Retailers in Kendal’s Elephant Yard Shopping have launched a new initiative to offer a series of small treats to local charities and community groups throughout the year. The programme kicks off with a £100 donation to Paul Rose of Wise Owl World towards his fund to build new aviaries for his ever growing family of rescued owls.
Peter Boyd of Elephant Yard explains: “The Elephant Yard is a shopping centre that offers a wide choice of products and services to suit any budget. It’s a place where you can treat yourself during what may be a tough year for many people. As a group, the retailers wanted to support local community groups and charities on a regular basis. The idea behind the Elephant Yard Community Treats initiative is to offer small donations each month. So we’re inviting schools, charities and any group that serves the local community to apply for one of our treats.”
The first recipient of an Elephant Yard Community Treat is Paul Rose of Wise Owl World. Paul and his owls are a familiar sight at Elephant Yard. Every Wednesday between 10.30am and 4.30pm he gives visitors talks on the birds and allows people the opportunity to have direct contact with them. “Most people never get to see owls close up so we offer a safe environment where they can meet and touch the birds. Owls love people and are incredibly gentle and loving creatures. We even have one that likes to cuddle” Says Paul.
“Over the Christmas period alone we rescued over 20 owls that were abandoned, injured or badly treated. I’m sad to say the number of owls in need of a home is growing all the time. Our goal is to raise funds for new aviaries at our premises on Walney Island. We plan to achieve this through the sale of a series of prints and cards reproduced from some stunning paintings done especially for us by wildlife artist Catherine Bartle. The £100 will pay for the artwork scans to turn these amazing paintings into a range of products we can sell. Peter and Martin from Elephant Yard have been fantastic supporters of our work with the owls. This donation is a very welcome boost to our endeavours.”
If you would like to nominate a group, school, organisation or charity for an Elephant Yard Community Treat click the Community Treat link below!