Swift support championed by cabinet member

With their screaming cried and aeronautic displays, swifts are much loved locally, yet they are now on the UK red list of birds under threat because numbers have plummeted. They have declined by 62% between 1995 and 2021, due in part to the lack of suitable nest spaces under roof eaves due to demolition or renovation of older buildings.

Lewes Swift Supporters is a dedicated group of volunteers who are making Lewes a great place for the birds to visit and nest in.  The remarkable birds fly 3,400 miles between the UK and sub-Saharan Africa twice a year, stopping to refuel in continental Europe along the way. 

Councillor Emily O'Brien, Cabinet Member for Climate, Nature and Food Systems, said:

 "The Lewes Swift Supporters are undertaking wonderful work to make Lewes a swift friendly town by installing nest boxes and monitoring the health of the breeding population that visit each year.

 "Our own housing and development teams will look for opportunities to install swift boxes and I hope homeowners and business owners in the area will consider doing the same.

 "I'd also like to offer particular thanks to Audrey Jarvis who is a driving force behind so many fantastic initiatives to improve the natural environment in Lewes, including in her role as Secretary of Lewes Swift Supporters."

 The aims of the Lewes Swift Supporters are to increase understanding of swifts and get more people to become 'biodiversity champions' and take an action, however small, which will help to increase biodiversity across Lewes.

Councillor Makepeace was one of the founder members of Lewes Swift Supporters and in 2018 helped develop a planning note that encourages householders to seek advice on installing nest sites as part of their planning application. She said:

"I am enthusiastic about this title for the town because it recognises all the work residents are doing to help biodiversity.  From wildflowers in verges, to the pollinator corridor in the High Street, new trees, green roofs, wetland restoration, organic allotments, schools composting and residents hand weeding their streets to avoid glyphosate spraying, there will be an increase in flying insects, a vital food sources for our iconic birds."

 Audrey Jarvis said:

 "I'm delighted that Lewes District Council is committed to supporting swifts and continuing their fantastic work to encourage greater biodiversity across the district.

 "Council officers have worked with Lewes Swift Supporters to record active swift nests on properties owned by the authority so that they may be safeguarded during renovations.

 "Officers have also provided invaluable help in finding new sites where Lewes Urban Arboretum can plant trees and hedgerows for wildlife, and they have jointly funded some of their projects."

 For more information visit www.e-voice.org.uk and search for Lewes Swift Supporters.

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