Siblings take on deer park after six-year closure

A bird and deer park that has been closed for six years will reopen again after a brother and sister took it on.

Prinknash Bird and Deer Park in Cranham, near Gloucester, is opening to the public on Saturday.

Jenna Meek and her brother Jason Peart bought the site at auction and have since restored it and brought new animals to the park.

"It's sentimental to us all. We love it. We want to bring a family feel back to the place," Ms Meek said. "We were taken there by our parents, I took my own children. It's just a beautiful place."

The park closed in 2019, after running for 45 years, without giving an official reason.

When Ms Meek and Mr Peart saw it was up for auction, they jumped at the opportunity.

"It was meant to be. We had the oppportunity to purchase it, so we took it on. Jenna stepped forwards - and she hasn't stepped back since," Mr Peart said.

The siblings are builders and decided to do up the park themselves.

"It was very overgrown. We couldn't see much. The paths were all rotten," Ms Meek said.

"We took it all apart and started again but kept the same ethos. We wanted it to be what it was before but better."

Ms Meek said she drove up and down the UK to buy deer and peacocks to fill up the park.

"We had fawns within weeks. I've hand-reared them - I've been hands-on with everything," she said.

The park is now accessible for prams and wheelchairs and people can go into the park and interact with the animals without cages.

"It's just so dear to me," Ms Meek said. "Excuse the pun."

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