Get Active: volunteer, experience, connect with the natural world
Look after yourself and the seas with Green People's natural sunscreens - they are kind to your skin and kind to our seas with sun care products. Browse here with Green People
Get Active: volunteer, experience, connect with the natural world and put animal magic into your life!
If you're looking for an animal experience as a gift for an animal lover, or you want to treat yourself, take a look at gift experience company Into the Blue
They've got a number of animal experiences, with animals such as ferrets, tamarin monkeys, alpacas, meerkats, pigs, sheep, snakes and crocodiles, bees, horses and donkeys.
They have a number of experiences for horse lovers, including a couple near York (Skipwith) - you can have a Traditional Farm & Horse Experience or a Two Wheeler Horse Cart Driving Experience, for instance. They've also got Romantic Horse and Carriage Rides for Two there, or maybe you'd prefer aHorse Drawn Carriage Rides with Afternoon Tea?
And there's a special offer with Into the Blue!
Get 15% off experiences up to £250.00 with Into the Blue with the code ITBSAVE15 until midnight on 28th July 2024. (There's no minimum spend, although some products are excluded.) Go browsing at Into the Blue here
How about a Carnivore Encounter in Shropshire? £75.00 Get up and close with 3 formidable carnivores Meet a Red Fox family and feed them, stroke and handle the Snakes, and meet the servals and stroke them too!
There's Sheep Trekking in Somerset from £25.00 Meet and greet the friendly sheep and give them snacks Lead a sheep on a stroll across fields and through woodland
National Marine Week takes place from the 27th July to 11th August 2024. There’s a LOT happening and you can find out all about what’s on by signing up to the Wildlife Trust’s updates as they organise it.
The first thing to do is to sign up for updates from the Wildlife Trust. You can sign up here.
Then find your local Wildlife Trust here or conservation charity if you don't live in the UK, to see how you can get involved, even if you live miles from the sea.There are 46 Trusts around the UK from Alderney in the Channel Islands to Scotland, Cornwall to Norfolk, and North West Wales to Kent.
On 22nd June 2024, the Restore Nature Now march in Central London was attended by an estimated 60,000 people and over 350 nature and wildlife organisations. A key message was that we all need to work together to help wildlife and our natural world. When I first put this blog about National Marine Week up, it was focusing on the Wildlife Trusts specifically. However, given the state of the natural world now and the urgency to take better care of it, I've updated and broadened its focus now to cover more charities. #RestoreNatureNow
Please get political and tell politicians that nature matters!
The Wildlife Trusts have lots of information about the General Election and how you can be a voice for our natural world and what you can do now it's over. We all need to shout loudly for nature! Nature has no voice, so it’s up to all of us to speak up. The Wildlife Trusts have information about what they think the Government's priorities should be and Polar Bears International (who have been researching sea ice and polar bears for decades) have help here on how to talk about climate change, and how you can get political.
10 ways to get involved in National Marine Week
(You don't need to wait until then!)
National Marine Week runs from 27th July to the 11th August. It lasts longer than a week, because of the differing tidal conditions around the UK. There are celebrations and events around the country, including a Marine Mammal BioBlitz in West Wales, a SeaFest celebration in Cumbria and a Locomation in the Ocean – that’s in Dorset.
This year, the theme of National Marine Week is 'Sea' the Connection and the week will be highlighting how - as an idland nation - we are all closely connected to the sea. A healthy marine environment matters and it needs to thrive. They have a map to show how people connect to the sea, whether it be through livelihoods, hobbies, memories, special experiences - you can add your own connection here!
Even if you don’t live on the coast, you can connect to the sea by finding out more about the effect pollution is having on them and the wildlife there. Reduce your plastic use and pick up litter too, so that less plastic and litter heads downstream to the sea - left on the ground, it could get picked up by a passing bird and dropped later into a river and then out to sea.
Record your shoreline sightings and help marine and wildlife charities build up a picture of our shorelines and seas. For example, you can help the Shark Trust learn more about sharks, skates and rays by taking part in their Basking Shark project, the Great Eggcase Hunt project, the Great Shark Snapshot (20th to 28th July 2024, anywhere in the world!) and the Angling Project. The Marine Conservation Society has a number of projects, too such as Seasearch for divers, the Big Seaweed Search, and the Big Microplastic Survey. And the Wildlife Trusts have their own Shoresearch and the Scottish Seabird Centre has kindly put a list together of citizen science projects. Find out how citizen science is saving our seas from the University of Portsmouth.
You can download this and print it off, or why not take a photo on your phone to use when you're out and about?
