Rotary Corner: Providing bird boxes for Jubilee Park
Over the last 40 years around 600 million breeding birds have been lost in the UK due to intensive farming, pesticides and climate change, writes Rotarian Rev Clive Doubleday.
Farmland birds have decreased by 62%, woodland birds by 36% and garden birds by 11%. Another cause of the decline is due to diseases such as avian flu, which has particularly affected seabirds and water birds.
In order to reverse this trend of decline, bird boxes and creating the right environment for birds is crucial.
One of Rotary’s seven main focus areas is caring for the environment. The Deeping Rotary Club, in partnership with Deeping St James Parish Council, have joined forces to welcome a new generation of feathered residents to Jubilee Park. Eight hand-crafted bird boxes are being installed within the park’s designated “wild area”, marking the latest milestone in the site’s ongoing ecological transformation.
This initiative builds on the extensive biodiversity work completed by the local council over the last year, which transformed the space through the planting of hundreds of woodlands trees/shrubs, and the creation of a new wildflower meadow.
Kate Shinkins-Hoppe, Chair of Deeping St James Parish Council, said: “We are incredibly grateful to the Rotary Club for their contribution. The bird boxes, hand-crafted by one of their own members, are a vital addition to our local ecosystem. Keep an eye out for spectacular floral displays this June, and watch as the emerging woodland begins to quietly play host to a new generation of birdlife.”
The improvements are a further significant chapter in the park’s development since the local council took ownership of the site from South Kesteven District Council in 2024. What was once a neglected space is being revitalised into a premier destination for Deeping residents.
While biodiversity remains at the heart of the park’s mission, it is also looking towards community recreation.