Press Releases

The British Falconry and Raptor Fair 2010 

For the twenty first year in succession the British Falconry and Raptor Fair would like to welcome falconers, raptor enthusiasts and country sports men and women from around the globe to this prestigious and unique event. Yes, the only major annual Falconry Fair in the world will soon be staged once again in the glorious setting of Chetwynd Park, near Newport in the beautiful Shropshire countryside. The Bank Holiday weekend of 2nd and 3rd of May will see a glorious celebration of falconry and raptors taking place in an extremely welcoming and convivial atmosphere.

The organisers of the event would like to proffer a warm welcome to our new principal sponsor in the form of Kiezebrink UK Ltd., the well respected supplier of top quality frozen foods for birds of prey as well as other birds and mammals. Kiezebrink, during their long association with the fair, have always been extremely enthusiastic supporters of the event and have now taken over the role of official sponsors.

Always keen to incorporate new ideas as well as retaining the very best of what has been presented before this year’s event will be bigger, brighter and hopefully more entertaining than ever before. As well as a superb static display of trained hawks and falcons on the traditional weathering ground we will also be joined this year by members of the United Kingdom Eagle Falconry Association. These gentlemen will have their own separate weathering area in which will be showing several trained hunting eagles on static display.

The main arena will also see a mixture of the very best of the old and the new with flying displays by two stalwarts of the event and also two new major displays. Jemima Parry-Jones will be giving two displays each day and these will inevitably be accompanied by her amusing as well as highly informative commentary. We are also pleased to welcome back long times friends of the event, the South East Falconry Group who will, as ever, no doubt put on a superlative flying display.

Two newcomers will be the Yorkshire Hawking Club and Alan Hender. A team from the Yorkshire club, under the chairmanship of Dale Johnson, will be putting on a display of simulated rabbit hawking which is very well presented and will be readily indentified with by a great many falconers visiting the fair. Alan is both a falconer and dog trainer of the very highest order and he will be giving two displays each day relating directly to the use of working dogs in the sport of falconry.

The clubs that represent falconry at both the grass roots and the national level will be very well represented as well as a number of the national clubs from outside of our shores. Such is the prestige of the event that most clubs feel the Falconry Fair is an event that they simply cannot afford to miss.

What really makes the Fair unique and stand out from the crowd of those that follow where we lead, is the depth and the diversity of the trade stands that are directly related to falconry. Whether it be basic everyday falconry equipment such as bells and gloves or more sophisticated items such as telemetry and incubators, all will be on show and available at the event.  Mixed in with the trade stands will be a selection of the country’s leading artists that specialise in falconry and bird of prey related subjects. Names such as Martyn Brook, Carl Bass and others of their ilk will be displaying their latest work. So too will photographers who specialise in hawking photography with Steve Magennis making his fifth successive appearance at the event.

As well as catering to the needs of the falconer the event also has plenty on offer for those that indulge themselves in other sports such as shooting and fishing in all its different guises. For the shooting man there will be a shooting school, a sporting clay shoot, black powder shooting and air gunning. For the fisherman there will be free fly-casting tuition with Derek Turner. For those that prefer the more traditional approach they can have a go at archery.

Those that love their canine companions, whether they are workers or plain pets, they are not forgotten and have a selection of activities tailored around them. BASC gundog events, dog agility, fun dog show, invitation Beagle show, Plummer Terrier Association  show  as well as the all the fun of Terrier and Lurcher shows. Of course we must not forget those that hunt with ferrets and they will have their own show on the Monday.

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The families of such folk are not forgotten either with a superb array of all the normal trade stands you would associate with a top class country show such as the Falconry Fair.  An ever popular and growing feature of the event is the Antique and Collectors Fair which is run alongside the superb Craft Fair. For the children there will be quad bikes, a bouncy castle as well as various other designated amusements.

Finally what show would be complete without various quality outlets that cater to the needs of the inner man. A fine selection of food and drink stalls will be offering a wide selection of hot and cold refreshments that should cover all tastes.

Don’t miss out on the fun and make sure that you are part of the 21st British Falconry and Raptor Fair; we look forward to seeing you.

For press information call the Show Office on 01588 672708.
Images available on request from 01743 359312