SCHOOL EDITION 22 MARCH 2023 - Flipbook - Page 26
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FARMFAMILY
FARMWEEK
JANUARY 28 2021
Land managers play a ‘crucial
role’ in the songbird survival
A
S custodians of the
largest songbird habitat
in the country, farmers,
land managers and
gamekeepers play a crucial
role in the survival of the UK’s
farmland birds, says Dr Roger
Draycott of the Game & Wildlife
Conservation Trust (GWCT).
He went on: “The GWCT Big
Farmland Bird Count aims to
encourage even more of them to
include conservation measures
in the daily running of their farm,
estate or shoot.”
The count’s organisers are
asking land managers to spend 30
minutes, between February 5-14,
recording the farmland birds they
see in one area of their land.
“Many land managers carry out
vital conservation work, largely
unseen by the public,” continues
Roger.
“By taking part in the count year
on year, they can see how the
conservation work they are doing is
having an impact and our scientists
can build a picture of the health of
the UK’s farmland bird species.
“The GWCT Big Farmland Bird
Count is a very positive way to
showcase what can be achieved.”
Tim Walters, a farmer from
Hampshire who regularly takes
part, says: “I really enjoy doing the
Big Farmland Bird Count each year.
“As we continue to be involved
in stewardship and environmental
work on the farms, it is really
interesting to spend half an hour
each year counting wild birds.
“It is a good break from the
rigours of day-to-day commercial
farming and shows how benecial
the work is that so many farming
colleagues do to manage the
countryside.”
Last year’s count saw more than
1500 land managers take part. The
GWCT hopes to beat that number
this year.
The trust’s advisory service
provides guidance to land
managers, based on decades of
research, on ways to boost their
wild bird populations.
“Modern farming methods mean
that there is often not enough
natural food left in the countryside
in late winter and early spring for
wildlife,” continues Roger Draycott.
“One of the best ways to support
wild and game birds is to provide
LEFT: A robin redbrest is the UK’s
favourite bird.
extra winter seed food.
“Supplementary feeding is
particularly benecial for birds
of conservation concern like grey
partridge, yellowhammer and corn
bunting.”
The use of ‘conservation
headlands’ – wide eld margins
where little or no pesticides are
used – is also highly benecial to
farmland birds.
Allowing broad-leaved weeds to
ourish boosts insect populations
which are a food source for birds.
Planting and preserving
hedgerows also provides crucial
food, as well as nesting habitat and
a safe haven from predators.
“We also encourage land
managers to maintain small wet
areas around the farm, such as
ditches, scrapes and even old horse
ponds,” says Roger.
“These can help to attract wading
birds and provide nesting and
foraging sites for a wide variety
of birds ranging from mallard to
threatened species like snipe and
lapwing.”
Lapwing, once common on
farmland, have declined by 45 per
cent since 1970 and they are now a
“red list” species.
One of the main factors has been
the widespread switch from springsown to autumn-sown crops, which
has dramatically reduced habitat
suitable for nesting.
By leaving an area of uncropped,
cultivated land farmers can provide
suitable nesting and foraging areas
for lapwing, and other birds which
prefer to forage on open ground,
such as skylark, stone curlew and
turtle dove.
n Find out how to take part at
www.bfbc.org.uk
Lidl NI on the hunt for kids with bags of style
L
IDL Northern Ireland is calling budding
young artists across the region to
unleash their inner Picasso and create
an eye-catching design to feature on the
retailer’s brand new heavy-duty plastic
shopping bags, due to hit stores later this
year.
Lidl is set to introduce durable, reusable
shopping bags, made from 100 per cent
recycled plastic, and is calling on young
creatives to give the bags a stylish makeover.
Drawing inspiration from the world around
them, and their own imagination, children
are encouraged to get creative and submit
a drawing, sketch or painting of what one
of the R’s of Sustainability means to them –
choosing from the themes ‘reduce’, ‘reuse’ or
‘recycle’.
Angela Connan, Corporate Social
Responsibility Manager at Lidl Northern
Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to launch
our brand new heavy-duty recycled plastic
shopping bags this year, but we can’t do it
without the help of young creatives across
the region.
“We’re looking for someone with bags of
style to put the nishing touches on our
shopping bags and create a stylish design
centred around the theme of sustainability.
“Whether you create a drawing based
on reusing egg containers as seed pots,
a painting of your family recycling glass
bottles, or sharing a photo of how you have
grown your garden into a haven for bees
and butteries, the creative possibilities are
endless!
