NEWENT'S Bird of Prey Centre is offering Christ-mas owl evenings, despite being due to close in October.

The centre will shut its doors to the public on October 31 but the series of events has been planned for November and Decem-ber, ahead of a reopening under new ownership next year.

The evenings will comprise guided tours of the owls by torchlight and take place on Saturdays and Sundays from October 14 to December 20.

The current centre director, Jemima Parry-Jones MBE, announced in January that she planned to move to the US to amalgamate 200 rare birds with the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey.

About 70 birds will remain in Newent and the centre is due to reopen in February.

The tours start at 7pm and cost £15 for adults, £7 for children.