2. Do a beach clean
The Marine Conservation Society has lots of information about how to do this, and get involved. The next Great British Beach Clean is from 20th to 29th September 2024. Why not get your company involved in a Team Beach Clean as an away day and do something really meaningful?
Take part in the Big Nurdle Hunt. Nurdles are small plastic pellets which are melted down to make nearly all plastic products and the problem is that thousands of tonnes of them spill straight into the environment worldwide. Visit the website to find out and how you can go hunting for nurdles!
3. Support seagrass projects
Seagrass play a vital role in keeping oceans healthy and giving thousands of marine species a home, such as the seahorse, the manatee and the sea turtle. Project Seagrass, based in Wales, have a mission: A world in which seagrass meadows are thriving, abundant and well managed for people and planet. And there are a number of projects around the UK to help seagrass. The Marine Conservation Society has more information about seagrass itself and why it matters.
Find out about the Seahorse Trust and its Studland Bay project and also Save our Seahorses, the Irish branch of the Seahorse Trust. The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is working to protect seagrass and you can sponsor a seagrass seed pod for £20 to help them. Find out more
4. Be a sea champion!
Find out what the Wildlife Trusts are doing to help our seas and our sea life. For instance, they campaign for parts of the seabed and the sea to be protected from damaging activities.
Go to the sea if it's close to you, or a river or canal; observe and connect to the natural world there and use your senses to really take in the natural world. If you are unable to leave home, take in videos from You Tube to explore the natural world with, from kayaking in Alderney, to meeting the dolphins of Wales. Rockpool species, sharks, turtles, seals – just drink in the marine videos.
There will be many events taking place organised by the Wildlife Trusts around the UK. Some of these will be on the coast on the seashore, some on wetlands, and some further away from the sea, but either way, there's plenty going on all over the UK with beach cleans, night time safaris, marine wildlife surveys, dolphin watches and more! And there are lots of events for families, too so that you can get the kids involved. Find an event here
Here's a question for you! How do you say "I love you" in puffin? Find out here!
6. Find out more about different species and marine life
The Wildlife Trusts’ website enable you to put the name of a species into a search box and you can learn all about it! This year the theme is “Sea the Connection", and it will be looking to highlight how - as an island nation - we're connected to the sea and why a healthy, thriving marine environment is really important and makes a difference.
This is a great opportunity to find out all about habitats – marine habitats, seagrass, biogenic reefs, deep-water corals, mud, sand and graves, kept beds and forests and rocky reefs. Float away to them here.
7. Support campaigns to improve the health of our oceans
The Marine Conservation Society has a number of different campaigns, such as banning disposable vapes and wet wipes. And they have campaigns to stop ocean threads and stop pollution. But there are also campaigns against balloon releases – who knows where they will end up? Find out about their campaigns here.
Take a look at Surfers Against Sewage, too. Water quality, plastic pollution, ocean recovery and the ocean and climate emergency are all challenges they are tackling. And find out about their Million Mile Clean – they want 100,000 people to take a 10 mile stretch and clean it up on the coast, canals, bridle paths, towns and cities!
8. Use less plastic
The Wildlife Trusts have lots of help to enable you to use less plastic in all sorts of ways, from the bathroom, to the kitchen and being out and about, and they also have info about those sneaky plastics you may not have thought of! Find out more
Don't forget that July is Plastic Free Month - a chance for you to reduce the amount of plastic in your life, so it's a good way to do something towards both National Marine Weke and Plastic Free Month at the same time.
9. Remember our Rivers!
Take a look at the I’s Save Britain’s Rivers campaign, challenging ALL parties to commit to sign up to a blueprint that will save our rivers. The article has a number of ways in which you can help our rivers.
Also, you could take a look at the Rivers Trust who are the umbrella body for the River Trust movement. Their 2023/2024 Impact Report shows that 20,000 volunteers got involved helping local rivers and they have ways in which you can get involved in the #VoteforRivers campaign. Vote for Rivers at the upcoming General Election
The Canal and Rivers Trust also has ways in which you can help care for our canal and rivers network to make it easy to #VolunteerByWater
10. Support wildlife and marine charities
Why not adopt an animal and give a Wildlife Trust your support? There are a number of animals to choose from – seahorse, dolphin, seal, otters, beavers and more! Funds raised from the adoption schemes goes towards helping local wildlife conservation work – managing nature reserves or creating new habitats. It all helps, plus adoptions make a great gift for nature lovers! And you could become a member of a Wildlife Trust. At the very least, you can help them spread the word about their campaigns, the threats facing marine and wildlife and the solutions to help them. Help them spread the word about their successes, their needs, what actions people can do to make a difference. Do more than dipping your toe into the water - get stuck in.
