Folly Farm have been selected as runner up in BIAZA's Great British Wildlife Restoration Awards, for their 'Hafod yr Adar' swift conservation tower project.

26 zoos and wildlife parks across the UK were shortlisted for the awards, a prestigious scheme that recognises the incredible work being done to restore native species in Britain, and bring people closer to nature. And out of these 26 wonderful projects, Folly Farm in Begelly came in at an impressive second place!

The Great British Wildlife Awards, which is organised by BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums), aims to shine a spotlight on some of the amazing work taking place to tackle the drastic decline of native species, and will urge politicians to act now for our nature.

The awards were voted for solely by MPs and all those shortlisted were invited to attend the House of Commons on January 20, where the winners were announced.

South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell passionately advocated for Folly Farm’s Hafod yr Adar project, to be recognised and awarded at this prestigious event, and help highlight the parks conservation efforts.

Henry also picked up the award on behalf of Folly Farm who are very grateful for his continued support.

The Hafad yr Adar tower, located at Folly Farm’s zoo - was able to be built thanks to the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust’s ‘Force for Nature’ grant, which helps support projects and communities who are driving positive change for biodiversity and conservation.

The grant helped to fund the aptly named Hafod yr Adar project which was installed at the park earlier last year. Hafod yr Adar translates to ‘the birds summer dwelling’, referring to the summer migratory and nesting habits of the target birds it is intended to protect.

The large purpose-built tower stands 6.5m high and aims to offer additional nesting opportunities for multiple bird and bat species, including the UK Red Listed swifts and house martins as well as the declining population of barn swallows.

All three target bird species are declining in numbers, with the RSPB reporting that swifts experienced a shocking 62% decline between 1995 and 2021. Having lived alongside us for hundreds of years, using our homes for nest sites, they are now slowly being evicted. In a bid to improve home efficiency, gaps and holes in walls are being sealed up.

This is beneficial to help tackle climate change, but it’s leaving no access for the birds. Barn swallows are also victims of eviction because of barn or garage conversions.

Conservation Officer at Folly Farm, Jack Gradidge was thrilled with the award: “We're incredibly honoured to receive runner-up in the awards alongside some truly remarkable conservation projects. Swifts, house martins and swallows need all the help they can get.

“The Hafod yr Adar project is already inspiring other people to make room for these birds, from installing nest boxes to encouraging more insects, we can all do our bit to help these birds that have lived alongside us for hundreds of years.

“We'd like to thank Henry Tufnell MP for accepting the award on our behalf and special thanks goes to our funding partner, the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust for making the project possible.”