Wychbold Swan Rescue Announces Closure After Five Decades

An animal welfare organization, Wychbold Swan Rescue, situated near Droitwich, Worcestershire, has declared its impending closure. This decision follows nearly 50 years of operation and is prompted by the retirement of its founder, Jan Harrigan. Mrs. Harrigan established the charity in the mid-1970s, inspired by an incident where she discovered and rehabilitated a swan with a broken wing. Over the years, Mrs. Harrigan, alongside a dedicated group of volunteers, has provided care for thousands of swans suffering from illness or injury, in addition to assisting geese and ducks. Now in her eighties, she stated her decision to conclude the charity’s operations and step down. For her contributions to the safeguarding of swans and other river birds, Mrs. Harrigan was honored with an MBE in 2004. John Stewart and his wife, Phyl, have dedicated 23 years to volunteering at Wychbold Swan Rescue. Mr. Stewart mentioned that their involvement began “by accident rather than design.” He reflected, “You see one in trouble and then what can you do? I think we can look back with pride at what we’ve done.” Mr. Stewart further stated that he has personally received almost 3,000 birds requiring assistance throughout his tenure, many of which sustained injuries from incidents like dog attacks, vehicle collisions, or altercations with other swans. He recounted instances such as, “We’ve had cases where a swan has put its neck down in the water for some food and come up with a beer can on the end of its beak.” He also described more tragic events: “We’ve had the horrors of swans being shot, and I never understand why people should do that.” Concluding his remarks, he reiterated, “So I think we can look back with pride at what we have done.”