CHILDREN at the junior youth club, run by the Rose Hill Regeneration Project, have had the chance to get up close and personal with Willow the barn owl.

The bird’s owner is warehouse worker Glen Easton from Wallingford. He said: “I’ve always been interested in birds of prey, and last July I got Willow and another owl called Wisp from a friend at Wheatley Birds of Prey.

“The first time I took Willow out, almost none of the kids knew what she was.

“It’s a good chance to introduce them to the wildlife and nature. These city kids don’t see that sort of thing very often.”

The children were able to hold Willow while wearing a protective glove.