Lockers Park School partners with The Box Moor Trust to help grow swift population

Lockers Park Preparatory School’s pupils have been putting their design and technology skills to good use in a special project launched by local charitable organisation The Box Moor Trust.

The endeavour is aimed at increasing the local swift population, whose numbers have been gradually decreasing every year. Lockers Park Year 6 pupils have cut templates and constructed some of the 50 nest boxes needed as part of their Technology course, while the Box Moor Trust Junior Rangers will complete the rest. Residents living around Lockers Park School in Boxmoor with two-storey houses are being asked if they will house a nest box to help encourage swifts to thrive once more.

David Kirk, chair of The Box Moor Trust explained: ‘Research on swifts suggests that the surviving young prefer to nest near their original site. The trouble is that they often cannot find a suitable roof. I have watched youngsters repeatedly searching under eaves for holes and flying away unsuccessful. The answer is to erect wooden swift nest boxes as close as possible to an existing site.’

Christopher Wilson, headmaster at Lockers Park said: ‘Our Year 6 pupils relished the opportunity to get involved in this worthwhile local scheme while honing their DT skills in the process. We hope to see an increase in swift numbers over the coming years as a direct result of the programme. The Box Moor Trust is a fantastic local resource and we frequently utilise its facilities to enhance our pupils’ learning.’

Many thanks to local builder’s merchant SELCO (Hemel Hempstead) for donating the wood for the boxes.

Contact admin@boxmoortrust.org.uk to find out more about the swift project and the work of The Box Moor Trust.