Rutland Water's annual birdwatching fair has been cancelled indefinitely over financial and environmental impact concerns.

Birdfair, originally known as the British Birdwatching Fair, has been held at Rutland Water Nature Reserve over three days in August every year since 1989.

With a total annual attendance of around 20,000 people, the last event took place in 2019.

It was created by Tim Appleton MBE of LRWT and Martin Davies of the RSPB. Total donations from the event to Birdlife International supporting their international wildlife projects amount to over £5 million.

The news was announced on November the 23rd via the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife website and social media platforms connected to the event.

The organisers have said, "After careful consideration, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust have made the difficult decision to stop running Birdfair. The effects of the global pandemic have had a significant effect on our daily operations as a charity and Birdfair operations have contributed to these financial concerns. Other worries including the carbon footprint generated by the event and the longer-term impact it has on Rutland Water Nature Reserve itself, have all led to our decision.

"We are sad to end our involvement with Birdfair after more than 30 years. Along with working with our co-promoter, the RSPB, we have brought thousands of visitors to Rutland Water Nature Reserve and raised more than £5 million for overseas projects run via the Birdlife International group of charities. We are immensely proud of this achievement for global wildlife conservation. We must now turn all of our efforts to our core mission of saving, restoring, and connecting people with wildlife and habitats across Leicestershire and Rutland. We would like to thank all who have supported or been involved with Birdfair over the years, including our partners, sponsors, exhibitors, contractors, presenters, volunteers, members and staff. The event could not have existed without their dedication."

Gary Crockett from Oakham, who has volunteered at the event for over 10 years, added: "It's such a shame Birdfair will no longer be taking place at Rutland Water. The event brought people together from all over the world, because of their love of wildlife and the outdoors. It was very unique and something I and lots of other people where proud to be part of."

You can read the Trust's full statement and news release here.

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