Meet Alice the Harris Hawk - our latest secret weapon in our battle with pigeons, and our bid to remain Britain's Greenest Hospital. We decided to recruit her because feathered pests have been plaguing the grounds and were beginning to become a potential health risk.

Paul Featherstone, our Director of Estates and Facilities explains : "Over the years, pigeons have been a pest at Wythenshawe Hospital and various other control methods have been used to reduce their numbers, but these have failed to solve the problem. Due to the public health and safety risks associated with pigeons, the use of hawks and falcons to deter pigeons is becoming ever more popular in the UK and it was something we were keen to explore. We particularly like the use of Harris Hawks."

Alice, who has a wingspan of more than a metre, is well fed by her handler and trainer Wayne Wrigley before turning up for her shift. That way she can act as a deterrent rather than a predator to the pigeons.

Wayne, who is registered with the British Pest Control Association, is expected to visit the hospital around 16 times over the next 12 months.