A GLAXOSMITHKLINE production scheduler celebrated 35 years of service at the Ulverston antibiotics manufacturing facility in an unusual way.

Keen naturalist Billy Fisher set about building 35 nest boxes which he donated to Trowbarrow and Warton Crag nature reserves near Leighton Moss.

“This is the time of year when birds are pairing off and looking for sites to raise their broods and I wanted to give them a helping hand,” said Mr Fisher.

“There generally is a chronic lack of suitable habitat for tree-hole nesters and it has been proven that with the help of nest boxes populations can he helped to increase up to six-fold.

“I have always made nest boxes from my schooldays and average about 10 per year. But with a special milestone at work I thought it would be nice to make a nest box for every year’s service.”

Mr Fisher's donation will help a breeding birds’ survey conducted by the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) and Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which involves monitoring many hundreds of nest boxes.

A primary focus will be to help scarce marsh tits recover from population crashes in recent years.

All of Mr Fisher's nest boxes are now in place and as the breeding season gets into full swing birds and chicks will be caught on the nest and ringed.