AWAY WITH THE BIRDS
It was a surprise Christmas gift which sent 20 year old
Aimee Kujawa away with the birds - and on a fast track
to becoming the North West's only professional lady falconer
with a job at one of Britain's leading bird of prey centres.
A falconry experience voucher presented to her by
her mum gave her hands-on experience with the range
of wild birds owned by Cheshire Falconry at Blakemere
Craft Centre near Northwich, and opened the doors to
a new career. Now Aimee is a member of Cheshire Falconry's
talented team of falconers who give displays in handling
the wild birds to individuals, groups and corporate
parties throughout the region.
'Clients are sometimes surprised when they arrive
for a display to see a young woman in charge of events,'
said Cheshire Falconry managing director Steve Birchall.
'But they soon realise that they, and the birds, are
in expert hands.
'Aimee has a natural affinity with the birds that
shone through from the minute she arrived here as a
customer who wanted to enjoy the experience of handling
our falcons, owls and eagles. She's worked hard to
become the North West's only professional lady falconer
and one of only a handful in the country.'
Aimee, from Runcorn, was employed as a waitress when
she first visited Blakemere, and said: 'My mum deserves
the credit because she bought the falconry experience
voucher for me as a Christmas present. I'd always been
fascinated by birds of prey but had not realised it
was possible to get up close and handle them.
Days after her first experience, Aimee returned to
Blakemere to ask Steve if she could be a volunteer
helper. It was not long before Steve and other members
of the team agreed that Aimee's natural affinity for
the birds could be developed and she was offered the
job of trainee falconer. She immediately accepted the
post and within weeks was skilled enough to handle
some of the birds without supervision.
Nearly a year on, Aimee is an able member of the Cheshire
Falconry team responsible for taking clients through
the Falconry Experience as well as taking part in a
wide range of public demonstrations. So has swapping
from being a waitress to a falconer changed her life
in any other ways?
'Yes,' declared Aimee. 'I've got an even bigger circle
of friends. Since my mates started finding out about
my new job, they've been coming up to Blakemere to
look at the bird collection and a few have invested
in vouchers for themselves or for friends as Christmas
presents. We've all agreed that falconry is cool.'
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