Founder, Owner & Trustee
Tricia Phillips
Tricia is a real animal worshipper. She has loved them all since her birth and has spent a lifetime in their company. Horses are her real passion but all are welcome and loved by her. Having been brought up surrounded by nature and all that it offers, it was a small step to walk into the world of rescue. Tricia has had an eclectic mix of creatures throughout her life and is passionate about conservation issues. Coming from a background in education, it was a natural step to pick up the mantle on parrot welfare and conservation and offer these remarkable creatures a chance to live a life they have been so far denied.
Founder
Alan Phillips
Alan has a remarkable ability to build any structure. He is also very tolerant. Living on a farm in Yorkshire, being both a fencing contractor and a farmer, and serving his time as an apprentice joiner, has meant that he had the space and ability to build almost anything. He has certainly done this - from making large farm buildings, shepherds’ huts, renovating and building houses, stable yards, arenas, to now a bespoke and beautiful parrot aviary. He has now asked his wife Tricia to stop giving him projects to do.
Patron
Julian Norton
Julian is a figurehead in the world of veterinary science. Having studied at Cambridge University, he quickly became an outstanding veterinary surgeon in the world famous Herriot practice in Thirsk. Following the footsteps of this famous character, Julian was a proper country vet - literally treating ‘All creatures great & small’. It was at this point in his career that he first met Tricia & Alan Phillips. Fame finds its own, and soon after Julian became a household name for his television career on ‘The Yorkshire Vet’ - a role that epitomises Julian. However, he could so easily have found fame for his sporting prowess too - whether that was on the ski slopes, up rock faces, on a mountain bike or completing ‘Iron Man’ challenges. He also is a published author and a really lovely guy.
Trustee
Anna Kingston
Anna was born loving animals and spent her formative years collecting, observing and loving various small creatures. She was an avid David Attenborough and Steve Backshall fan and so after completing her GCSEs, she chose a path of study that took her to Askham Bryan College to read Wildlife Management L3, then moved onto Bangor University to study Wildlife Conservation - following the footsteps of her childhood heroes. Anna is training for her C license in bird ringing after gaining her T license, with the ultimate aim of working in South America doing this. She has a particular affinity with birds and reptiles, having owned a disabled bearded dragon and a selection of rather healthy rescue pigeons that live out their lives as parrots.
Trustee
Thomas Kingston
Thomas was born into a family of animal lovers. He had little opportunity in life to not be immersed in them - from bottle feeding orphan lambs, to removing turkey poults from the dining room table, to learning to ride his pony, to stepping over ducklings in the utility room, cuddling calves in the study, his extended family has always had fur or feathers. He now has his own dog and part shares in the family cats. However, his real loves are both gaming and the gym - probably in order to escape. He is currently studying his A Levels, reading Maths, Chemistry and Physics
Trustee
Jane Tooms
Jane ran her own fitness business for 10 years and now works with her husband running his racquet specialist retail business in York, so brings her business acumen to MPS. Jane is passionate about animal conservation, the fight against animal cruelty and supports a number of animal charities. In her spare time, Jane’s love is her retired horse and her very demanding, rescued dog.
Trustee
Andrew Neville-Smith
Andrew is a retired teacher, who still takes great pleasure in going back into school and helping out, as well as being actively involved in the school’s governance. His interests include photography, ornithology and gardening and he enjoys the company of his faithful Labrador. He is passionate about conservation and the protection of all wildlife, including the amazing parrots at Morndyke Parrot sanctuary.
Trustee
Tracy Chapman
Tracy is currently a dog photographer and is studying to be a dog behaviourist. She sold her Glamping business in December 2022 having set up and run a site on the Yorkshire Wolds for 8 years. She has a wealth of management and business experience having worked for Pfizer pharmaceuticals for 14 years before embarking on her Glamping project.
Tracy’s hobbies include walking, hill climbing, cycling and landscape photography.
Tracy’s hobbies include walking, hill climbing, cycling and landscape photography.
