North Somerset Bird of Prey Centre

Smallway Leisure Park

Smallway

Congresbury

BS49 5AA

License no: 80551

Breeding License: 35243

07557 785621

nsbopc@aol.co.uk

Please contact 07557 785621 and leave a message for availability and bookings or email us at nsbopc@aol.co.uk

COVID-19 Statement

20.06.20 - We are now taking bookings for private family/group bookings where you can enjoy exclusive use of the North Somerset Bird of Prey Centre and have the place to yourselves in a safe and secure environment.

Admission - £5 adults & £4 children, under 2s are free.

Session times are 10.00-11.00, 11.30-12.30, 1.00-2.00, 2.30-3.30, 4.00-5.00.

Sessions MUST be pre booked and paid. All bookings are non-refundable and non-transferrable. Please email nsbopc@aol.co.uk to book.

Information for visitors;

Face masks and not compulsory but you are welcome to bring them if you wish.

Visitors will be asked to wait outside until their designated time slot when they will be greeted by a member of staff. If you are late, your session will not be extended as we need to deep clean in between groups.

You will be asked to sanitise your hands on arrival. There are multiple hand washing stations and hand sanitiser stations around the centre.

All contact points are being disinfected regularly including door handles, stand off barriers and glass windows, but we do ask you to minimise touching windows and barriers wherever possible.

We do not allow visitors to put fingers into enclosures for your own safety as well as that of our animals. Anyone seen attempting to do so will be asked to leave.

If your group is made up of people not from the same household or bubble, social distancing must be maintained throughout your visit in line with the latest government advice.

Do not turn up without a pre-arranged booking as you will be turned away.

Please be patient with staff as we are still working under pressure with a skeleton animal care team and no admin staff. We will work through all messages and emails as quickly as possible.

Animal contact is still prohibited therefore Experiences and animal handling are not currently taking place.

12.06.20 - Just an update on where we stand with reopening. As you may have heard the government has decided this week that zoos, safari parks, farm parks, falconry centres and other outdoor animal attractions can reopen from 15th June. This really is fantastic news and a much needed lift for the industry. 

Sadly we won’t be reopening from Monday. Most of our income comes from our Open Days and our Experiences. It is not possible to do either safely with the current 2m social distancing guidance and our main priority is keeping our staff, animals and of course you, our visitors safe. 

You have been amazing throughout this closure, generous, supportive and kind. Without you we are certain we would not be here now. If you can bare with us a little longer we hope to have a few things in place for July so we can start raising our own funds once again. 

We are looking at bringing in Private Family/Group Bookings where you can enjoy exclusive use of the North Somerset Bird of Prey Centre and have the place to yourselves in a safe and secure environment. We are still in the process of finalising all the plans and we will post as soon as we have everything in place with details on how to book. 

Experience days will take a little longer to get up and running again as we want to make sure we can provide a safe and fun experience without compromising on our hands on and interactive approach. If you have a gift voucher that was due to expire after 1st March 2020, we will be automatically adding on an additional 6 months from the date we resume our experiences so that you will still be able to use your voucher. 

All of the above is subject to change as the guidance is changing regularly and it is very difficult to make firm plans right now. Once again thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support and if you are in a position to help us there are a few ways below in which you can help ?

? Donations; https://www.paypal.me/nsbopc

? Amazon Wish List; https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/29QN2H5LGAQ2G/ref=cm_wl_huc_view

? Fundraiser; https://www.gofundme.com/f/north-somerset-bird-of-prey-centre-needs-your-help?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

? Fruit & Veg donations, towels and blankets can be left in the donations bin at our front gate
 

22.05.20 - UPDATE - We are still closed as per the latest government advice and we are now entering our 10th week of forced closure. We are incredibly grateful to have received a government grant however with running costs on average £1,500 per week just to cover food bills, heating and electric and veterinary costs, we are now running very low on funds.  Our supporters have been incredible lifting us with not only their kind donations but also their support and kind words.  We know for sure that we wouldn't still be here now if it wasn't for you all.

If you are able to help us at this time we would really appreciate it. Below are the links to our fundraiser and PayPal as well as our Amazon Wish List which has some essential items we need. We are particularly in need of animal food, supplements and heat bulbs.

PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/nsbopc

Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/north-somerset-bird-of-prey-centre-needs-your-help?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

Amazon Wish List: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/registry/wishlist/29QN2H5LGAQ2G/ref=cm_wl_huc_view

As always you can keep up to date with our latest news and developments on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. Take care all and we hope to see you real soon.

