The Hawk Conservancy Trust – a look back at a decade of donations

At Animal Friends, we're proud to have been a long-time supporter of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, an amazing charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of birds of prey. Since 2014, we've donated over £105,000 to help them with their important work. 

As a business based in Amesbury, we're incredibly proud to support a local charity that has such a significant impact, not only in the UK but also through international conservation efforts. This close connection allows us to see first-hand the incredible work they do and the animals they help! 

From supporting projects in the UK to funding their work around the world, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights of our partnership…

2020 

In August 2020, we celebrated a major milestone – 1 million Animal Friends policies. To celebrate, we wanted to give back to the causes our customers care about the most, so we held a vote on our social media pages. The Hawk Conservancy Trust was chosen to receive a £10,000 donation to support their conservation projects.

2021

For our World Animal Day celebrations in October 2021, we highlighted a charity from each continent, celebrating their amazing work. We donated £10,000 to the Hawk Conservancy Trust to support their Poison Response Action campaign. This project helps combat vulture poisoning by ivory poachers in Africa. The funds helped the trust conduct research, create Poison Response Kits to neutralise toxins, and provide training to field staff in high-risk areas of southern and south-eastern Africa.

Did you know? Poachers will kill vultures to prevent them from revealing the location of their illegal activities. This is because vultures circling above a carcass can alert the law to the presence of a poached animal.

2022

In December 2022, we donated £12,500 to the Trust's Raptor Nest Box Project (RNBP). This initiative involves setting up nest boxes for Barn Owls, Kestrels, Little Owls, and Tawny Owls. The project exists to monitor chicks and collect essential data, helping the Trust build a clearer picture of wild bird populations in the UK.

Did you know? The Raptor Nest Box Project has been running since 2008, growing from an initial 38 boxes to around 1,600 now!

2023

In November 2023, we launched our “Ugly” Endangered Animals campaign, helping to shed light on five animals who are often overlooked for their appearance, but who are in desperate need of our help. 

We were happy to donate £10,000 to the Hawk Conservancy Trust, to continue our support for their conservation efforts to protect vultures around the world.

2024

In 2024, our "Tails of UK Wildlife" campaign celebrated rewilding and rehabilitation projects across the United Kingdom. We wanted to highlight that even small actions can have a big impact on the future of local wildlife, which is facing threats from habitat loss and other factors.

As part of the campaign, we shared £100,000 among ten UK-based charities to help fund projects that give back to our native animals and the places they call home. 

The Hawk Conservancy Trust was one of the ten charities to receive a donation of £10,000.  

2025

We celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Hawk Conservancy Trust by donating £6,000! As part of their milestone year, the Trust is working to combat the concerning decline of the Kestrel across the UK. Our donation contributes to their goal of raising £60,000 for Kestrel conservation, helping to ensure the future of this beloved bird of prey. 

“We are thrilled to have the support of Animal Friends for our Kestrel campaign. Their funds will not only help us figure out why Kestrel numbers are falling and put conservation actions in place to keep them in our skies, but will also help shine a light on these iconic birds of the British countryside and hopefully inspire others to appreciate them too. We love working with the team at Animal Friends and feel privileged to receive their support.”

We have also donated over £65,000 towards helping the Hawk Conservancy Trust build a new annex for their National Bird of Prey Hospital™. This self-contained annex significantly improves the team’s ability to care for wild birds, featuring a dedicated assessment room, a kitchen for preparing food and medicine, and six new treatment bays.

We're incredibly proud of the impact our partnership with the Hawk Conservancy Trust has had over the years. 

We look forward to continuing our support of their mission to protect these magnificent birds.