Bon Volks Swift Guardians project

Aim

The Swift Project is an initiative to protect Margate’s endangered swifts and reconnect people with local biodiversity.

We’re Bon Volks, a non-profit arts organisation in Margate. Over the past decade, we’ve provided affordable studio spaces to creative practitioners and brought people together through creative workshops, environmental projects and community gardening. Our work is rooted in the spirit of collective care and grassroots action.

Our latest initiative, the Swift Guardian Project, sits at the heart of our commitment to Climate Action. Inspired by the return of Margate’s swift colony each summer, the project uses the story of these migratory birds to engage the community in biodiversity, conservation and sustainability.

Swifts are in serious decline, losing over 60% of their UK population in the past 25 years, mainly due to habitat loss. We've already installed 23 swift nesting boxes in our neighbourhood, hosted events (talks, workshops and biodiversity walks), and raised local awareness. But we know we can do more, together.

We’re raising funds to build a network of Swift Guardians across Margate. This isn’t just about saving a species, it’s about connecting people to place, deepening our relationship with the natural world, and empowering collective climate action.

This funding will help us:

- Build and install more swift nest boxes across the town

- Host the next 'Swift Weekend' (a creative and educational community event)

- Launch a public awareness campaign on swift conservation

- Build a network of local Swift Guardians to monitor and protect colonies

We believe that through creativity and care, communities can lead the way in protecting biodiversity and building a more sustainable future.

By protecting swifts, we are protecting biodiversity, and by engaging our community in their care, we are helping people take meaningful action on climate change at a local level.

Preventing and preparing for climate impacts through biodiversity conservation,
healthy ecosystems are our best defense against climate change. Swifts play a vital role in controlling insect populations, contributing to ecological balance. Their presence indicates a thriving local ecosystem. Protecting them means creating habitats that support biodiversity more widely, from insects to plants, strengthening the resilience of our urban environment.

Climate change can feel overwhelming. The Swift Project makes climate action tangible: building swift nest boxes, planting for pollinators and monitoring colonies are small but powerful steps that help people see their role in safeguarding nature. This fosters a culture of shared responsibility and collective action, preparing our community to respond to wider environmental challenges.

Swifts remind us that we are part of an interconnected ecosystem. By protecting them, we are not just saving a species – we are helping our community prepare for the challenges of climate change, deepening connections to place and nature and ensuring that future generations inherit a thriving, resilient environment.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made