Myself and Arbarus (Richard Dawson) have been delivering the Abirdabode Project for the last eight months.  Funded by Oldham Arts Development, the project aims to bring art and nature together by building bird boxes using a variety of different creative techniques and skills.

We are currently working with a number of different groups in Oldham including the Dove Stone Youth Rangers, the Barrier Breakers, an Age UK older people’s group and the Grassroots Community Allotment Scheme in Failsworth.

We’re making lots of progress on the bird boxes which is good as deadlines are fast approaching – there’s an exhibition of them at Gallery Oldham in March and April.  The exhibition opens on Saturday 14th March and will have all the bird boxes made during the project on show.  Once the exhibition finishes, the bird boxes will be distributed to various communities, gardens, allotments and housing schemes around Oldham – get in touch if you’d like one for your community!

Most of these images are from Grassroots where we’ve been building a large-scale bird box for the exhibition!

One more thing… we’re doing a drop-in workshop at RSPB Dove Stone Reservoir on 22nd February.  This is to celebrate National Nest Box Week (14th – 21st February) and to kick off the RSPB’s Discovery Sundays for 2015.  We’ll be based at Ashway Gap (halfway round from the main car park) between 11am and 3pm – come and see us!