A GARDEN centre is trying to raise awareness among children of the importance of feeding birds during winter.
Dobbies Garden Centre, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, has said the hot, dry summer has left birds with little to eat, because a lot of fruit has ripened early.
Consequently, the centre is urging people to leave food out for them this winter.
The company is also running a competition to encourage schoolchildren to draw pictures of their favourite garden birds.
The winner will receive £200-worth of bird feeding equipment for their school.
The company is also offering advice about how to encourage birds into gardens, following a survey by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and environmental organisations showing that some species of wild birds are in decline.
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