i am running my first ultra marathon to raise awareness and funds for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's Barn Owl Recovery Project.

I feel a special affinity for owls as I have been privileged to look after captive bred Barn Owls and Little Owls through my ranger job role. Seeing the species up close on a daily basis has given me a real insight into their personalities and their unique characteristics. I currently care for a captive bred male Barn Owl...the Professor, he's quite a character! 

However, owls of course rightfully belong in the wild! Although captive bred birds can play a vital role in education initiatives and it is great to see them up close, it cannot compare to seeing them in the wild. I have had so many amazing encounters with wild owls over the years and they are experiences  that always brings awe and wonder! Barn Owl populations can be variable and they will go through cycles of increase and decline. They are a resilient species. However in recent years numbers across Gloucestershire have steadily dipped. They have many pressures in the wild...lack of nesting opportunities and casualties to traffic being just two of them.

 Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust's proactive initiative to boost their numbers across the county is a cause close to my heart. I wholeheartedly back their campaign and am prepared to put myself through some rigorous mileage to support them. It's going to be tough but well worth it to aid population recovery for this iconic countryside species.