Press Release

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Gatwick Airport played host to half term workshops with a difference this week.  Family and friends of staff who work at Gatwick plus school children, swooped on Gatwick’s “Yurt” (a Mongolian Tent which acts as Environment Centre) to hand build bird nest boxes.

During National Nest Box Week, an established event on the ornithological calendar, over 40 children accompanied by their parents took part in the hands on activity, creating their own nest boxes for use in their gardens.   The majority of  boxes were constructed with the aim of encouraging small wild birds such as Blue Tits and Robins.

The workshops took place in Gatwick’s “Yurt” , located on land immediately adjacent to the airport, covering 68 hectares of native and diverse landscape, rich in grassland, woodland and meadows.  Andrew Fleming, Community Education Officer for Gatwick Greenspace, started each session with a nature walk around Horleyland Wood to watch native birds in their natural habitat.

Andrew showed the groups how to build, maintain and care for their bird boxes.  As well as top tips on where to locate them, i.e. over a height of 2 metres for birds such as Blue Tits and when to install the boxes appropriate to the pairing and breeding season.  Andrew also explained the different types of nest boxes which could be  made to suit different species.

Andrew said : “Spring is in the air and the breeding season for birds will soon be underway.  These special workshop have been designed to be great fun and informative.  I was delighted with
interest and enthusiasm shown by the children and it is great to know they have taken their hand built boxes home with great pride to display in their own gardens, each of them helping in a small way to make a difference to Britain’s bird population.”

Schools represented included Salford Primary School in Horely, Turners Hill Primary  School and Tonbridge Grammar.

Julie Ayres, Community Relations Manager, BAA Gatwick said; “These workshops have been a tremendous success with children and their families, and so much fun.  Over the coming months, Andrew will be developing specially designed courses and educational programmes with the aim of helping children and students of all ages from four, through to adults, to learn more about their environment, to engage with nature and to understand why the natural habitat is so important.”

BAA Gatwick has been a significant contributor to Gatwick Greenspace for over 10 years and the partnership approach has led to the employment of a dedicated Community Education Officer for the area.  The airport is committed to being a good neighbour, managing its impact on the local environment and making a positive contribution to the quality of life in the local area.

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Notes to Editors
Gatwick Greenspace Partnership’s aims are; ‘To benefit people, wildlife and the countryside in and around Horley, Crawley, Charlwood and Horsham.  We want to enhance people’s lives through contact with nature and to help wildlife and the countryside flourish, with the help of local people.’  There are three inter-related threads to Gatwick Greespace work: Environmental Conservation, Community Involvement and Planning.

National Nest Box week is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology and runs between 14 to 21 February.