22.03.20 - We have made the tough, but necessary, decision to close our doors until further notice. We are devastated by this news but must continue to stay positive and act in the best interests of our animals and staff at this time. As always, bookings and experiences are non refundable, however under the circumstances and as a goodwill gesture, we are offering anyone with a cancelled booking or event, a credit towards future bookings with us. Gift vouchers and experiences which are due to expire whilst we are closed will also be extended free of charge. 

We don't want to add fuel to the hysteria, but if things carry on as they are now, we will be in trouble.  We are already struggling after our toughest winter and we have been hit hard in what should be our busiest time. We understand this virus is affecting everyone in some way and many businesses are under pressure. However, with over 150 animals to look after, we can't lock the doors and send staff home, we can't turn off the lights and heating, cancel our food bills or stop any of the overheads which continue to pile on top of us. If anybody has thought about ever doing an experience with us, please now is the time. Vouchers can be purchased now and used at a later date- https://www.nsbopc.co.uk/experiences-gift-vouchers/

It has also been suggested that we set up a go fund me page and you will find the link below.

We know times are tough for everyone and we don't expect anything but please know anything you can send, no matter how small will really make a difference and 100% will go towards the animals and their care. We will continue to update you all with the animals stories and what's going on at the centre via our social media pages and hope we can provide you all with a smile and a bit of light relief during these challenging times. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/north-somerset-bird-of-prey-centre-needs-your-help?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

17.03.20 - Currently all of our Experience Days, Encounters and Outreach Visits are continuing as normal.  Our experiences always take place outside, in the fresh air and in small groups.  We have ample hand sanitiser available and on site hand washing facilities.  As is the nature of working with animals, all our staff practice a very high standard of hygine including regularly washing hands and disinfecting surfaces.  All equipment is cleaned thoroughly between sessions and we maintain a high level of cleanliness throughout the centre.  In addition to our normal measures, we will be asking visitors to use hand sanitiser on arrival at the centre and at regular invervals throughout each experience.

If you have a booking for a Bird of Prey Encounter or a Falconry Day, please note the cafe that usually provides the cream teas is now closed so we will not be able to provide any cream teas at this time.  We have added additonal bird handling to each of these experiences as a way of making this up to customers so you will not loose out and will get even more quality time with the birds.  We also understand if you choose to postpone your experience to a time when the cream teas may once again be provided.

We understand if anyone chooses not to attend their experience and we ask that you follow the latest government advice concerning isolation if this applies to you.  Anyone wishing to postpone a booking can do so free of charge providing a minimum of 7 days notice is given.  If anyone would like to postpone a booking within the 7 day cancellation and rescheduling period would be subject to a £5 per person rebooking fee.  We are happy to extend vouchers expiry dates free of charge providing you have contacted us with all of the voucher details prior to it expiring.  Any events that are postponed, as a gesture of good will, we will offer credit towards any future bookings with us.  More updates will be added here as and when we get them.  If you have any concerns or questions please feel free to email us at nsbopc@aol.co.uk

We truely hope you will be able to continue to support us at this incredibly difficult time and we ask that you consider purchasing a gift voucher that can be used at a later date as all of our gift vouchers are valid for 12 months.  Acts of kindness like these will be the difference in small businesses like ours staying on our feet and being able to continue with our important rescue and educational work.  Our staff are working tiresley around the clock to still provide our animals with the excellent care they are use to.

If you are able to donate, 100% of your donation will go toward the care of our animals and the wild animals that we rescue. Thank you.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND LATEST NEWS

Licensing Update:

As of 1st Arpil 2019, all Animal Activities must be licensed which includes animal encounters, village fetes and fairs, bird of prey displays, educational talks for schools and childrens groups, animal therapy visits to hospitals and care homes, childrens parties, etc. 

If there is an animal involved in anyway, then the company requires this license.  This is to ensure higher welfare standards for the animals being used and greater public safety. 

We are fully licensed for both Exhibiting Animals (80551) and Breeding (35243).

We are also fully insured.

If booking a company that has animals, please ensure they are licensed as it is now a legal requirement.  Anyone operating without this license will be doing so illegally and their Public Libility Insurance will aslo be void.

'In the end we will only conserve what we love.

We only love what we understand.

                        We will understand only what we are taught.'  Baba Dioum