CREATURE COMFORTS: ROLLS-ROYCE APPRENTICES CREATE BESPOKE DORMOUSE HOUSES FOR GOODWOOD ESTATE – AutoMart Canada

• Rolls-Royce Apprentices design and construct wooden nest boxes for
  rare dormice
• Boxes used in a monitoring and management project in a new
  woodland area
• Part of the marque’s long-term environmental partnership with
  Goodwood Estate
• Helping to conserve a charming but highly endangered native mammal

“Studies have shown that our 42-acre site and the adjoining
Goodwood Estate are home to some of Britain’s most important
mammals, reptiles, birds, insects and plants – all of which we’re
helping to conserve through our long-term environmental partnership.
In this latest initiative, we’re working together to measure and
monitor the local population of another rare and protected species,
the hazel dormouse, using nest boxes designed and handmade by our
Apprentices. The nest boxes are located in prime dormouse habitats
and we’re very hopeful that these delightful but highly endangered
creatures will soon take up residence in the palatial new
accommodation we’ve provided!”

Andrew Ball, Head of Corporate Relations and Heritage,
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars

Apprentices at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have designed
and handmade a series of nest boxes for one of the UK’s most
endangered mammals, the hazel dormouse (Muscardinus
avellanarius), as part of the marque’s long-term environmental
partnership with the neighbouring Goodwood Estate.



The hazel dormouse is a tiny creature, with a body 6-9cm (about
3”) long plus a tail of similar length, and typically weighs around
25g (1oz) – roughly the same as a pencil. The Apprentices based their
design on detailed research, conducted online and through contact with
various wildlife trusts, to determine the appropriate shape and
dimensions for the nest boxes. Most importantly, they needed to ensure
the entrance hole would be large enough to admit the dormice, while
obstructing their many predators, which include owls, badgers and
domestic cats.

The team then selected materials that would be durable and
non-toxic, while allowing scope for Rolls-Royce design and
construction flair. They eventually decided on oak, which is legendary
for its natural longevity, quarter-sawn to show off its beautiful
grain patterns, notably the medullary or pith rays created by thin,
ribbon-like structures that radiate from the centre of the trunk. When
oak is quarter-sawn – that is, perpendicular to the growth rings –
these rays are particularly pronounced, creating a shimmering,
iridescent surface effect called ‘ray fleck’. The nest boxes are
finished with roofing felt to further protect them from the weather
and increase their durability.

During an on-site visit, the Apprentices met the Goodwood
Estate’s head of forestry and learned about the types of habitat
favoured by dormice, and how to install the nest boxes into a new area
of woodland.

The nest boxes have been placed in an area of hazel and other
broadleaf species, with a dense understory including honeysuckle and
ivy, which dormice use to climb into safe hiding spaces. Despite these
promising conditions, to date, there has been no definitive evidence
of dormice living in this area; the Goodwood Estate team hope that by
installing the nest boxes, their presence can be confirmed. This
monitoring will allow the team to identify and address any threats in
the surrounding environment and enhance the habitat further. Managing
the woodland more effectively for dormice will also benefit the much
broader range of species living there.

The hazel dormouse is the only species of dormice native to
Britain. Most commonly found in the south of England and Wales, its
population has crashed in recent years; numbers are thought to have
fallen by 52% between 2009 and 2018, mainly through the loss and
fragmentation of the ancient woodland and hedgerows that make up its
habitat. This, combined with dormice being nocturnal and arboreal
creatures, makes seeing them extremely difficult and unusual.

Hazel dormice are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and
Countryside Act 1981, meaning it is illegal to intentionally kill,
injure or handle them. This safeguard also extends to any location or
structure – including the new Rolls-Royce nest boxes – that hazel
dormice use for shelter or protection.