Efforts aimed at enticing swifts to nest at All Saints Church in the north Norfolk village of Marsham have captured the local community’s imagination, with keen environmentalists – many of whom had never visited the church – now actively engaging with parish communications and attending events.
The PCC at All Saints, a church which is part of the national Eco Church scheme, approved the installation of swift boxes last autumn.
Having received support from Aylsham Swift Group and their counterparts in Norwich, the initiative snowballed following initial conversations at an Earth Day event held at All Saints last year.
The only barrier left to overcome was funding the project. An ingenious idea to make the most of festive generosity ended up paying dividends – in every way possible.
Nicola Hibberd, Fabric Officer at All Saints, Marsham, explained:
“The idea settled on was offering sponsorship that people could gift as a Christmas present or a wildlife friendly gift. That’s how we’ve managed to fund the entire scheme.
“There have been so many people in Marsham – many of whom have never had anything to do with the church – getting involved, which has been lovely to see. Some of them now come to our monthly coffee morning and I send updates to everyone who’s contributed to the project. It’s been really positive and created a brilliant spirit throughout the wider community.”
Certificates were designed by a PCC member’s daughter, Erin Reall, who is currently an art student in Norwich, and uptake soared – with the fundraising target exceeded due to the scheme’s popularity.
Due to this success, the church was able to pay for bespoke swift boxes to be made by the Aylsham Community Shed. The workshop, based on the site of the town’s secondary school, has become something of a specialist in this item, having supplied Aylsham Parish Church and several local homes with boxes in recent years.
The latest swift boxes have now been installed in Marsham church’s tower, adding to a range of projects in progress to welcome wildlife and strengthen biodiversity at All Saints.
“We’ve lost so many nesting sites for swifts in our houses, with plastic along roof lines stopping the swifts making homes in our rooves. We feel like we’ve got to do something to help,” Nicola added.
With the boxes now in situ, David Hibberd, Nicola’s husband who works as an IT specialist, plans to install a speaker system which will play out three spells of swift calls each day to attract the birds. This will only be necessary until the first residents make a nest in the church tower.
Then, with any funds remaining, the team at All Saints hope they may be able to share progress even more effectively with the addition of a camera so viewers can spy if and when swifts make an appearance.
To stay up to date with All Saints, Marsham, follow the Bure Valley Churches Facebook page, which also shares news from Brampton, Burgh next Aylsham, Buxton, Lammas and Oxnead.
Want to install swift boxes in your church? Guidance can be found in a dedicated resource pack created by our Church Buildings and Development team.