An expert in falconry will be bringing his impressive techniques to a village near Reading in a unique display.

Ray Prior is a 'falconer' living in the area who will be bringing his falconry display to the village of Aldworth in West Berkshire. 

The event begins at 10.30am, with flying commencing at 11am on Saturday, August 17 at Aldworth Recreation Ground hall in Bell Lane, Aldworth. 

Mr Prior's sense of humour and love for his birds has led to his popular shows being in demand across the country for the last 36 years.

Once travelling to 40 shows a year and ably assisted by his wife Pauline, Mr Prior is now looking towards retirement.

The seed for his passion was sown when as a young boy he found an injured Kestrel on the Aldworth Downs, this interest grew following a motorcycle crash several years later: the convalescing Ray, as a teenager, took on another Kestrel with a broken wing, nursing it back to health while he recovered from his own injuries.

As he learnt his craft, Mr Prior could only find books on birds of prey at his local library, but none on Falconry.

This didn’t hold him back and in 1971 he trained his first bird, becoming a full-time Falconer in 1988, a profession that has brought both him and his audiences enormous joy.

Announcing 2024 as his very last fair well tour, this is a wonderful opportunity to see Ray and his birds in action. He enjoys supporting his local communities and has kindly offered his time to raise funds for the lovely medieval St. Mary’s Church in Aldworth, the village where it all started.

There will be a collection for the church during the show and Ray asks that you give generously.