Peabody and the Wildlife Trust are working on a whole programme of wildlife-related events and activities over the coming year to draw attention to the plight of the House sparrow, which has experienced a declining population in just a few decades – after centuries of happily living alongside Londoners.
The activities on estates will include:
- planting hedgerow species such as hawthorn and blackthorn to create the ideal, bustle-friendly bird habitat
- planting grasses and flowers to attract the protein-rich aphids, caterpillars and weevils that nestlings love to feed on
- community workshops to make roosting boxes and feeders for species including bats, swifts, house martins and sparrows
- visits to wildlife reserves and green spaces in London to learn more about the capital’s birds and wildlife.
Called 'Cockney Sparrow', the project launched with a number of parties across London, including events at Peabody Hill and the Tachbrook Estate.
There will be more parties during July:
Strawberry Vale
Sunday 4 July between 12 noon and 4pm.
Bat's eye view: a volunteer takes time to make friends with a bat
Entertainment at the parties will include:
- Wildlife displays
- Live bats!
- Nest-box & bird-feeder making
- Free buffet
- Face-painting
- Badge-making
- Bird-watching
- And be part of the tv documentary!
Plus, there will be plenty more happening each day.
All events are free and suitable for all ages and everyone is welcome to come along and see what’s happening, and sign up for activities.
Mark Pearson, Cockney Sparrow Project Officer, said "[Wildlife] needs our help sooner rather than later, and there’s lots of small ways we can help them. That’s why our project is so exciting – by reconnecting people and wildlife, everyone’s a winner, and we can really make a difference with the help of local communities."
Here's Mark talking on BBC's Springwatch programme about his work on this project around the East Reservoir in Hackney:
[Click on image to watch video]
If you'd like to know more about the Cockney Sparrow project, you can contact Mark on 07971 077084 or email him at mpearson@wildlondon.org.uk.
More about the project: Activate London
Cockney Sparrow is part of the Big Lottery-funded £4.6 million Activate London programme, led by Peabody in partnership with Broomleigh Housing, Circle Anglia, Family Mosaic, Metropolitan Housing, Southern Housing and CBHA.
The programme offers a diverse portfolio of more than 80 community-led projects themed around healthy eating, active lifestyles and good mental health. Residents have helped to plan and deliver many of these projects, gaining skills and experience and ensuring they will become self-sustaining. So far almost 21,000 people have benefited from Activate London, on target for 43,000 beneficiaries over the course of its lifetime (2008-2012).
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