13 April 2026 •
Local rail operator c2c Railway was delighted to host the winners of its ‘Experience with Bella the Hawk’ prize last week at Barking station, alongside Councillor Nigel Folkard, Mayor of Southend.
Lauren & Mike O’Dell and their children Ronnie and Esmee, alongside c2c Customer Delivery Manager, Shabana Haroon and Councillor Nigel Folkard, Mayor of Southend, joined at the station to meet Bella the Hawk and her handler, Gary Bartlett.
Bella is a Harris hawk owned by eco-friendly bird control specialists, GB Hawking, who has recently been used at c2c station across the route to help deter nuisance pigeons.
On the day, Bella wowed the competition winners as they travelled between Barking and Upminster stations, performing some tricks on the platform for Ronnie and Esmee.
Lauren and Mike won the experience at an auction, which was part of the Mayor of Southend’s end-of-year charity event – and provided by c2c.
The Mayor of Southend, Councillor Nigel Folkard, said of meeting Bella and the auction winners:
“Following my recent charity Wine & Dine Gala Auction I am absolutely delighted to have met the successful bidders for this unique experience. Their support has raised much‑needed funds for my nominated charities, Southend in Sight and the Southend Hospital Dandelion Appeal, and I am deeply grateful for their kindness.
“Meeting Bella the Hawk and seeing first‑hand the important role she plays on the c2c network was a memorable experience, and I would like to sincerely thank c2c for their support and partnership.”
Lauren O’Dell, who brought her two children, Esmee and Ronnie to meet Bella, said:
“It is such a lovely prize to come and meet Bella in-person. She is a stunning bird, and it has been such a fun day out for myself and my children to see Bella and learn something new!”
Shabana Haroon, c2c Customer Delivery Manager, said:
“It was great to see the children fall in love with Bella and it was a real pleasure to host them at Barking and Upminster stations.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
About c2c
- c2c is the award-winning train operator running services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, serving 26 stations in East London and South Essex.
- c2c is one of the UK’s most punctual and popular train operators and nearly 37.3 million journeys are made on its services every year.
- The operation of all c2c services transferred into public ownership on Sunday 20 July 2025 and is managed by DFTO (DfT Operator Ltd).
- For more information email mediaenquiries@c2crail.net
About DFTO
- DFTO is the government’s public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027.
- The group’s current train operating companies are: c2c, Greater Anglia, LNER, Northern, Southeastern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and WM Trains (London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway).
- DFTO runs more than 8,500 services each weekday and delivers more than 660 million customer journeys across its networks every year.
Images:
Featured Image: (l-r) Lauren O’Dell, Esmee and Ronnie, Gary Bartlett, Mayor of Southend, Councillor Nigel Folkard, Mike O’Dell and Shabana Haroon
Second Image: Bella flies
Third Image: Lauren and her children with Bella
Fourth Image: Bella atop the Barking sign