TIM APPLETON'S ZOOM COMMENTS PROMPT REVIVAL HOPES FOR MUCH-CHERISHED BIRDFAIR

                                          

Tim Appleton - enthusiasm undiminished

HOPES are rising that Birdfair could be reborn - and even be held, as in the past, at Rutland Water, near Stamford.

The event's 'godfather', Tim Appleton MBE, revealed yesterday evening that he had received several approaches about restoring the event that was controversially killed off last week by its longtime hosts, the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.

It is unlikely that Mr Appleton, a former manager of the Rutland Water nature reserve, would again want to assume a day-to-day hands-on role, but he would be able to provide crucial experience and an encyclopedia's worth of precious contacts.

He said: "I should be very pleased to help.

"Birdfair has always been such a great opportunity for bringing people together and for encouraging them to share their passions for birding and Nature."

Of the statements given by the Trust for pulling the rug on Birdfair, he said they had been "just excuses", noting that there had  never been a financial cost to the Trust.

He was particularly scathing about the organisation's claim that the land used for the fair had been damaged by soil compaction to the detriment of what is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

"That’s nonsense," he declared. "We have never had an issue with obtaining a licence from the Natural England." 

There has been speculation that Birdfair, in a different form, could be staged at a purpose-built exhibition centre such as the NEC in Birmingham or Excel in London.

But Mr Appleton said that this might reduce it to becoming "just another trade fair".

He continued: "I think it needs to be held in Nature - that is important for the overall atmosphere.

"Furthermore, firms involved in the optics industry would want a site where potential customers have the opportunity to sample their binoculars, scopes and cameras.

The co-founder and former manager of Birdfair was speaking exclusively at an evening Zoom discussion hosted by David Lindo  as the latest in the latter's popular In Conservation series of interviews.

                                            

David Lindo - upbeat Urban Birder

There is no bigger champion of Birdfair than Mr Lindo - also known as  the Urban Birder.

Said he: "Not only has Birdfair always been a very enjoyable occasion, but it has enabled me to meet many different people, some of whom have opened doors and helped me in my career."  

But he went on to express misgivings whether, in a post-pandemic world, exhibitors and visitors would return to the event in the same numbers as yesteryear. "I think the world may have changed and moved on," he observed. 

However, this was disputed by his guest who noted that Manchester United were continuing to attract crowds of more than 70,000 non-maskwearing fans to home matches.  

In his own further reflections, Mr Lindo described the Trust's recent statement as "lame" and said he found it "offensive" that it contained no mention - let alone any note of gratitude - for the hard work and achievements of Mr Appleton.

There has been speculation that Birdfair might be replaced by a series of regional events, building on those on held at Martin Mere in Lancashire and Spurn in Yorkshire.

Mr Appleton acknowledged that these were valuable and enjoyable, but he still felt there needed to be a pre-eminent national event, both as a magnet for international visitors and  for the scale of what it could offer.

He revealed that the costs of infrastructure for the three-day event were colossal - for instance £200,000 for marquee hire and  up to £80,000 for supplying temporary power and other utilities plus Portaloos.

His preference would be for Birdfair to be retained at Rutland Water where there was a pool of some 350 willing and highly capable volunteers and where the contractors engaged were not just experienced but also "extremely enthusiastic".

It was possible that, subject to consent of the landowners, Anglian Water, who had always been "supportive", the event could be relocated to a different part of the same site.

He went on to note that remaining loyal to this location  would be to benefit of the local community in and around Oakham which was boosted to the tune of up to £1.3-million from income generated by the influx of exhibitors and visitors of different nationalities.

"At what other small town or village can you hear 20 different languages being spoken on the high street as you do at Birdfair weekend in August?" he asked.

As well as bringing people together, Birdfair satisfactions for Mr Appleton have also included the huge amounts raised for wildlife charities and good causes, not least the £125,000 raised for Save the Albatross. 

Other contributors to the Zoom discussion, which will be featured on David Lindo's YouTube channel later this month, included long-time volunteer and charities consultant Nigel Scott who suggested a revived Birdfair should operate as an "independent entity", either as a company or as charity.

The Wryneck says: Huge congratulations to David Lindo for hosting such a timely interview and to Tim Appleton, both for his continuing enthusiasm and for his forthright and helpful insights into Birdfair and its past (and hopefully its future). By his own admission, he is not a "committee man", but, if willing, he would make the ideal figurehead, thereby reducing the risk of  all the goodwill towards reviving Birdfair being dissipated by too many different initiatives getting in the way of one another and achieving nothing. However, there remains one powerful voice that urgently needs to be heard - that of the RSPB. So far the organisation has remained silent. What support would it pledge to reviving Birdfair? Leadership is required Chief executive Beccy Speight needs to speak out without delay.