Gardman raises £1million for BTO research

THE COUNTRY’S largest supplier of wild bird care products has this month (June) announced that it has raised £1million to fund the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) research and conservation programme.

Gardman and the charity launched their partnership in 1997 and since then the company has been helping raise funds from proceeds made through the sales of its products.

Jane Lawler, Marketing Director at Gardman, explained: “We’re delighted to be able to present the BTO with this fantastic amount of money. We have a range of products including seed mixes, suet, mealworm, feeders and nest boxes that we sell to raise money for the charity.”

The BTO is the UK’s leading wild bird research organisation. Volunteers have been surveying gardens for more than 30 years.

In that time they have shown the decline in House Sparrows and Starlings and the increase in use of gardens by Goldfinches, Siskins and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Jane added: “During the past 13 years our partnership has gone from strength-to-strength and the BTO has assisted us with some significant product development too.

“The BTO foods and accessories range, which we have helped create, is in recognition of the importance of gardens to the welfare of wild birds. The products are produced to very high standards, borne out of the BTO’s expertise and understanding of what wild birds need.

“I would like to thank all the retailers that stock our Gardman and BTO products and who work hard to ensure they sell well. They have contributed massively to the £1million we’ve raised.”

The BTO feed range has been carefully assembled to give wild birds the very best quality foods to help improve their chances of survival during harsh conditions.

The Gardman BTO nest boxes are built to the highest standards and meet the criteria as laid down in the BTO’s nest box ‘bible’ written by the charity’s expert in this field, Chris du Feu.

Andy Clements, Director of the BTO, said: “Interest and participation in garden bird feeding across the UK has grown exponentially over recent decades. Our close working relationship with Gardman, together with their generous support, has allowed us to conduct important research work into many aspects of the lives of garden birds.

“As a habitat, gardens support a rich wild fauna, especially birds. We have shown through our survey work, carried out largely by volunteers, that supplementary feeding can greatly benefit birds at certain times of the year.
 
“We still have much to learn about our garden birds and how management of gardens can benefit wildlife. Continuing strong partnership between Gardman and BTO enables the science of our garden birds to better inform how we can all help them at a time when diverse pressures on the environment are still causing many bird populations to decline.”

Gardman was voted the Garden Centre Association (GCA) and the Garden Industry Manufacturers’ Association’s (GIMA) ‘Supplier of the Year’ for the eighth year running in 2009.

Its wild bird care and gardening products are designed to bring gardens to life. The company’s comprehensive and innovative range includes gardening tools, greenhouses, grow your own products, hanging baskets, lighting and accessories, backed by an exemplary customer service policy.
To find out more about Gardman, please call 01406 372222 or visit www.gardman.co.uk.

For further details about the BTO, please visit www.bto.org