FLYING with the birds is a dream one Gwent couple is set to make a reality.

The Black Mountain falconry centre in Abergavenny is training three red kites to fly alongside paragliders.

Roger and June James opened the falconry centre at Wern Ddu Farm, on Ross Road, last year, and the centre's 55 birds are a huge success with visitors.

But Mrs James said: "We wanted to offer something exciting and different."

They got the chicks from Germany, and are now teaching the 15-week-old birds to accompany tandem paragliders on flights across the Black Mountains.

They hit on the idea with the help of falconer and paraglider Martin Cray.

Mrs James said: "He had tried something similar with peregrine falcons, without much success. Then we heard of a place in Nepal trying it with red kites."

She believes red kites are the ideal bird for this experiment as they are sociable and gregarious.

The BBC have also taken an interest and are filming a documentary, called High as a Kite, which will be aired as a Christmas special.

But the couple's main aim is to run the experience as a business, offering people the chance to fly in tandem with a gliding instructor as the birds soar alongside.

She said: "It would be the ultimate gift."