Express & Star

It was when Dennis Sanders was lying in a hospital bed, close to death, that he came up with the idea of being a dove liberator.

“All I had done throughout my life was work, and get as much overtime as I could, to provide a good standard of living for my family,” says Dennis, aged 71.

“Fifteen years ago, I had a coronary arrest at Sandwell Hospital, and thankfully they brought me back to life. I thought that if I died, no-one would know about me except my immediate family.

“While lying in bed, I had a lot of time to think about what I had done and what I had missed out on. I knew I wanted to do something for charity and to have some new experiences.”

Dennis, from Great Barr, had worked at Fort Dunlop but always enjoyed looking after pigeons.

“Because the pigeons are white, they are called doves - pigeons are just one variety of doves,” he says.

“After my coronary arrest, I contacted the Royal Lofts at Sandringham, because the Queen is very interested in them, as was her grandfather. The Royal Lofts gave me a bird as a gift, and I named it Stephanie, after my granddaughter, as they both arrived at the same time.

“I started Pax Liberations, and Stephanie opened Walsall Museum and Art Gallery; she was invited to Bush House in London and went on the World Service and said a few coos.

“She helped the Queen open the National Memorial Arboretum and was there for when Princess Anne visited. My doves have been released by the Bishop of York to mark an anniversary of Birmingham Cathedral. They were also released by two policewomen for the funeral of policeman Michael Swindells. I am the keeper of doves for the National Memorial Arboretum and regularly go over there to do a bird release.”

Dennis says he grew up surrounded by birds, as his grandfather enjoyed keeping finches. “My grandfather kept them in various aviaries, and my father was very interested in the pigeon side of it. I used to race pigeons but last month, the club, which met at The Horse and Jockey pub, decided to close,” he said.

“It is a dying sport, as there are hardly any youngsters coming into it; it is usually filled with retired people. I keep around 25 birds at my home, and I recently had some new ones hatch.”

Dennis believes doves have such a good influence on people that he even set up an aviary at Long Lartin Prison near Evesham. “My niece is an officer at the prison, and her husband is in charge of security,” he says.

“We were chatting about the prisoners’ rehabilitation, and they thought it would be a good idea to get a loft set up inside the prison. I showed the prisoners how to look after the birds, and I would bring the young chicks back home with me - I even gave one of the young birds to the Queen.”

So what does Dennis’ wife think of his new devotion to doves? “My wife Joan accepts it as we have been married for 40 years,” he says.

“Luckily it doesn’t take up too much of my time, so I can still go dancing with her. The dove liberations are mainly a hobby, as I do a lot of it for free. However, you have to care for birds 365 days a year.

“Most of the birds are named after the family, so there is one called Joan, my son Mark has a bird named after him, and so does my daughter-in-law Elizabeth.

“It is like having my own little family in my back garden.”