FOOTBALLING legend Jimmy Case who is best known for his achievements between both boxes is now building them.

The Liverpool, Southampton and Bournemouth midfielder, a three-time European Cup winner with the Merseyside club, has volunteered for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust's (GWCT) Owl Box Initiative to help local barn owls.

Jimmy, who joined Harry Redknapp at Bournemouth and played 40 league games for the Cherries in the 1991-92 season, is helping to put together many of the 64 flat-packed nest boxes set for installation at farms across Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire this year.

Hampshire-based Jimmy, known for having one of the hardest shots in the British game, played football professionally for more than 20 years.

He said: "Giving my spare time to the Owl Box Initiative has been great.

"I’m really looking forward to seeing pictures of the nest boxes up and in place, ready for new occupants, and getting feedback on how the birds progress."

The owl project is working with 100 farms, collectively covering 40,000 hectares.

It is aims to inspire farmers and rural communities to work together to help the conservation of barn owls.

A GWCT spokesman said: "The project grant will allow GWCT scientists to build on existing barn owl monitoring work with local farmer cluster groups and expand to new sites across Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset, as well as working with volunteers and young people.

"The project will also GPS tag a number of barn owls to identify their preferred type of habitat and track small mammals across farmland to understand prey availability.

"Jimmy is one of many volunteers helping the project including GWCT placement students Daisy Gillman and Ben Prego and friends and family members, all working to construct as many barn owl boxes as possible.

"The Owl Box Initiative staff would like to thank all who have helped to construct barn owl boxes to allow the project to move forward in restrictive times."