GILLEARD BROS LTD

Their company began trading in 1949 when Joe and Fred Gilleard formed a partnership to be known as Gilleard Brothers. They traded as general building contractors as well as running a small joinery workshop. In their spare time, both were keen birdwatchers, regularly visiting the reedbeds at the confluence of the Trent, Ouse and Humber opposite the village of Blacktoft in Yorkshire.

They were in fact members of a group who first spotted and monitored the Marsh Harriers when they began to nest there in the 1960's, and were responsible for bringing this to the attention of the RSPB who subsequently acquired the site (now known as Blacktoft Sands) in 1973 as a nature reserve.

When the warden, Andrew Grieve, arrived to begin the task of transforming this vast expanse of reedbed, into a reserve, Joe and Fred helped in any way they could. Soon, Andrew got around to wanting to put a hide on the site and went to Joe and Fred with a plan to see if they could make it and what would it cost. Fred prepared an estimate, Andrew accepted it, and Gilleard Bros made its first hide.

That was back in 1975, and we have made many hides since then, (32 in 1997 alone) and continue to do so in ever increasing numbers. And Joe still helps to make them, even at 77, although the hides we make today are of a much better quality, both in craftsmanship and design, than those we made in 1975. We constantly strive to improve them.

Over the years we have had quite a few enquiries from as far afield as Spain, France, Germany and so we were very pleased in March 1998 to complete our first export order when we manufactured, delivered and erected two hides at Neerach Marsh near Zurich in Switzerland, for Birdlife Switzerland. Then in 1999 we manufactured, delivered and erected a hide at Al Wathba Lake near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, for the Environmental Research And Wildlife Development Agency, which was funded by BP Amoco.