National Nest Box Week, launched each year on St Valentine's Day on 14 February, is now an established part of the ornithological calendar. It is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Britain's leading bird research charity, whose work primarily involves studying the populations of our common and garden birds.

Running for over a decade, the aim of National Nest Box Week is to encourage as many people as possible to put up nest boxes in order to help our breeding birds and other wildlife. The natural nest sites on which many of our bird species depend, such as holes in trees and buildings, are fast disappearing as gardens and woods are 'tidied' and old houses are repaired. Since National Nest Box Week was launched in 1997 thousands of enthusiastic naturalists across the UK have put up boxes to compensate for this loss and it is estimated that there are now 5-6 million boxes in gardens across the UK.

So whether you're a family with space for a box in your garden, or you're a teacher, a member of a local wildlife group, or you belong to a bird club and could organise a work party, National Nest Box Week gives you the chance to give a brood a home. Not only will you be helping the conservation effort in the UK, but you will also have the pleasure of observing any breeding birds that you attract to your garden as they work to raise their young.

Get a free information pack from the BTO at www.bto.org/nnbw.