As a key partner in the supply of bird care products to garden centres, Westland has said it is committed to driving the sector and educating the public. And to further this, the company has announced a new partnership and has joined forces with the British Trust for Ornithology (The BTO) as part of an ongoing strategy to bring education and quality to the sector.

The new partnership will re-invigorate the existing relationship that the BTO had with Gardman (which Westland acquired in 2018) and set it on a new path. The partnership will enable Westland’s retail partners to be able to access BTO data as well as using the charity’s considerable knowledge and expertise to inspire consumers, educate staff and engage through social media. The BTO and Westland will also create new standards in bird care products, ensuring rigour in testing and design.

A key aim of the partnership is to boost education around birds and bird care, whilst also delivering a greater understanding of the role that wild bird feeding has in the 24 million gardens across the UK. To deliver this there will be a series of events and activities taking place throughout the year and the BTO will be providing educational content. A highlight of which will be an event in October which will be the launch platform for the substantial piece of vital research. For this, the two organisations will be uniting to conduct the largest ever survey of gardens, wild birds and the importance of local gardens on wildlife. The survey results will provide valuable insight and aid future product developments, as well as increasing knowledge of how gardens are used, both now and in the future.

Rachael Dickinson, senior marketing manager at Westland, commented: “We’re really pleased to be working with the BTO, the most authoritative name in ornithology. The partnership came out of the recognition that both Westland and the BTO are striving to boost the participation of caring for and enjoying wildlife. We both want to make a difference in every garden in the UK and inspire people to feed the birds, so what better solution than to combine efforts and join forces and expertise to launch a cohesive campaign?”

The BTO is a leading scientific organisation researching bird activity in the UK and offers a vast pool of information, expertise and knowledge that will become more readily available to the public through working with Westland.

Further information about the partnership will be released to garden centres throughout the pre-season sales period.