A falconry centre planned for Carlton Community College has been given the thumbs up by Billy Casper himself.

 

Actor Dai Bradley, who played Billy in the classic 1969 film Kes, has been involved in the school's Kes Project since it started in 2011, presenting certificates to youngsters who complete the falconry course.

 

Dai has praised plans for the school to have its own centre, the brainchild of birds of prey expert Chris Corker who was enlisted to teach falconry to pupils 'disenchanted' with the normal curriculum.

 

Plans for the falconry centre follows the ongoing success of the project, run in conjunction with James McKay from the National Falconry School in Derbyshire, who supplied owls for the Harry Potter films.

 

Chris said if the school can get its own centre it means children can learn about birds of prey at school rather than travelling to Derbyshire.

 

"A bid has gone in for £10,000 to the lottery fund to set up a falconry centre that will be run by myself," said Chris, a Berneslai Homes housing management officer.

 

"Having a centre on site will let the kids carry on working with the birds of prey and developing their skills.

 

"It would be a first in the country and ideally I would like it to be done by the end of next week but we've put together a timescale for the project for it to be completed by the end of June or July next year."

 

He said the centre would have between 10 and 20 birds and would be opened up to the community and other schools for falconry open days and experiences.