Robert Stephenson's owl boxes started at Longlands Lake near Cleator Moor and now there's over 50 of them More than 50 owl boxes go up across Cumbria after a project began at Longlands Lake
Marra Mode is how we'd tell you this in the Co-op. Switch it off for the straight version.
Robert Stephenson made a few owl boxes for Longlands Lake, West Cumbria Rivers Trust put it online, and now he's built and fitted more than 50 round the county.
This one's for anybody who loves their wildlife, folk with a bit of land, and everyone who walks round Longlands Lake near Cleator Moor.
More than 50 owl boxes have gone up round Cumbria thanks to a community project that started in February 2025, the News & Star says. It kicked off when West Cumbria Rivers Trust put a post up about Keswick craftsman Robert Stephenson, who'd been making owl boxes for a project at Longlands Lake. After that the requests came flooding in.
Mr Stephenson started doing it after he had to finish work following a cancer diagnosis. Now he makes boxes for tawny, barn and little owls, puts every one up himself, and only charges for the materials, his time and his petrol.
He said: "The response from the public has been amazing." He added: "I've had lovely photo updates from all over the county including a box in Portinscale which attracted two healthy tawny chicks just six weeks after we installed it."
The boxes make up for the natural nest spots that are disappearing. Owls tend to nest in big old hollow trees, and there's fewer of them about these days.
He'll tell you where to put one, too. His advice is somewhere quiet, with a clear flight path and not much going on at night.
Longlands Lake, on the edge of Cleator Moor, used to be an iron ore mine and is now a lake and nature spot that's popular with walkers and anglers.
What you can do: if you've got land or a big garden and fancy an owl box, Mr Stephenson's contact details are in the News & Star piece, or you can get in touch with West Cumbria Rivers Trust.
A community owl box project that started at Longlands Lake near Cleator Moor has now put up more than 50 boxes across Cumbria, after a West Cumbria Rivers Trust post about craftsman Robert Stephenson.
This is for wildlife lovers and landowners in West Cumbria, and for anyone who walks around Longlands Lake near Cleator Moor.
More than 50 owl boxes have now been put up across Cumbria through a community conservation effort that started in February 2025, the News & Star reports. It began when West Cumbria Rivers Trust shared a social media post about Keswick craftsman Robert Stephenson, who had started making owl boxes for a project at Longlands Lake. Requests soon flooded in.
Mr Stephenson took up the work after having to leave his job following a cancer diagnosis. He now makes boxes for tawny, barn and little owls, fits each one himself and charges only for materials, labour and petrol.
He said: "The response from the public has been amazing." He added: "I've had lovely photo updates from all over the county including a box in Portinscale which attracted two healthy tawny chicks just six weeks after we installed it."
The boxes help fill a gap in natural nesting sites. Owls often nest in mature, hollow trees, and as those trees are lost, places to breed become harder to find.
Mr Stephenson also advises on where to put the boxes. He recommends quiet spots with a clear flight path and little disturbance at night.
Longlands Lake, on the edge of Cleator Moor, is a former iron ore mining site that has been turned into a lake and nature area, and is popular with walkers and anglers.
What you can do: if you own land or a large garden and would like an owl box, the News & Star article gives Mr Stephenson's contact details, or you can get in touch with West Cumbria Rivers Trust.