ABOVE: Launching the campaign are Luke
Lewis, aged five, and Owen Keogh, Head of
CSR at Lidl Ireland.
“We’ve had a lot of fun with this initiative
and each bag comes with a quirky pun, voted
for by Lidl Northern Ireland colleagues,
offering a funny and friendly reminder for
shoppers to reuse their bags.
“We hope that this competition will spark
important conversations around the overreliance on plastic and encourage us all to
re-think how it is used and what we can all
do individually to help reduce plastic in our
environment.
“It’s also a great way to get crafty over
lockdown and we wish all the young artists
the best of luck!”
To be in with a chance to win, pick up a
colouring competition entry form in any Lidl
Northern Ireland store or download the form
at www.lidl-ni.co.uk/shopping-bags and
print it off at home.
To submit your masterpiece, entrants can
take a picture of their creation and upload it
to the competition’s webpage.
n Entries close at 11.59pm on Sunday,
February 28.
One lucky winner will be chosen to have
their submission brought to life on Lidl
Northern Ireland’s new recycled shopping
bag range, available in all 40 stores across
the region from September 2021.
The winner will also receive a £500 Lidl
Northern Ireland gift card.
The introduction of the new 100 per
cent recycled plastic bags is the retailer’s
latest move in tackling waste to protect the
planet as part of Lidl’s ‘A Better Tomorrow’
sustainability strategy set in 2018 and
complements a range of other in-store
initiatives introduced over the past number
of years.
This includes the removal of plastic
packaging on fruit, providing reusable fruit
and veg bags and offering in-store recycling
bins.
Under its sustainability strategy, the
retailer has made a number of Plastic Pledge
commitments which include eliminating
single use plastics, using 20 per cent less
plastic packaging by 2022 and having 100
per cent recyclable own-brand packaging by
2025.
The theme of the competition is also
aligned with Lidl’s REset Plastic approach
which focuses on Reduce, Redesign, Recycle,
Remove and Research.
“We’re proud to be leading the Northern
Irish retail sector in implementing
sustainable initiatives that benet our
environment, our communities and our
customers,” said Angela.
“With sustainability and environmental
impact continuing to be a key focus for us in
2021, we’re delighted to kick off the year with
this fantastic campaign which engages our
communities and promotes a responsible
approach to consumption and waste
management.
“Through this initiative, we will see 6.3
million ‘Bags for Life’ eliminated from
circulation throughout all stores across the
island of Ireland by May 2021.”
‘Bags for Life’ are reusable shopping bags
made from plastic which, although are
meant to be an environmentally friendlier
alternative to single-use plastic bags, can
often have a large environmental footprint as
they are frequently not reused.
Air Ambulance NI to ‘boost’ your mood with raffle
FROM PAGE 25
Kerry Anderson, Head of
Fundraising at Air Ambulance
NI, said: “Due to Covid-19,
Air Ambulance NI has seen a
significant downturn in donations
and support, particularly through
fundraising events, so this raffle
will be key to raising muchneeded funds and awareness.
“The Helicopter Emergency
Medical Service (HEMS) team are
operational every day, helping
those who have suffered a serious
trauma.
“To ensure the service keeps
going continual support is crucial,
so we encourage everyone to
become an AANI fundraiser and
be in with the chance to win such
fabulous prizes by visiting www.
airambulanceni.org/thebigraffle/
“We would like extend our
sincere thanks to Boost Drinks
for their continued support and
to all of our sponsors who have
donated such special prizes,” she
added.
Boost Drinks selected Air
Ambulance NI as its chosen
charity for the second
consecutive year in 2020 and after
a difficult year for the charity is
continuing its support with this
raffle.
Boost Drinks Marketing Director
Adrian Hipkiss said: “We are
thrilled to support AANI again as
we are in awe of the life-saving
work they do for the NI public.
“We hope to raise as much as
we possibly can for them with
this raffle so urge everyone to get
involved.
“Whether you are planning a
trip to Liverpool or Cairnryan
in the future, in need a £1,000
cash boost, or could really do
with a fabulous new TV, there is
something here for everyone,” he
added.
Raffle tickets can be purchased
via www.airambulanceni.org/
thebigraffle/ and cost just £1 per
ticket.
The raffle will close to entrants
on March 26 and the draw will
take place on April 1. Prizes are
subject to terms and conditions.