Eagle-eyed visitors to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway will have spotted something new this year. Haven Falconry has now become a fully-fledged attraction in its own right after almost £50,000 of investment. Island Business went along to find out more
Paul Martin, the owner of Haven Falconry, has been working with birds of prey since he was ten. He’d moved to the Island three decades ago as a boat builder but he returned to his first love six years ago when he set up Haven Falconry as a business.
“We don’t want to be just another bird of prey centre,” Paul explains. “I used to bring a small selection of birds from my nearby home over to the IW Steam Railway. People could get close to the birds and ask me questions so that they could learn more. A lot of bird of prey centres actually shy away from questions and don’t like visitors getting too close. We have a wealth of experience here and we really wanted to help with education, particularly around the barn owl. We like to entertain too so we do talks and demonstrations. Unfortunately almost all of the species that we have here are at risk in the wild and we think it’s important to tell that story.”
Paul opened Haven Falconry as an attraction in January this year. It’s been a big investment, with almost £50,000 being spent on aviaries and terracing the ground. There are around 80 birds on-site including barn owls, hawks and vultures which feature in two shows each day. Paul currently employs three staff, who are all trained to handle any situation. There are volunteers too, who are involved at every level.
“It’s more of a calling than a job,” explains Joanna Ling, Haven Falconry’s manager. “There’s not a lot of money to be made with animals. We’re lucky that everybody here adores what they do and it shows, whether they’re staff or volunteers. Zoo licenses are very stringent now and we’ve worked very hard. It’s like a family here.”
Jo started out as a volunteer in 2011, working her way up to a managerial role. Paul is ambitious and wants to double the size of his team by recruiting another three staff, also drawn from his core volunteers. He knows that the first year might be tough at times. The challenge for him is to make Haven Falconry stand out from the others in the Island’s already busy attractions sector. He’s not put off by naysayers that might warn against going into business as an animal attraction in the current climate.
“I’m very positive about the future. The Isle of Wight is a great place to be and we’re very busy. It’s obviously a challenge as a new business but we’re learning as we go. Attractions on the Island are all fighting for business but I would say it would be an advantage if we could all work together more. We often end up working in isolation and that’s a shame.”
Paul has a busy few months ahead, including corporate events as well as bookings at Island hotels, as well as Christmas events and lots of summer shows. Bookings are varied and the team work with care homes, as well as bringing their barn owls along to weddings where the birds deliver the “flight of the rings” as part of the marriage ceremony. The team are attending Bestival and Camp Bestival again too. “Rob da Bank and Josie have been really good to us,” Paul says. He’s also keen to reach out to Island schools.
“The main ambition is to educate families and children. My ambition is to be here until I retire! We have a very productive relationship with the IW Steam Railway who have supported us tremendously all of the way and visitors can buy joint tickets. We have a long term lease agreement and we’re still looking at ways to expand what we can do here. We’re going to be here a long time. My plan is to still be here when I’m 80, watching these guys running the attraction.”
First published in the May 2016 issue of Island Business Magazine.
