When we met Paul at his home he told us where it all began.
“I was flying for the air force and had received an MBE for services to defence, then I lost a toe on my left foot and then lost my leg due to diabetes. But I couldn’t just sit around and wallow, I wanted to go and do something with the rest of my life.”
After going volunteering to look after owls as a way to rehabilitate himself, Paul decided to set up a small charity to educate youths and the wider community about why this animal is so important.
It’s not been easy, and he’s still in the middle of the process with lots of hurdles in the way:
“I started trying to turn it into a charity four years ago in 2013 – but it’s all the bloody paper work that’s been difficult. I’ve always been a person with hands not brain. The paper work is phenomenal – and time out with the owls was being taken over doing the paper work. There is no funding or support from the government, so I’m on my own.”
So why does he do it?
“We need to stop destroying this world like we have been. I need to set this up before I leave this earth, so I can leave something for the planet.”
What can marketers learn from The Owl Sanctuary? Business dreams can come in all shapes and sizes. If we realise this as B2B marketers, our role completely changes. We are no longer just a ‘fluffy’ marketing department, or just a support role to sales but we are the people who can support, build and develop the dreams of thousands of small businesses across the country.
And that’s pretty exciting.