Sir, You recently carried a letter from a Mr. Hayes, of Ellesmere Port, who professes to be a Barn Owl fan and accuses Celtic Haven of driving this particular species from its location in Lydstep. In our eight years of ownership and in the 60 years before that we, and Mr. Morran Boot, the previous owner, have never seen Barn Owls on these premises and there has definitely never been a nesting site there. Mr. Hayes bases his assumption on chatting to someone next door, presumably in the pub. A little less ale and a little more accuracy might be in order here! I am delighted to say that the House Martins we inherited are still very happily co-habitating with our guests and our land maintenance programme has created a real wildlife sanctuary. At another of our locations, we maintain, at our own cost, a Site of Scientific Interest where the rare Lesser Horseshoe bat has increased threefold over recent years. The natural environment is the biggest asset the tourism industry has and we preserve it for the benefit of all our clients. Beware the stranger in the green anorak clutching a pint in one hand and an 'I-Spy' bird book in the other!
Philip Evans CBE Celtic Haven, Lydstep.