Children can begin the year by helping to give our feathered friends a hand during the winter months.

The Manx Wildlife Trust, the island’s environmental conservation charity, is to begin its programme of creative children’s workshops for 2020 with a ’Feed the Birds’ craft session, making a range of garden bird feeders.

The session takes place at Kirk Braddan Church hall at 2pm on Saturday, February 1, and is aimed at children aged between five and 11 years old.

The workshop will be led by Dawn Dickens, the Manx Wildlife Trust’s biodiversity and education officer, who will use recycled rubbish and left over materials to make a range of different feeders and different snacks that are ideal for hungry sparrows, finches and other types of garden birds.

The one-and-a-half hour workshop will also let children learn more about the different types of wild birds that might be seen feeding and flitting through their gardens.

’Winter is a tough time if you are a bird,’ said Dawn.

’It’s even more of a tough time when you are looking for a place to build a nest or trying to feed yourself through the cold winter months.

’We have developed this craft session so that children can give our feathered friends a helping hand by making extra food available in the garden.

’We’ll be making wooden apple bird feeders and I’ll also be showing children how to recycle old milk cartons to be turned into a colourful seed dispenser, which you can hang in your garden.

She added: ’Of course, while we are making these feeders, the children can learn more bits of information about our common garden birds as they go.’

Places on the workshop are £2.50 per child, available online through the Manx Wildlife Trust Facebook page.

All children who attend the workshop must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

The Manx Wildlife Trust will be running more children’s craft and educational workshops throughout the year.

All courses are open to non-members of the Manx Wildlife Trust, but priority will be given to members of the trust.

For more information on the Manx Wildlife Trust, future courses and workshops and on how to become a member, go to manxwt.org.uk