Protest at Hawk and Owl Trust nature reserve over management

A protest has been held at a bird of prey nature reserve over redundancies and its "method of management".

The action at the Hawk and Owl Trust at Sculthorpe Moor near Fakenham, was held by some former staff and volunteers.

They had written to the Charity Commission to express concerns about leadership and the use of funds.

The charity's chief operating officer, Adrian Blumfield, said any criticism was "unwarranted, misplaced and risks undermining" their work.

Mr Blumfield said it had carried out progressive changes which some people were "resistant to".

Protester Angela Glynn, who is also mayor of Fakenham and a former fundraiser for the trust, said 14 people out of a staff of "not very many" had left in the past four years.

"The protest is really about the poor management of resources and of people," she said.

"We see money being wasted, volunteers being used so badly, and we felt it was time to protest when the warden who founded the reserve was made redundant.

"The method of management threatens the reserve quite considerably."

She said some life members and volunteers had been banned from the site with their membership returned.

In a statement, Mr Blumfield said: "The Hawk and Owl Trust is a respected national charity dedicated to conserving wild birds of prey and their habitats.

"It has two well-managed nature reserves in Norfolk and Somerset. The trust is a well-run and governed organisation with an experienced trustee body.

"We understand that a small number of people previously connected with the charity are resistant to the positive progress and changes that have been made.

"Any criticism of the charity is completely unwarranted, misplaced and risks undermining the work being undertaken."

In its response, the Charity Commission said: "We carefully considered concerns raised with us about the governance of The Hawk and Owl Trust.

"Based on the information provided, we determined that there is no regulatory role for us at this time."

The commission also said it would look at any further complaints sent to them.

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