| Wessex has also provided 50 sensory toys for a charity for children with severe learning difficulties |
Liberty’s Owl, Raptor and Reptile Centre based in Crow near Ringwood has received a boost after a company came forward to sponsor 50 of its birds.
The Wessex Group is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and each month is giving “50 somethings” to a good cause or charity.
Liberty’s has the largest collection of birds of prey in Hampshire’s New Forest and exists to educate people about the animals.
It is named after Liberty, an Alaskan Bald Eagle, and holds daily demonstrations and acts as a rescue centre for birds of prey that have been injured or need care.
Liberty's is also involved in many breeding and conservation projects with other centres and zoos both in the UK and abroad.
It is always looking for financial assistance to continue its work and the donation from Wessex Group will help.
Lynda Bridges, who owns Liberty’s, said: “We are very grateful to the Wessex Group for their help in sponsoring 50 of our birds.”
“Although we are a visitor attraction we rely on donations to operate.”
“As well as caring for the animals, working on breeding programmes and helping injured birds back into the wild we aim to educate as many people as possible.”
“We have birds of prey including owls, eagles and vultures as well as reptiles and other creepy crawlies and they all need looking after.”
“Thanks to Wessex Group we have been able to buy hand-made bow perches for the birds.”
Chris Stott, managing director of Wessex Fire & Security, one of the companies in the group, said: “Every month this year we are donating 50 somethings to a good cause or charity.”
“As we do lots of work in the New Forest, Liberty’s was an ideal centre to support.”
“Our logo at Wessex Fire & Security includes an owl so I was particularly pleased that the group will be helping these marvellous creatures.”
Wessex Group is based in Shaftesbury, Dorset, and is a hardy collection of companies that installs and/or maintains electrics, heating, air conditioning, plumbing, renewable energy, commercial catering equipment and fire and security systems across the south.
So far this year it has provided 50 sensory toys for a charity for children with severe learning difficulties, planted 50 yards of snowdrops in Shaftesbury, supported 50 animals at a rescue centre, donated 50 promotional packs to a dyslexia support group and given50 high-powered LED retrofit lamps to Gold Hill museum in Shaftesbury.