London's Swifts Local Help & Assistance

Get help for your project from local experts & groups

These people should be able to advise you how to get your Swift nest box project up and running, or help you protect a local Swift colony from building work or development. Some can do a lot more! Please contact them via the e-mail links.

Swift Groups - please click the blue Swift icon to see the list  Moving to Spain, Italy or the Midi?
Local Swift Experts 
- see below - if you don't get a response, let us know!

   Aldeburgh Alan & Christine Collett
click here to e-mail
   Bridgnorth (Shropshire)
Carol Wood
click here to e-mail
  Brighton Chris Lowe click here to e-mail
  Bristol & Avon Mark Glanville click here to e-mail
   Bromley (Kent) Swift Group
Peter Smart
click here to e-mail
   Buckingham Sue Hetherington click here to e-mail
  Cambridgeshire Dick Newell click here to e-mail
  Channel Islands Vic Froome click here to e-mail
  Cornwall (North) Thaïs Martins click here to e-mail
  Cornwall Bruce Taggart click here to e-mail
  Cumbria - Sedbergh and District Tanya & Edmund Hoare click here to e-mail
  South Cumbria & North Lancs Peter Moreton click here to e-mail
   Darlington, Yorkshire
John Tempest
click here to e-mail
  Derby & Derbyshire Nick Brown click here to e-mail
  Devon Stephen Fitt click here to e-mail
  Dorset Stephen Fitt click here to e-mail
  Eire - Dublin area Helen Burke click here to e-mail
  Eire - County Mayo Lynda Huxley click here to e-mail
  Essex John Smart click here to e-mail
   Hampshire Tim Norriss
click here to e-mail
   Hertfordshire
Vicky Duxbury
click here to e-mail
   Hertfordshire (North East)
Gavin Vicary
click here to e-mail
   Isle of Wight
Caroline Dudley
click here to e-mail
   Kendal Ros Taylor
click here to e-mail
   Kent (East)
Nik Mitchell click here to e-mail
  Lancashire (South) & Greater Manchester
Louise Bentley click here to e-mail
  Lancashire (Fylde & Bowland) Ian Walker click here to e-mail
   Lancashire (Wigan area)
Lynn Sedgwick
click here to e-mail
  Leeds   Martin Calvert click here to e-mail
   Lincolnshire (Central) Bill Ball click here to e-mail
   Lincolnshire (Caistor area)
Ann Cross click here to e-mail
  Lincolnshire (Vale of Belvoir) David Makin click here to e-mail
  London - East
Shelagh Taylor
click here to e-mail
  London - North Helen Shore
click here to e-mail
  London - North East & Central
Michael Priaulx click here to e-mail
  London - North West
Edward Mayer click here to e-mail
  London - South & Southwark
Steven Robinson click here to e-mail
  London - South West
Louise Cole
click here to e-mail
  Milton Keynes Martin Kincaid click here to e-mail
   Norfolk Rob Collins
click here to e-mail
   Northern Ireland
Mark Smyth
click here to e-mail
  Oxfordshire (Cherwell District) Chris Mason click here to e-mail
  Portsmouth Dave Warner click here to e-mail
  Scotland - Tayside Daniele Muir click here to e-mail
  South West England Stephen Fitt click here to e-mail
  Sheffield, South Yorkshire Sheffield Swift Network
click here to e-mail
  Shropshire Peta Sams click here to e-mail
  Suffolk Eddie Bathgate
click here to e-mail
   Surrey Sarah Davis
click here to e-mail
  Sussex Dave Boddington / SOS click here to e-mail
  Wales - Cardiff area Julia Barrell click here to e-mail
  Wales - Cardiff area Linda Newton click here to e-mail
  Wales - South & Brecon Beacons Kirsty Johns click here to e-mail
  Wales - Glamorgan Alan Rosney click here to e-mail
   Wiltshire - North (& Bristol, Swindon to Devizes)
Sarah Roberts
click here to e-mail
   Worcestershire Sue Wilks
click here to e-mail
  Yorkshire - Ilkley area Bill Thorne click here to e-mail
  Yorkshire - Ampleforth area Jonathan Pomroy click here to e-mail
   Yorkshire - Scarborough area
Robert Stark
click here to e-mail
  Yorkshire - Wakefield
Chris Swaine
click here to e-mail

Just a few examples of their work

Photo © Mark Smyth

Photo © Helen Robertson

Photo © Roland Giddy

Stephen Fitt has been the prime mover for the installation of many hundreds of Swift nest places in the West Country, mostly in new-build housing, apartments, hotels and schools, by working closely with the Duchy of Cornwall and Exeter City Council, Tanya and Edmund Hoare have set up an amazing Swift colony in the walls of their own home, and have overseen the installion of Swift nest places in numerous buildings in their region, Mark Smyth and Jonathan Pomroy have both set up very successful Swift colonies at their homes, Helen Robertson saved her Swifts' nests by having special entrances fitted when her builder re-tiled the roof in late 2009, Ian Walker advised on the installation of Swift nest places in the new Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, and the late Roland Giddy had his Victorian eaves converted into Swift homes, and was instrumental in saving the Swift colony in the church at Lingfield.

The Moral: Everyone can do something, big or small, to help Swifts.

The Small Print - please read carefully. These people all work independently. They only provide advice on Swift conservation and nest space creation; they do not advise on any aspect of building maintenance, structural or safety matters. They should be able to tell you what can be done to preserve and provide nest places, and what sorts of commercially-available nest boxes might be suitable. You will need to assure yourself that their advice fits in with your plans for your building, your building's condition and your future requirements, and any other associated matters. You will need to arrange for purchases and fitting, and/or associated building work, as required. Swifts are wild creatures, and while all helpers are in touch with the latest information, it may well be that Swifts will not take up the offered nest places, or may leave an altered nest site notwithstanding all efforts to preserve the colony. Under no circumstances can these helpers or Swift Conservation accept any liability.

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