctuary. They are usually outside Asda every other Saturday to educate people on these lovely creatures and raise much needed funds for the sanctuary. The lovely little fella above is Alby, the skateboarding Barn Owl! I should add that Alby is not 'forced' to skateboard in any way, he actually enjoys it, and his talent was discovered one day when a little boy visiting the stall put his skateboard down and Alby hopped on to it.

To see a video of Alby skateboarding and to hear Bryan talk about him and the other owls click here:
 Alby the Skateboarding Owl

Apart from loving these magnificent birds, I had another reason to go and visit; the Owl Sanctuary is struggling financially and I wanted to go and introduce myself to Bryan and Co. because I've been wondering if there is anything I can do to help them raise funds. There are several initiatives to help raise cash for them, one of them is Manor Veterinary Clinic's cake sale on Monday 13th August, and I have been talking to Keith at Googie's Art Cafe and running a few errands to help him plan the Save our Owl Sanctuary event which is due to take place on the Bank Holiday weekend of 25th, 26th & 27th August.

It looks to be an awesome weekend, and I'm sure I'll post more about the upcoming events soon.

I've also made a few things to be sold in aid of the sanctuary. The only finished items at the moment are these Owl Purses in Michael Miller fabric. They have owl print both sides, a zip closure and are lined in grey cotton. I am selling them at £5 each, with £4 going to the Sanctuary, and £1 covering some of the material costs (mostly the zip!). If you would like one, click on the link above which will take you to my Facebook page

Once I have finished the other work to be sold on their behalf I will post it here, so please check back.

In the meantime, here's more photos of Owls!

The Eagle Owls, looking magnificent. They were a bit hot as the sun had moved round and Brian moved them into the shade as soon as I had taken this photo.

This is Jem, a Snowy Owl.

Here's two more photos of Alby, entertaining the crowds. He isn't tied to the board, the clip around his leg is used to stop him flying away, and the other piece of string tows the skateboard. Alby isn't a 'performing' owl, and the Sanctuary are very conscious of preserving his dignity, so he doesn't usually perform on request but made an exception for me! I'm so honoured!

For more information on the Folkestone Owl Sanctuary click here for their website. You can donate or sponsor an owl.

If you'd like to donate a raffle or auction prize, perform with your band, or have any other ideas to raise money please click Here which will lead you to Googie's facebook page so you can contact Keith or Tom.