Mansfield youngsters get creative to provide wilder future for town's birds

Youngsters in Mansfield have been busy making and customising birdboxes to give the town’s birds a wilder future as part of National Nest Box Week.
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The Mayborn Group, business partner of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, continues to invest in making its Mansfield manufacturing site environmentally and wildlife-friendly.

In readiness for the breeding season and as part of the 2022 National Nest Box Week, which runs from today (Valentine’s Day), Mayborn supplied nest box kits for the young nature-loving children of the Mansfield and Ashfield Wildlife Watch Group.

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The group enjoyed making up the bird boxes at their recent meeting and are excited for them to be installed in various locations on the Mayborn business site.

Members of the Mansfield and Ashfield Wildlife Watch group building the bird boxes.Members of the Mansfield and Ashfield Wildlife Watch group building the bird boxes.
Members of the Mansfield and Ashfield Wildlife Watch group building the bird boxes.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s Watch groups consist of eight-to-12-year-olds who meet up every month across Nottinghamshire.

The groups aim to engage and inspire young people about wildlife and wild places with a range of activities.

National Nestbox Week is a key part of the ornithological calendar and is celebrated from February 14 each year, with people being encouraged to put up more nest boxes in their local area to provide much-needed homes for nesting birds.

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Those in place by the autumn may also be used as roosting havens in extremely cold winter periods.

The freshly-made bird boxes lined up and ready to go.The freshly-made bird boxes lined up and ready to go.
The freshly-made bird boxes lined up and ready to go.

Sarah Spurry, leader of the Mansfield and Ashfield Wildlife Watch Group, said: “The children really enjoyed making the boxes and are rightly proud of their work, especially knowing that their Wildlife Watch homes will provide a valuable sanctuary where birds can raise their families, not only this year but also in future years.

“As they were making the nest boxes the children wrote messages inside the boxes and one accidently got written on outside, but we are sure the birds will not mind.

“One message demonstrates the joy of the children in making these boxes: ‘Wildlife Watch proudly made this birdbox. Made on 4/12/21. We hope that birds will find this cosy, warm and a safe haven’.”

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Leysa Relf, sustainability manager at Mayborn Group, said: “We are passionate about getting involved with these projects, providing real live case studies to engage children and develop their skills, providing a wildlife educational activity but also benefitting from the results on our business site too.

“Staff gain a real benefit as well, enhancing the workplace and providing a story to open up discussions about wildlife and nature.”

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s business partnerships officer Emily Patrick added: “It’s fantastic to see Mayborn’s passion to make their site sustainable and wildlife friendly, providing these nest boxes to their local Wildlife Watch Group to build not only enabled an exciting and educational session for the young people who made them, they will now provide valuable space for birds to thrive for years to come.”