Mayor of Kirklees makes a bee-line for Taylor Hill animals

The eco-friendly Taylor Hill Centre houses the college’s animal care and countryside management courses. The building features a turf roof, wind turbine and solar wall and has a tropical butterfly habitat, greenhouses, extensive outdoor facilities and wildlife ponds.

The Mayor toured the facilities and met students and inhabitants of the college which ranges from hedgehogs to bearded dragons to goats and parrots.

The Mayor was also the first VIP visitor to meet Taylor Hill’s newest recruits, Chris and George, a pair of Rhea’s who have recently been rehomed by the college. These flightless birds are related to the Ostrich and Emu species and are native to South America and came to the college after their owner wanted to find a new home for them with more space to roam.

Cllr Lowe adores animals and one of the charities she supports is the RSPCA who specialise in animal rescue and furthering the welfare cause for all animals.

Gwen said of her visit: “It was fantastic to meet the animals at Taylor Hill, the facilities, staff and students are exceptional and they are all so passionate about the animals. It really is a hidden gem. I was in my element holding all the different species, and only wish I could communicate with them like Dr. Doolittle does. It made my day to be able to name one of the new Rhea’s, and George will forever be in my heart.”

Kirklees College offers a varied range of animal and land based courses at both their Taylor Hill and Hargate Hill campuses and with a 98 percent pass rate and endless career options in this field, studying on one of their courses could be your next step to #makeithappen.