Feeding time for the hospital’s ducks with Charlotte Sturmey and Paul Fox
An appeal for donations of bird food to support the wildfowl living on the lake enjoyed by patients and staff at Royal Bournemouth Hospital has been answered by a Verwood based retail group. PamPurredPets has pledged a long term supply of food to support the work of Paul Fox, who is the full time carpenter and voluntary wildlife conservationist.
The man-made lake was built at the time of the hospital’s construction as a surface water run off which reduces the risk of localised flooding. Over the years, a mixture of fish, mainly species of carp and goldfish have been introduced. Water birds including mallards, cormorants, herons, swans have made the lake their home and more recently runner ducks have been donated.
“The lake and the surrounding open space is a much loved and valued feature enjoyed by many people who attend or work at the hospital,” said Paul who has also made and installed over 30 bird boxes within the landscape. “With the donations we can now provide extra feed to the bird population and hope to see more breeding this year.”
PamPurredPets’ Marketing Manager Charlotte Sturmey said that they were delighted to support the on-going wildlife project and save funds for the hospital’s charity and estates office: “It was fantastic to visit and see the lake area. It is as much a haven for the patients, dedicated staff and visitors as it is for the ducks.”
