BIRD-loving pub landlord Francis O'Neil is praying the sun shines this weekend when he holds a falconry display at his pub.

The owner of the Foresters Arms, at Coatham Mundeville, near Darlington, is a life-long fan of birds of prey and the event will be a dream come true for the father-of-two.

Mr O'Neil will be hosting the display to raise funds for the Save Our Sight Appeal (SOS), which is being supported by Darlington Memorial Hospital and Bishop Auckland General Hospital.

Visitors to the display, which will be run by John Wrightson, of Ridgeside Falconry, in Spennymoor, can also enjoy a barbecue, and will be invited to give donations to the appeal.

The falconry display will also be a chance for Mr O'Neil to celebrate the homecoming of his own birds, which have been staying at a falconry centre in North Yorkshire.

His two eagle owls have been at the centre of an allegation that Mr O'Neil had been illegally using the birds for commercial purposes, which he denied.

The case was dismissed by Darlington Magistrates' Court earlier this week, and Mr O'Neil's European eagle owl and Indian Bengal eagle owl can now return to his pub after spending almost a year away.

Mr O'Neil said: "It has been a really tough year for me and my family, and all I could think about was the case. But now it is all over I can relax and I wanted to celebrate by doing something for charity while involving my love of birds. Hopefully plenty of people will come along and support it."

The display, at 7pm, will be followed by live music.