Oklay, so this isn't a membership - but that time of year is rapidly approaching, and this Advent Calendar sells out FAST, so I wanted to let you know it's back!

Perfect for coffee lovers - an early Christmas gift?  - they can count down to the big day with the Rise Advent Calendar!  A free handwritten gift note included with every order, too.

RISE began back in 2020, in a South London flat - Ben and Alice just wanted better coffee at home and they wanted to bring delicious varieties of coffee to coffee lovers.  They are now the UK's number 1 voted coffee subscription!  And they give 1% of every sale back to the coffee-growing communities they work with.  They are so committed that they have a coffee club and their own RISE house coffee, which is a Ugandan coffee which supports farmers they met in 2023.

The RISE Coffee Advent Calendar - perfect for coffee lovers!

It's a chance to discover 24 carefully curated speciality coffees (17g a pouch, enough for 1 - 2 coffees a day).  The windows all have a unique ground coffee pouch, selected by Ben and Alice, who founded RISE coffee box. 

There are tasting notes so that you can learn as you sip, as RISE say;  daily QR codes unlock videos and stories from Alice and Ben.  The coffees are from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, Congo, Uganda, Guatemala and Kenya and others!  The coffee is generally medium to medium-dark roasted.  

This Advent Calendar sells out fast - it's £42.00 but you can buy 2 and save £8.40 or buy 3 and save £18.00.   

Find out more from RISE here.

By the way, they also do a coffee gift subscription if you prefer.  A free gift note is included and you're in control of your brew type, quantity and frequency.  Each bag is 200–250g, generally medium to medium-dark roasted.   There are 2 new coffees every 30 days from 2 independent roasters, split acorss however many bags you order and you get flexbility - you can pause, delay or cancel your box at any time.   You can even order a one-off box for £26.00  Find out all about it here.

Gift experience company Into the Blue have lots of experiences to choose from!   

The company began by selling flying experiences out of Biggin Hill in Kent, and they've been making memories since 1996.   Founder and Managing Director Jim Maitland went to Biggin Hill as a child with his father, who opened up Biggin Hill as a civilian airfield back in 1958.  Jim spent many happy hours there and joined his father to help him run the Biggin Hill Air Fair.  Realising lots of people who were at the shows would love to have a go themselves, he worked with his contacts and so Into the Blue was born!   Needless to say, they have lots of flying experiences - including flight simulators - and also adventure, creative, water, sports, food and drink, breaks, days out and at home experiences.  So there's lots to choose from!

What's more, they've got a special offer for you!

Enjoy 15% off*
The code below is valid on experiences up to £250.00.

Some products are excluded.

Use the code: 

ITB15FORME

There's a Friday Night Curry Discoverer Box Subscription
from £28.00 for three months.  Choose from 3, 6, 9 or 12 months.
There are easy to follow recipes to make authentic curry dishes, 
and each monthly box has 7 to 8 bags of spices and spice blends;  
they are measured out with recipe cards to create a meal for 4 people. 
Find out more here.

There's a Little Gin Subscription with Little Gin Box Box. 
Choose from 3 or 6 months, starting at £54.00 (that's the 3 month one).
You'll receive 2 x 50ml of carefully selected gins plus tasting notes every month
and 2 x Fever-Tree mixer cans included.  
Cheers!  

How about a Champagne & Sparkling wine experience?  Choose between a 
Champagne & Wine Tasting Evening or a Champagne & Fizz with Lunch from £49.00

How about a Chocolate Truffle Making Kit.
Hand make your own chocolate truffles - you choose
from dark or milk chocolate when redeeming the voucher.
Each kit makes 30-40 truffles (Malteser size). All for £29.00.  
Yummy! Find out more here.

There are lots of Gourmet Gifts and Subscriptions as well, 
just the thing for lovers of gin, rum, wine, spices, brownies, sweets,
charcuterie, and cocktails.  

Use ITB15FORME

 for 15% off* experiences up to £250.00.

(*Some products are excluded from this offer.)

Head over to Into the Blue 

The RHS has announced its RHS Flower Shows for 2027!

And – exciting news and a drum roll! – there’s its first-ever urban show in Bristol!

Now, key dates for you…

The RHS Malvern Spring Festival runs from the 6^th to 9^th May 2027

RHS Chelsea runs from the 18^th to 22^nd May 2027

The RHS event in Bristol takes place from the 8^th to 11^th July 2027

And RHS Flower Show Tatton Park is back from the 21^st to 25^th July 2027.

Members get reduced rate tickets to RHS Flower Shows
and family friendly events - there's plenty to enjoy all year round
Join here! 

A little bit more information about the new Bristol event…

It is in the Prospect Building – there will be a full programme of pop-up plant displays, hands-on workshops, immersive experiences and expert talks and advice.

The RHS Flower Show Tatton Park is back on at Tatton Park in Cheshire.   Floral exhibits, specialist growers, talks and show gardens will be there, as well as the return of the Young Designer Gardens. 

Find out more about the RHS Flower Shows in 2027 here.

It’s time for RHS Chelsea Flower Show from 19th to 23^th May 2026.  It will be full of beautiful gardens, lots of ideas, tips and advice and plenty of shopping, as well as chances to eat and drink! 

There are show gardens, balcony and container gardens (particularly great if you've got a small garden or balcony and you want some ideas), All About Plants Gardens, to celebrate the wonders plants can bring to a garden, Houseplant Gardens, and floral gardens. There's the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year and GreenSTEM which highlights horticultural science and technological innovations.  

And - big news - this year, the RHS is lifting the ban on gnomes at the Show.  Why is this?, I hear you ask.  Well, they are raising funds for the next generation of gardeners and the RHS Campaign for School Gardening! 

The themes in 2026 are aiming to show that great design and sustainability can go hand in hand, using water wisely, and the joy of gardens and how we can attract a younger and more diverse audience to gardenin

Find out more about the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.  The RHS is saying that tickets have sold out although there's the chance returns may become available.  

However, here are two other options for you:

You could watch the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on BBC1 and BBC2 this week.   There's a couple of hours coverage a day, from 2 to 3 on BBC1 and 8 to 9 on BBC2.  It's a great chance to get a really good coverage of the Show.   It all kicks off at 8pm on BBC2 on Sunday 17th May, with Countdown to RHS Chelsea Flower Show. 

Alternatively, there are other shows you could go to and some of them are new this year, such as the RHS Badminton Flower Show from 8th to 12th July 2026, and the RHS Sandringham Flower Show from the 22nd to 26th July 2026.  

Don't forget that members get reduced rate tickets to RHS Flower Shows, so you can become a member here.

Visit the RHS here