A FUNDRAISING concert to protect an iconic bird, now in dramatic decline, will be held next month in the Cathedral close.

The concert will raise money for the Salisbury and Wilton Swifts (SAWS) group to help them continue to raise awareness of the plight of swifts and it will take place at Sarum College, which is the site of Salisbury’s largest colony of swifts.

The coordinator of SAWS, Daniel Kronenberg said: “Swifts are still in decline nationwide. Our group exists to inform people about the situation and make them aware of what they can do to help halt the decline.”

Attendees to the concert will see performances by local professional violinist Bill Benham and Christopher Hedland will play the piano.  

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Bill Benham was a member of the Bath Festival Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra and performed in the Nash Ensemble and the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields before being appointed co-leader of the Northern Sinfonia.

Christopher Hedland was born in Sheffield and studied at the Royal Academy of Music gaining an honours degree in composition and enjoys playing chamber music.

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The Common Swift which is no longer as common as it once was is a species that spends most of its life on the wing and it is estimated that during its lifetime, a Swift will fly more than a million miles.

Breeding numbers in the UK declined by 58 per cent between 1995 and 2021 and the species is now on the Birds of Conservation Concern red list.

The concert takes place on Friday, July 14 at 7.30pm

For more, go to the EventBrite website.