Swan Lifeline

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Swan Lifeline is the oldest charity in the Thames Valley dedicated to helping sick and injured swans. It is a non-profit organization based in Eton, Berkshire, and works to rescue, rehabilitate, and release swans and other waterfowl. Founded in 1986 by Tim Heron, Jane Castling, and Ginny James, it operates as a CIO and serves Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, and Hertfordshire.

The charity is run by a board of trustees, including Dominic Smulders, Niki Molnar, Cindy Smulders, Roopa D'Almeida, Natasha Zarach, and Hayley Lloyd. It relies entirely on donations and grants.

Swan Lifeline also aims to protect swans and wildlife from pollution and human activity. It trains Thames Valley Police, Fire and Rescue Services, and Network Rail in safe swan-handling, and it provides work experience for students at the Berkshire College of Agriculture and the Royal Veterinary College.

Campaigns and partnerships: In the 1980s, Swan Lifeline helped push for a ban on lead fishing weights to prevent poisoning of swans. It works with groups like the British Trust for Ornithology and the Edward Grey Institute, and with the Crown's Warden of the Swans. The charity was a key data source for a 2002 study on the impact of lost fishing line and tackle on mute swans.

Notable rescues include a swan that landed on the roof of a bus in Reading in February 2023. In 2018, a campaign with Wild Things and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust encouraged people to reduce bread feeding to wildlife; Swan Lifeline later advised feeding bread in moderation, a view supported by the WWT.

In November 2023, trustee and volunteer Cindy Smulders won two awards at the OneSlough Awards for Supporting Children and Young People and for Making a Difference to the Environment.

Swan Lifeline also faced a disease incident in January 2022, when 26 swans at the site were culled under APHA/DEFRA guidance to prevent spread, with a 3 km protection zone in place until 21 April 2022. The charity is governed by a board of trustees and funded entirely by donations and grants.