Rutland Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated between Exton and Burley, is in desperate need of volunteers to help support their non-profit work. 

In a recent post on their Facebook page, the sanctuary said: "We are looking for volunteers to provide their time and skills, whatever they may be. We are doing some maintenance and upgrading over the next few months. This is to build new aviaries; no experience is needed." 

The sanctuary, which was founded in 1999, aims to nurture and protect the biodiversity of the woodlands they are situated in. They carry out a wide range of conservation initiatives and value education as a tool to spread awareness of environmental protection. 

Rutland Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a large variety of birds of prey, including Patty the British Barn Own (Photo: Rutland Wildlife Sanctuary)

The sanctuary is hope to a wide international collection of birds of prey, including owls, hawks, buzzards, falcons, eagles and vultures. 

Due to the face that the sanctuary choses to build their aviaries and other structures from wood due to the lower environmental impact it has compared to other materials, wood does have a limited lifespan as a material meaning that structures regularly need updating and mending. 

Volunteers came to the rescue when a tree fell through the roof of the Education Building (Photo: Rutland Wildlife Sanctuary)

The sanctuary is in desperate need for volunteers to help them carry out this vital work. For more information on becoming a volunteer, message the sanctuary via their Facebook Page or email [email protected]