Fylde Bird Club Hide – Lock Procedure
The Fylde Bird Club Hide located on the south side of Marton Mere by the caravan park is now locked and the key is stored in a key safe on the wall of the visitor centre in the caravan park.
To access the hide, collect the key from the key safe, open the hide and keep the lock and key with you until you leave the hide, then lock the hide and return the key to the key safe.
The key safe has a combination lock – email to receive the code.
Fylde Bird Club members can see a reminder of the code on the page below this;
‘Marton Mere Hide Key Safe’.
There is a small black lever on the left of the dials, which must be pushed down to release the key safe door.
When you close the key safe, please scramble the dials.
Please DO NOT divulge the combination to anyone you don’t know or trust.
IMPORTANT ADVICE REGARDING THE LOCK AND BOLT
There has been an incident when children locked someone in the hide by sliding the bolt shut.
To prevent this happening, slide the bolt to the right and refit the lock to prevent the bolt being moved. The picture below shows the door locked open while you are inside:
If people you don’t know enter the hide while you are there, and you wish to leave, please explain that you have to leave and lock the door and so they will also need to leave. If the people say they are FBC members, they will know the key code. If they refuse to tell you the code or leave; all you can do is secure the lock (closed and locked on the clasp but not locking the door) and return the key to the safe.
Hopefully the next FBC member to visit, will lock it afterwards.
Note that if you return the key to the key safe after dusk, you will need a light of some sort to see the dials, a mobile phone does the job.
Background information about the Fylde Bird Club Hide
The hide was built and paid for by the Fylde Bird Club in the early 2000s, with ownership being handed to Blackpool Borough Council on completion, who are responsible for the building.
Blackpool Borough Council approved the current locking arrangement and supplied and fitted the lock.
The Bird Club supplied and fitted the key safe and this locking policy is our idea.
It’s not a perfect arrangement but we had to try something because it was in continuous use as a toilet for years and we had had enough!
So far the arrangement has worked fairly well. On one occasion somehow children got to know the safe code and we had to change it. So please don’t tell it to anyone you don’t know.