YOUNG William Allan had a close encounter with wildlife when he came face to face with Chico the owl at a Science Oxford event. The five-year-old saw eight of the birds in a show by Rod Smallman who runs the Owls Galore sanctuary in Banbury.

William, from Swindon, said: “I liked their names.”

Dad Chris Hemns, 35, said: “He really enjoyed it because he got to hold one.”