A hotel next to the Stroudwater Canal is taking action to help the local swan community — providing protective barriers and signage to offer a group of newly born cygnets a safe haven in the canal adjacent to its gardens.
Stonehouse Court Hotel has come together with Stroud area Swan Support & Rescue to help protect a family of swans who are nesting in the canal behind the hotel.
Lynda Newman, who oversees the local swan community, took swift action when she noticed the swan pair, Hope and Florence, were about to become new parents and contacted staff at the hotel. Eager to help, the team at Stonehouse immediately erected temporary fencing to ensure the new additions to the canal community were protected from prospective predators.
For the first few weeks of their lives, cygnets are very vulnerable and typically, when they hatch, the parents are likely to lose around 50 per cent of them to predators. This motivated Maz Jurko, General Manager of Stonehouse Court, and Lynda to join forces to ensure that these royally owned swans are kept away from danger.
There are swan families being conserved all along Stroud canal, however, it was Florence and Hope that chose to nest near Stonehouse Court, which sat within their existing territory. It is hoped that the barriers and ‘keep dogs on lead’ signs will give the new arrivals the best chance of living a long and happy life.
Sarah Brewster, Director at Stonehouse Court, said: “When we heard Hope and Florence were nesting in the canal near our hotel, we were determined to do our bit and offer them a safe haven in which to start their new family. We also understand how important the canals are for biodiversity within the region and have a real sense of responsibility to protect this. A huge thanks must go to Lynda Newman for reaching out to us and we will continue to do everything we can to help.”
Lynda added: “Every swan pair on Stroud canal has their own issues and it’s quite the job trying to resolve these. That’s why the support from Stonehouse Court has been so crucial and it’s great to see the community coming together to protect such a historic species. I now recognise each and every swan on the canal and it’s a real joy to watch them grow up. As you can imagine, it hasn’t taken me long to become known as ‘The Swan Lady’!”
