Ben Hall
Feed the birds involves training volunteers to visit people who are experiencing social isolation, to install and refill bird food containers and chat about garden wildlife. People are referred to the scheme via GP surgeries through their care and community co-ordinators and agencies in the voluntary sector.
Feedback has been very positive:
The project has opened a new window of friendship and brought immense happiness, as my patient now loves just to sit indoors or out and watch the birds
Regular social contact is established through the scheme, while watching garden birds and knowing you are doing something for them is very rewarding.
Thanks to National Lottery players, Feed the Birds will reach a further 100 beneficiaries, matching them with 100 volunteers who, following training, will visit once a week. “We will target the Oswestry and Shrewsbury areas initially, working closely with Telford Feed the Birds but plan to extend the project across the whole of Shropshire over the next two years,” says Diane Monether, Feed the Birds project officer.
The Trust is looking for volunteers who would like to be part of the project and is also taking referrals from organisations that come across people who are lonely or socially isolated. This is a great opportunity for anyone who is a bird lover and wants to share their passion for feeding the birds with others. We will also be taking Feed the Birds into Morris Care homes and working with Royal Shrewsbury Hospital with the aim of bringing people closer to nature through watching birds.
Anyone interested in finding out more should contact Diane Monether (01743 284271) or email dianem@shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk For details of our next training session click here.
Thanks to Reech Media for designing our new project logo!
About The National Lottery Community Fund
We are the largest community funder in the UK – we’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over £9 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.
We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people’s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
