Manx Bird Club is set to host free art workshops in Castletown Town Hall across two days.

Scheduled for this Saturday (May 30) and Saturday, June 6, the workshops are being organised with a set purpose in mind.

Residents are invited to participate and help design three giant swift puppets for the annual ‘Celebrate our Swifts’ event held at Poulsom Park on June 28.

Alongside the large-scale puppet-making, visitors will also have the chance to create their own feather-inspired craft to take home.

Organisers say the sessions are open to everyone, including adults, children, and families, although children must be accompanied by an adult.

Participants are being warned to dress for mess, as materials such as acrylic paint and plaster of Paris will be in use.

Old clothing is strongly recommended, with only a limited number of aprons and protective shirts available.

The workshops are kindly supported by Flutter and aim to bring the community together through art while raising awareness and appreciation for swifts, which return to the Isle of Man each year during the summer months.

Swifts are aerial birds which spend most of their life in flight, migrating thousands of miles annually.

However, in recent years, Swifts have struggled to breed on the island with numbers dwindling down slowly.

One of the reasons behind this is loss of nest sites.

Janet Thompson from Manx Bird Club said: ‘If you are lucky enough to have swifts nesting in your property or have them nearby then we can give advice as to the best way to try and increase nesting opportunities.

‘Perhaps you would like to "adopt a nest site", we need to know if sites are occupied year on year, we can let you know of known nest sites in your area that need monitoring.’

Janet recalls the thrill of seeing the swifts entering and leaving their nests at a great speed, they are vocal birds so can usually be heard ‘screaming’ around the island.

She said: ‘We want children and adults to appreciate and enjoy these birds for years to come.

‘Swift numbers are in rapid decline for many reasons one of which is loss of nest sites. In the island, swifts generally nest at high level in holes in unrendered stone buildings, in the gaps behind facias and under tiles of some roofs.

‘If people are aware of these magnificent birds that travel to us to breed from sub Saharan Africa we hope they will try to help us conserve their nest sites. To do this we need to know where swifts are nesting so that we can try to prevent sites being lost through renovations.

‘Swifts are only with us from May to mid-September each year. It is also possible to provide nest boxes in locations where swift are known to be nearby.’

If you are interested in attending the workshop or finding out more information on how you can help the swifts email: [email protected]