Reporters Ian Parmley and I went up to Leonard Cheshire Disability home, Bradbury House, to see the display of birds of prey from Northside Falconry based in north Yorkshire, and find out more about the sterling work that goes on inside the centre.
Emma Rose is the volunteer co-ordinator and was responsible for bringing Tori and her birds to the centre. Emma told us that the day was all about raising the awareness of the building and the work that goes on a daily basis.
Sir Leonard Cheshire was a highly decorated WW2 officer in the Royal Air Force and was responsible for the heroic and successful bombing of the dams in Germany, which delayed the production of heavy water, which is essential in the making of nuclear bombs and giving Great Britain the allies time to recoup and eventually win the race in making their fist nuclear bomb.
Sir Leonard later as British ambassador also bore witness to the first nuclear bombing of Nagasaki in Japan which was a turning point and brought about the Japanese surrender and eventually led to the cessation of hostilities and the end of WW2.
These actions and others had an humanitarian effect upon sir Leonard causing him to rethink the futility of war and the total waste of life, and left him wanting to put something back into society. Sixty Two years later, he has left a national and international legacy of help for all ages with illnesses ranging from MS to extreme disabilities.
Emma had arranged for Northside Falconry to visit the centre with an open invitation to both the press and the public to see for themselves how the centre operates, and of course help to raise awareness of their work, with an overall view to attract funding for their important work.
The staff, press, public and patients alike enjoyed the tea and home made cakes, and of course the birds of prey. Tori who runs the Northside falconry centre with her partner David entertained us with her owls, hawks, and anecdotal tales of life at Northside, with one little ball of fluff called LUNA, a young barn owl stealing the show.