Feed the Birds is a befriending scheme for bird lovers first piloted by Shropshire Wildlife Trust in 2016, it has since expanded into a fully funded project, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.

Our project trains and matches volunteers with someone identified as lonely within their local community. Volunteers then visit each week to top up the bird feeders and chat about the garden birds.

It has become apparent that having a regular visit from a friendly face who is not a health professional, chatting about a shared interest, doing something positive and taking responsibility for the birds builds confidence, provides enjoyment and contributes to improved health and wellbeing. We have seen new friendships develop and people helping each other through a joint love of wildlife.

This video explains more about the project and its impacts on all those involved.