"Oh, if a man's reach could exceed his grasp - or what's a heaven for."

An obscure quote to some but one which perfectly sums up a dynamic East Lancashire businesswoman.

Suzanne O'Donnell strives to reach new heights and to pursue her vision for the future into the unknown. In doing so she has created a thriving and unusual business on the doorstep of her hometown of Blackburn - a world-beating falconry and conservation centre. The success story began when Suzanne spotted two crumbling barns marooned in the countryside close to the A65 and saw the potential for a million pound birds of prey sanctuary.

She visualised breathtaking birds from around the world dramatically circling above a complex tailor-made to bring man and beast together. Her dream was a huge gamble during a time of recession and one that could have left Suzanne and her family jobless, homeless and penniless. But she refused to join the legions of people who have been buried with their unfulfilled dreams.

Five years on, Suzanne and her husband, former builder and long-time falconer Chris, are running one of the country's top outdoor attractions.

The Yorkshire Dales Falconry and Conservation Centre, at Crows Nest, Settle, has won worldwide recognition and a string of accolades.

But the couple's success has not come easy. They left well-paid jobs, pumped their savings into the business idea, sold their two cottage homes and moved into a caravan for three years with their young daughter Carrie.

"It was a really frightening time and very tough," said Suzanne. "We were taking big financial risks and working 14 to 15 hours a day to build up the business. We'd come home to a cold caravan with building work going on in the background. But we knew it would pay off."

They scoured the world's animal sanctuaries and zoos gathering tips in their desire to create one of the world's most premier birds of prey centre.

And today they have got just that. They employ 24 staff, have been featured on British and American TV shows and have secured contracts to carry out work in the Canary Islands and Cyprus. They also beat off all their European competitors to be chosen to receive rare Marshall eagles from the South African government to celebrate the country's return to the Commonwealth.

A quarter of a million pound development to allow visitors to actually enter the birds' enclosure is also in the pipeline and they have written the test paper for the NVQ bird handling exam.

The impressive centre house birds ranging from hawks and eagles to owls and falcons, with names like Jack, the ugliest bird in town. The centre is also the first in British history to breed a rare turkey vulture. Sadly the chick died within 11 days.

Suzanne, 34, and Christopher make the perfect partnership. Christopher hates the "business" side, preferring to indulge in his passion for flying birds. Suzanne confesses to not knowing "the first thing about birds" and opted to become the driving force behind the venture. With only catering and banking skills, the task proved demanding but she soon showed a natural flair for running things behind the scenes, dreaming up new ideas and creating unusual projects.

"Our jobs are equally important and we stick to what we do best. If I went outside to handle the birds we would have problems. We come together on big decisions," she said.

Her innovative approach has won her 12 accolades, most recently the Young Achiever Award organised by Granada Television, which included a prize of £10,000. "I always look out for new ideas to better the business. You have to to keep ahead and we are growing all the time," she said.

"We just made our mind up to launch the business and did it. You can achieve anything if you want it enough. Be determined and keep knocking down those brick walls. Just go for your dream. It is as simple as that. "

On production of this article, the centre will admit one person free of charge before October 31, 1996 when accompanied by one person who pays full adult admission price.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.