This week marked an exciting step forward for swifts in Cheltenham – with the first test installation of swift nest boxes successfully completed.

At Sarah’s house, the Swift and House Martin Support Group came together to turn planning into action. With risk assessments in place and tools prepared, the team worked through the full installation process – building confidence and learning what it takes to do this safely and efficiently.

The boxes themselves were made by the brilliant team at The Butterfly Garden – thoughtfully designed and beautifully built to support the Common swift, a species that urgently needs more nesting spaces as traditional sites disappear.

Practical details mattered. With the front of the house facing south, white boxes were chosen to reflect heat, helping create the right conditions for nesting.

From start to finish, the installation took around an hour and fifteen minutes, with each box taking just 9–13 minutes to install once the ladder was in place. Tim led the install, with Andy supporting on the ground to keep everything running smoothly.

This was a real-world test:
✔ How long it takes
✔ What equipment is needed
✔ How to do it safely
✔ What works in practice

That knowledge makes it much easier to scale up – with more boxes, more locations, and more people getting involved.

While the swift group is a separate, volunteer-led initiative, Cheltenham Action for Nature is supporting the work through coordination, shared learning and insurance via Vision 21.