Vet
Matt Smith
Matt studied at the University of Glasgow, graduating in 2014 and has spent his veterinary career treating everything from cows and sheep to lizards and rabbits. He works at Donaldson’s Veterinary Centre where he is heading up the new exotics section, even starting a post graduate certificate, studying veterinary medicine and surgery of birds, reptiles and other exotic/zoo animals! He likes to keep the job varied and has already bonded with Cooper and Albert and Jerry and the sun conures! Oh yeah, Matt is also on the Yorkshire Vet with Julian and co.!
Vet
Isabella De Berardinis
Isabella grew up in a medical family in Rome, Italy. She has always been passionate about animals and so it was a natural step for her to enter the world of Veterinary Science. She excels in every sphere, and is willing to go that extra mile to find answers and help animals in need. After graduating from Perugia Vet School, Isabella entered the world of Equine medicine. Her aptitude speaks for itself, having been head hunted a number of times in her career and taking employment at the Royal Jaafar Stud in Jordan. After this she headed to England where she is now a partner in the very successful Thirsk Veterinary Centre. She is an excellent surgeon as well as a superb general practitioner. Her thirst for knowledge and willingness to learn means that she is capable of treating all animals regardless of their species. When she isn’t working on sick animals, Isabella is also a phenomenal chef.
Aviary Keeper
Hannah Watts
Hannah loves animals. For as long as she can remember, her life has evolved around them. From having her first pony at 4 years old and hand rearing orphaned lambs as a teen, she now owns her own animal care business in Borrrowby, North Yorkshire. Hannah has also worked alongside The Cats Protection League in hand rearing feral kitten litters ready to rehome. In Hannah’s down time she can normally be found ‘ultra running’ across the moors with her two shepherd dogs. Her household currently consists of two shepherd dogs (Bear & Mila), two rescue cats (Gizmo & Kwala), an axolotl (James), a bearded dragon (Iggy), a carrion crow (Sid), a aquarium of tropical fish as well as her husband & son.
Fundraising Manager
Yvonne Welsh
Yvonne has been fascinated by animals, especially birds and bugs, from as soon as her eyes could focus as a baby! She's had a range of different pets for most of her life and currently has two much loved cats.
Yvonne spent 9 years as a Veterinary Nurse Assistant and was the one who took charge of any wildlife brought in - especially birds, usually bringing them home to finish rehabilitation. She quickly became known as the 'bird lady'. A few very happy years were also spent on days off at Lotherton Hall as a volunteer bird keeper. She currently is a Riverfly Monitor, kick sampling a river section once monthly to check river health and identify and count invertebrate.
Yvonne also loves history and photography and has even had some competition success with her photographs! She is at her happiest in the Morndyke aviary, camera in hand and several curious parrots in attendance!
Yvonne spent 9 years as a Veterinary Nurse Assistant and was the one who took charge of any wildlife brought in - especially birds, usually bringing them home to finish rehabilitation. She quickly became known as the 'bird lady'. A few very happy years were also spent on days off at Lotherton Hall as a volunteer bird keeper. She currently is a Riverfly Monitor, kick sampling a river section once monthly to check river health and identify and count invertebrate.
Yvonne also loves history and photography and has even had some competition success with her photographs! She is at her happiest in the Morndyke aviary, camera in hand and several curious parrots in attendance!
Volunteer Manager
Hannah Lazenby
My journey into the world of parrots started with pigeons. A neighbour’s dog first found and then retrieved two tiny squabs. These were swiftly passed onto me and I quickly learnt how to hand rear pigeons. Knowing the parrot sanctuary also had resident pigeons, and it was near my home town, I ventured across to ask for any advice regarding the care and rehabilitation of wild birds - specifically pigeons. After being given plenty of advice and ideas, I asked, “If you ever need any help…..”
After over a year of volunteering, despite previously never being around a parrot before, this sanctuary has become my second home and I’m delighted to be part of the team.
After over a year of volunteering, despite previously never being around a parrot before, this sanctuary has become my second home and I’m delighted to be part of the team.