There’s a LOT happening with marine conservation worldwide, and many wonderful people working hard to make it happen, from scientists to indigenous peoples, volunteers, rescue centres taking in injured marine life, campaigners, activists… Have a think about ways in which you can play a role in marine conservation and the elections this year – in whatever country you’re in – are a great place to start standing up for our natural world. Worldwide, air, sky and sea need our voice, and so do the animals depending on it. We also depend on it being in a healthy state, so that we can be too.
You could also take a look at Seacology, whose mission is "to protect threatened island ecosystems all over the world. We do that by working directly with communities, helping them to preserve their cultures and improve their lives while saving precious island habitats." Visit their website here.
Those fabulous people at Garden Wildlife Directhave some fly away fantastic offers on throughout the year, with everything you need for your garden birds and wildlife!
Garden Wildlife Direct has seed mixes for spring, summer, autumn and winter, with different brands including Peckish, Wildlife World, Gardeman and Garden Wildlife Direct's own brand.
They've got Songbird Spring Mixes, great for supporting birds during the months of spring and summer, and particularly during the fledgling season; and they've got Premium Seed Mixes - support those feathered friends of yours! - and High Energy Mixes. These have a mix of nutrition and energy, and you can youse them with feeders, bird tables and on the ground.
The Songbird Spring Mix is available from only £6.49! It's ideal for feeding wild birds during the warmer months of the year.
And they always have lots of lovely offers on, perfect when we are all trying to help wildlife and yet make our money go further. And the great news is that Garden Wildlife Direct have very regular offers to help you do just both those things!
There's the Songbird Spring Deluxe Mix from only £9.99! It's formulated to make sure birds are healthy for the breeding season and rearing their young, with high levels of protein and energy.
There's all sorts of bird food, from seeds to sunflower hearts, suet balls to food for wildlife. They've got sunflower heart/seeds, Millet seeds, bird food bundles and starter kits for those of you who want to start feeding the birds in your garden.
They've got suet fat balls, suet blocks, suet coconut shells and suet pallets, plus a range of feeders for mealworms, ground feeders, sunflowers and seeds.
These Sunflower Heart Chips & Peanut Granules are available from only £9.49! They deliver the protein and carbohydrates needed year round, keeping the birds warm in winter and the colder, wet season. They also provide an additional energy booster and they are a fledgling mix.
If you haven't got a garden, you can still do your bit with a window feeder, and there are window sticker alertsto stop the birds flying into your window and injuring themselves or worse.
And of course you can get a full range of accessories such as bird tables, bird baths, nesting boxes, organments for your garden and things to store your bird goodies in.
If you have or want to encourage ducks, swans, hedgehogs, squirrels, chickcn and poultry, then they have food for those animals as well, plus bee houses and insect hotels.
Well, if you're looking for something a bit different to do this summer, you could take a look at an intriguing activity at London Zoo.
London Zoo have come up with Poo at the Zoo. Not Winnie the Pooh, this is all about poo, and who's done what.
London Zoo has a 'pooseum', and you can find out about the vital insights that can be gleaned from number two!
Challenge the whole family to poo-inspired giant games on the lawns, or join Poo at the Zoo author Steve Smallman for lead live storytelling sessions on certain dates over the summer.
The 'pooseum' is a 22 year labour of love for Tracey Lee, one of ZSL's zookeepers and a former artist. It began as two special specimens - when the last elephant and black rhino were re-homed from London Zoo - were added to canvas in a piece called 'The last poo at the Zoo'. Now, the collection has an incredible 100+ preserved specimens, with dung from a wide variety of animals including an endangered gorilla, a giant Galapagos tortoise and even a tiny poo from a caterpillar!
Every day, the zoo is running a Game of the Day and this will focus on animal feeding and digestion. With Poo Bingo, Poo or False or a matching and memory challenge, Who did this poo?, there's plenty to do.
And at certain times each day, kids can enjoy the stage adaptation of the bestselling book The Great Poo Mystery.
Not only that, there's also a self-led trail with challenges and clues to help young visitors track down a selection of animals including giant tortoises, lions, tigers and penguins.
If you can't get to London Zoo, you could always buy the book Poo in the Zoo for £6.99 from London Zoo's shop.
Plus, you can join the illustrator of the Poo in the Zoo book series, Ada Gray, for drawing classes on selected dates and times, and there are self-led drawing activities avialable at other times.
Poo at the Zoo is running from the 25th July to 1st September 2024, and should be a lot of fun! Find out more here.
