Wharfedale Men’s Shed is proud to have played a part in bringing wildlife closer to the children of Westgate Primary School in Otley, through a rewarding collaboration with local charity Wildlife Friendly Otley.
Members of the Shed crafted two bird nest boxes for the school — one open-fronted design, suitable for robins and wrens, and one with a small circular entrance hole sized for blue tits. Both were donated complete with illustrated information sheets about their intended residents. Bird feeders were also provided as part of the same gift.
The boxes were presented to Westgate’s enthusiastic Eco Team by Wildlife Friendly Otley’s co-chair and education officer, Neil Griffin, during a visit to Grove Hill Park — a visit that went ahead despite sleet and a temperature of just one degree. The Eco Team, drawn from across the school’s year groups, had already been busy planting crocus bulbs in the park, and were rewarded with the sight of those same flowers already pushing through the frozen ground.
The Shed’s involvement doesn’t stop at nest boxes. Westgate Primary also has planters made by the Shed team, led by Stuart Gregory and Robert Miles, brightening the school grounds and providing growing space for the children.
Wildlife Friendly Otley is continuing to work with the school on further projects, including an above-ground wildlife pond and a programme of wildlife-friendly planting — all part of developing the school grounds as both an outdoor classroom and a habitat for local wildlife.
It’s exactly the kind of community partnership that Wharfedale Men’s Shed was made for.
This story draws on reporting by Claire Lomax, News Editor at the Wharfedale Observer — read the original article here.
Photo: Westgate Primary School Eco Team with their new nest boxes. Credit: Wildlife Friendly Otley.