On Thursday the 24th March a team of East Linton Tool Library volunteers gathered at West Barns Primary School to deliver a bird box building workshop to pupils in P6/P7...
Preparations began at East Linton Tool Library cabin at The Mart a few days earlier, with instruction being given on the idiosyncrasies of the table saw
7 planks of larch wood painted then neatly sawn into their component parts, we arrive at the school ready to build!
A brief Q & A:
1."Who are you?" ... "We're East Linton Tool Library"
2."Why are you here?"... "We're here to help you build some bird boxes (specially designed for blue tits and coal tits)"
3."How many times have you done this before?"..."Never! And please note these boxes are all going to look slightly different because they're homemade (and all the better for it)"
4."How much do you get paid for doing this?"..."Nothing. We're volunteers. It's for community - and for fun! (And maybe also for a little bit of promotion for our fantastic Tool Library)"
Quick promotional picture - thanks P6/P7 for helping advertise ELTL!
And on with the show. Jennifer and Brian artfully demonstrate the construction of a prototype bird box
Simultaneously, Bob and Liz craft this beauty
Then everyone gets into a team - 5 teams of 4 students and 1 volunteer each - and it's over to you, P6/P7
Hammering, drilling, clamping, stapling...
And voilà, ta-da...the results are exquisite and all slightly different, just as we had 100 percent planned
The best situation and location for our boxes? Some nearby trees in the park look ideal
Bish bash bosh, bada-bing-bada-boom. Our work is done. Happy nesting, coal tits and blue tits of West Barns. Which community project should East Linton Tool Library embark on next? Answers on a postcard (email) to eastlintontoollibary@gmail.com
Thank you to Bob, Liz, Jennifer and Brian for making it all possible.