HELP BUILD A HOME FOR WILDLIFE THIS NATIONAL NESTBOX WEEK

This National Nestbox Week (14-21 February), local housebuilder Barratt Homes is encouraging families at its Aylesham Village development in Aylesham to create a home for native birds in their back garden. Barratt Kent is making 30 nestbox kits available for free to local families in Aylesham, which can be safely collected from the Sales and Marketing Suite.

As of 2021, 70 UK bird species were added to the conservation concern red list, which documents wild birds that have seen severe population decline or threat of extinction.* The list now accounts for more than a quarter of Britain’s 245 bird species. To encourage residents at its developments to create a safe home for wild nesting birds ahead of spring, the housebuilder is donating 240 nestboxes to families living nearby to its developments across the south east.

Barratt Kent will be making three types of easy-to-assemble kits available, all of which are made from sustainably sourced FSC-certified wood, and the outside of the box can be painted or decorated using markers. Once put together, the kits can be easily installed in the garden to house birdlife including blue tits, house sparrows, robins, wrens and wagtails.

Natalie Perry, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt Kent, said: “As a sustainable housebuilder and longstanding corporate partner of the RSPB, our goal is to create a safe home for nature and humans alike at our developments. In doing so, we hope to empower our new residents and surrounding communities to take small steps to welcome wildlife into their own gardens and green spaces. By installing a custom-made nestbox in their gardens, our residents can take one small step to help protect wild birds in Aylesham, and allow the population to continue to grow this nesting season.”

Local families can reserve their nestbox by emailing [email protected] to suggest a time slot during which they can collect the kit, which will then be placed outside of the Sales and Marketing Suite. Families are invited to share their nestbox when fully built and decorated on social media using the hashtag #MyBDWNestbox.
Barratt Kent is currently building new homes at Aylesham Village, where the housebuilder has installed a range of wildlife friendly features including bat boxes, biodiversity areas and wildflower planting. Prices start from £82,498 for a 50% share in a one-bedroom apartment available through Home Reach, with an additional monthly rental payment of £189.