BTO Equipment Donation Scheme

Managed by BTO Youth, the BTO Equipment Donation Scheme (EDS) supports young people across the UK by supplying them with equipment to make the most of their birdwatching experiences, and enabling them to further develop the scheme. Do you have a pair of binoculars you no longer use, or a bird guide that is gathering dust? Donating them to EDS means we can pass them on to a young person, school, or university group who cannot afford to buy their own. This way, we can all pass on the passion for birdwatching to the next generation.

Birdcamp 2018. Photograph by Robert Read

Donate your pre-loved equipment

Thank you for considering donating your equipment to BTO. We will redistribute your equipment to schools, universities and/or young people in the UK who currently don’t have access to this equipment but could benefit from it.

Applications from schools and individuals will be prioritised by a panel of staff and Youth Advisory Panel members to determine who is likely to benefit most from the equipment. Each recipient will be asked to provide feedback about how the equipment has enabled them to develop their skills and interests further.

If your equipment is particularly valuable, we may ask your permission to sell it to a trusted reseller, and use this income to buy several pairs of lower-price binoculars. This way, we can help more young people with your donation.

Donate today by clicking the link below, and someone will be in touch soon. For questions, please email youth [at] bto.org.

Click below to donate your equipment today.

Donate equipment

Request donated equipment

Thank you for showing an interest in the BTO Equipment Donation Scheme! We’re redistributing pre-loved equipment, like binoculars or bird guides, to those who currently don’t have access to them. In some cases, we may provide new equipment sponsored by corporate sponsors or individual donors.

At this time the scheme is available for:

Schools (Years 3-13; applications can be sent in either for year groups or for school clubs that have an environmental focus)
University clubs and societies with an environmental focus
Individuals between the ages of 11–21, who do not already own binoculars or other equipment requested

Please note we can only accept applicants within the UK. On some occasions, we can also accept applications from other groups (e.g. Scouts, youth groups). If this applies to you, please get in touch using the form. All applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

We hope to expand the scope of the scheme in future. Please note that the scheme is subject to availability and we cannot guarantee that the equipment request will be available at any given time.

If you would like to be considered to receive items as part of the scheme, apply by clicking the button below and someone will be in touch soon. For those applicants under the age of 16, you will need a parent/guardian to fill in the form for you. If you would prefer to apply for the scheme in another format, please get in touch. For these and other questions, please email youth [at] bto.org.

Apply to receive equipment by clicking below.

Apply for equipment

Support the scheme with a financial donation

If you don't have any equipment to spare, but would still like to support the scheme in our aim to supply young birders with the equipment they need, please consider making a donation below.

Donate today