Big day for fledgling naturalists

To mark the National Nest Box Week, which runs from February 14-21, pupils from Leavening Primary School were given nest boxes and instructions on how and where to locate them in their own gardens.

Donated by Thixendale-based artist Robert Fuller, above, more than 40 of the boxes were handed out at assembly – enough for every family with a child at the school, plus four for the school garden.

Mr Fuller raises funds for wildlife through two annual art exhibitions. This year he raised 500 for his project, Nest Boxes on the Wolds. He said: "I wanted to use the funds I raised in a way that was sustainable. I think if you foster a love of wildlife in children then they will learn to cherish the wealth of wildlife that we have here in Yorkshire."

Made from wood and concrete, they are built to last decades. "This means the children can watch birds fledge from them year after year, as they are growing up themselves," he added.