Cockney Sparrow, come back home

With the help of London Wildlife Trust, Peabody housing association is launching 'Cockney Sparrow', a community project to create havens for London wildlife, including the project's red-listed namesake, on selected Peabody estates.

The Cockney Sparrow project will involve Peabody residents and their neighbourhoods, including nearby schools and community groups, in wildlife-themed activities to raise awareness of their local environment. Participants will be given the opportunity to help improve and maintain habitats for sparrows and other wildlife on Peabody estates.

Cockney Sparrow activities will include:

• planting hedgerow species such as hawthorn and blackthorn to create the ideal, bustle-friendly bird habitat
• planting grasses and flowers to attract the protein-rich aphids, caterpillars and weevils that nestlings love to feed on
• community workshops to make roosting boxes for a host of species including bats, swifts, house martins and sparrows
• visits to wildlife reserves and green spaces in London
• training to record birds and wildlife on estates.

Three Peabody estates in north London have been chosen for the first phase of the project, with launch events in Kings Cross Ten, Whitechapel and Pembury in August. The Kings Cross Ten launch event was held on Saturday 1st August. The next launch event is at Whitechapel estate on Sunday 9th August, followed by a launch event at Pembury estate on Saturday 15th of August.

The project is expected to pick up steam as residents see the effects of their work as more species and birds are attracted to the estates.

Peabody’s Cockney Sparrow Project Manager Andrea Purslow said:

“Cockney Sparrow is a great opportunity for Peabody residents and other local people to learn more about their environment and help protect London’s threatened wildlife.

“By improving wildlife habitat and involving people in conservation efforts, we hope to entice the cockney sparrow and other wildlife to return -- and make London a greener, even more vibrant place to live.”

Peabody will deliver Cockney Sparrow in partnership with London Wildlife Trust, the only charity dedicated solely to protecting London's wildlife and wild spaces.

London Wildlife Trust’s Cockney Sparrow Project Officer Mark Pearson is excited about the possibilities.

“Hands-on conservation is often seen as something that happens in the ‘countryside’, that mythical place that many of us don’t have regular access to.

“But the built environment is a very important aspect of the bigger picture, and our inner cities have provided sanctuaries for lots of amazing birds and animals for hundreds, even thousands of years.

“They came with us as we made London the city we live in today, and have co-habited alongside numerous generations of Londoners. Iconic species such as house sparrows, swifts, bats and house martins have been part of the capital’s local communities for longer than any of us, but because of modern environmental factors, we’re pushing them out, and fast.

“They need our help sooner rather than later, and there’s lots of small ways we can help them. That’s why our project is so exciting – by reconnecting people and wildlife, everyone’s a winner, and we can really make a difference with the help of local communities.”

Cockney Sparrow is part of Peabody's Big Lottery-funded Activate London programme, which offers a wide range of community-led projects to promote good mental and physical health, from bike maintenance classes to yoga. You can find out more about Activate London at www.peabody.org.uk/living/well-being.aspx.

More about the cockney sparrow

Affectionately known as the cockney sparrow, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) was once a common sight in the capital. Now the bird has all but disappeared, leaving London's skies to the more robust but distinctly less loveable feral pigeon (worth distinguishing from native, ‘natural’ woodpigeons, collared doves and stock doves).

The rate of decline of the sparrow is truly alarming, with populations decreasing by almost two-thirds between 1994 and 2001, according to the Breeding Bird Survey. The sparrow is now on the Red List of British Birds -- those of highest conservation concern.

Experts are at a loss to explain the sparrows’ decline, but it seems likely a combination of factors are to blame, including the ‘improving’ of old buildings, a lack of available nesting sites in new buildings, air pollution, and loss of feeding habitat. Domestic cats, natural predators such as sparrowhawks, and collision with windows and other factors all play their part too. 

While more research is being undertaken, Peabody and London Wildlife Trust have pledged to help the embattled bird.

-- Ends --

Notes to editors

Peabody was established in 1862 and is now one of the largest housing associations in London, providing affordable homes to over 50,000 Londoners, as well as being a charity and regeneration agency. Peabody’s mission is to make London a city of opportunity for all by ensuring as many people as possible have a good home, a real sense of purpose and a strong feeling of belonging. www.peabody.org.uk

• - Over the next 10 years, Peabody plans to invest up to £46 million regenerating the open spaces of estates across London, creating landscapes that are greener, safer and that inspire pride and a sense of ownership among residents.
• - Peabody provides learning, volunteering and personal development opportunities to people of all ages, with around 750 people gaining qualifications and 300 supported into paid employment every year.

London Wildlife Trust is the only charity dedicated solely to protecting the capital's wildlife and wild spaces, engaging London's diverse communities through access to our nature reserves, campaigning, volunteering and education. www.wildlondon.org.uk