Whilst you're at London Zoo, you may want to pop in and see the beautiful three Asiatic lion cubs. Boys Mali and Syanii and girl Shanti were born at London Zoo on 13 March 2024 to seven-year-old mum, Arya, and 14-year-old dad Bhanu. And they are just gorgeous!Take a look here!
They create yummy, wholesome food for both cats and dogs - they believe our cherished family members deserve to eat proper food full of nourishing ingredients. They're on a mission to give pets a diet full of goodness, whilst treading lightly on the planet at the same time!
The June bundle pack for adult dogs from 4 months plus is available until 30th June 2024 (or while stocks last) and it includes:
2 x Organic Bedtime Biscuits, traditionally oven baked so they are crunchy and made with organic ingredients! Feed one before bedtime!
2 x Scrumptious Duck with Venison Sausages made with freshly prepared duck and venison - feed up to 2 a day
1 x Storage Tin for just £1 (RRP £10) - keep your dogs' treats in there ready to go.
You can also buy these Bedtime Biscuits on their own for £3.50 They have a bit of chamomile in them, known for its soothing properties!
For dogs , they've got dry dog food, wet dog food, dental chews, treats, selection boxes and more. They've got diets for dogs with sensitive tummies, and sensitive skin, and special diets that are grain free, hypoallergenic, organic and vegetarian. You can order for puppies, adults and seniors. They've got recepies in beef, chicken, salmon, goose, herring, lamb, pheasant and pork so you've got lots of choice!
Oy! What about us?!!
And for our feline members of the family, there's wet food, dry food, treats (of course!), selection boxes and you can choose from special diets such as grain free and organic and hypoallergenic. You can also choose for kittens (under 1), adults (1 to 6) and seniors (7 plus). Recipies include beef, chicken, salmon, cod, trout, prawn, turkey, pork, lamb and duck. Miaow!!
They've also got helpful tips on caring for your dog and caring for your cat.
The national charity the Dogs Trust has its National Dog Survey on at the moment, asking us dog lovers and owners what matters most to us.
The survey will help the Trust shape the services it provides to meet the needs of dogs and owners in the UK.
This survey has been done before; in 2021, more owners reported experiencing behaviour issues with their dog. As a result, the Dogs Trust created a Behaviour Support Line (free and nationwide) to stop more people having to give their dogs up because of their behaviour. And this has helped over 8,000 people.
In the survey two years later in 2023, nearly 20% of those responding were thinking of changing to cheaper pet food in the year ahead, whilst 30% said they were considering cutting down on training classes because of costs. So the Trust have now shared 1 million dog meals through their food bank partners AND they’ve offered discounted training classes for over 500 dogs.
The survey asks those with dogs about your relationship with your dog, what you do together and the highs and lows of owning a dog. It asks about your dog’s care and training and which support networks you can call on when you need help. In 2023, over 10,000 shared worries about walking their dogs – so this year’s survey asks more about what happens when you’re out and about with your dog.
Non-dog owners, there’s a way for you to help and get involved too! The Dogs’ Trust want to hear your views on dogs, and what welfare issues matter to you the most, an whether you might get a dog in the future.
This is a great way to help a charity work out what help is needed most. The survey is free to do and it takes about 15 minutes of your time, so please help! You must be aged 18 or over to do it, and you don't need to be a dog owner - just a dog lover is fine, too!
Just to let you know about some special offers for cats and dogs this month (June 24) from Zooplus. They are an online store with everything you need for your pets, from cats and dogs to small pets - gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs - and garden birds.
This month, they have a number of discount codes for your dogs and cats!
Here they are:
20% discount in Pedigree products Use the code: PEDIGREE20
25% discount in Pro Plan products (only for new customers) Use the code PROPLAN25
20% discount in Whiskas products Use the code WHISKAS20
25% discount in Purina One products (only for new customers) Use the code PURINAONE25
You can pop it on your fridge or other magnetic surface and get planning! Walkies, visits to the vet, get together with your pet loving friends, reminders to shop for your pet...whatever you like can go on your magnetic monthly planner! Use the coupon code PAWSNPLANon orders £39+ until 30.06.2024 or while stock of the free gift item lasts. Find out more here.
Every year, the Wildlife Trusts in the UK all have an event called 30 Days Wild.
The Trusts are a network of 46 charities, all independent, and they manage nature reserves, run campaigns, and have lots of activities and events to enable people like you and me to connect with wildlife.
The Trusts go from Alderney in the Channel Islands right up to Scotland, from the South and West coast of Wales to Norfolk, and Cornwall up to Northumberland. They do lots of amazing work, and they will be particularly busy right now preparing for the run up to the UK’s General Election, as they try to ensure politicians realise how important nature. You can find your local Wildlife Trust here.
The idea is that for 30 days, we all do one wild thing every day. You can sign up for a free pack (you are asked if you want to make a donation of £5 towards it to help with costs, but this isn’t essential) and you’ll get lots of ideas of things you can do during the 30 days when you go wild.
It’s a great way to discover more about nature and the natural world, too. I’ve just received my pack for registering (by email) and there’s a butterfly spotter, a minibeasts spotter, and a summer wildlife spotter. I can also do a spot of mindful colouring, too. There’s a sensory bingo, to help engage all the senses when I’m exploring nature. The booklet that comes with it explains what #30DaysWild is all about.
The 30 Days Wild are divided into parts:
The 1st to 9th June is all about discovering nature. Celebrate World Environment Day (5th June) or World Oceans Day (8th June), check out the aforementioned spotters.
The 10th to 16th June is about moving in nature e.g. walking in woods, doing yoga in a park etc.
The 17th sees the start of the phrase to help nature – you could sign an e-petition, take an action to help in your garden, spread the word, write to your MP to tell them how important nature and the natural spaces around you are to you. It also coincides with the Restore Nature Now March in London on the 22nd June which starts at 12pm so one option may be to go and join in. Why not take part in some of the Trust’s campaigns, or find your local Wildlife Trust and see what they are doing and need help with?
The 24th to 30th June is about being mindful and connect to nature – do some stargazing, craft your name with leaves and branches, close your eyes and listen to the sounds of the natural world around you.
You could also join in on Facebook – there’s a 30 Days Wild group – or Instagram, and there’s a chart you can download and pin up which is full of ideas of things to do which follow these four phrases.
And you could share your activities on social media to encourage others to have a go and feel the benefits of connecting with our natural world.
International Dawn Chorus Day is on Sunday, the 5th May 2024
I woke up at 4:30 this morning and lay in bed listening to the birds as they sang outside the bedroom window and thought how wonderful it must be to have such a glorious chorus every day to be so happy!
Listening to birdsong is a great way to start the day!
In fact, I’ve been waking up a lot recently at about 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning, and I find I just love lying in bed, listening to the birdsong. It’s such a lovely start to the day! OK, sometimes I do drift off back to sleep, but the birdsong is both soothing and motivating at the same time – I let my mood take me where it feels. It’s a wonderful way to empty your head of everything and just listen to our feathered friends. I find it very therapeutic.
Sunday, the 5th May is International Dawn Chorus Day
Anyway, the first Sunday of May is International Dawn Chorus Day. Would you believe that the event started out in the 1980s in Birmingham and now, people in over 80 countries take part!
It’s a worldwide celebration of the dawn chorus and people all over the world will be waking up in time to put the kettle on and just listen to our beautiful birds, whilst sipping a cup of tea, or perhaps they’ll just lie in bed and listen.
You can listen to the life outside chatting away, and singing a song, and ask yourself, What is it that makes birds so cheerful at this time of the morning?? And who am I listening to?
The Wildlife Trusts's website has help on identifying bird song (such as the blackbird and robin, the chiffchaff and the blue tit), and you can actually listen to a number of birds so that you know what to listen out for if you want to pick up the sound of a particular species.
All you have to do to take part is listen! Who might you hear? The song thrush, the blackbird, or robin or blackcap or chiffchaff? You could record some of the song on your phone and then play it back to see if you can recognise any of the sounds, using the Trust's website to help you. If you're listening outside, don't forget that it can still be chilly in May in the early mornings so a coat and a hot brew could be handy...
By the way, if you want to try your hand at birdwatching through binoculars to see who you can spot and what they're doing, the RSPB has a guide to buying binoculars which hopefully will help you if you're just starting out.
Also, did you know that there are some wonderful videos you can listen to on You Tube for bird song? I personally found this one very relaxing (I didn't listen to all of it because I nodded off, but it was very enjoyable to listen to and a nice change from the radio or TV).
On the programme, there were some amazing dogs giving blood - so I thought it would be helpful if I put up a quick blog about the Pet Blood Bankwith a link.
The dogs giving blood can really save the lives of dogs in need, just as people can with the human blood bank. You can find out more here - the Pet Blood Bank has lots of information on its site for dog owners and they are working on a pet blood service for cats.
This is Yogi the blood donor. He's a Doberman, and so far this very special dog has saved the lives of up to 60 dogs by giving blood. Pet Blorod Bank say that every unit of blood can save up to 4 lives.
A huge thank you to the vets and the programme for raising awareness of the chance pet owners have got to take their pets to give blood, if they can. And to the dogs for being so brave and their owners for volunteering their dogs.
