How about a plant subscription for someone who loves plants?
Now, Flying Flowers are based in Jersey, in the Channel Islands (the island famous for Gerald Durrell, the conservationist) and the beautiful, gentle Jersey milking cow), and they've been delivering flowers for over 40 years.
So how did it start? Back in 1981, some holidaymakers in Jersey stopped sending postcards home and they began to send carnations instead. They were a great and colourful way to send love to family and friends back home and to let them know that they were being thought of!
And as well as flowers, they send plants - and they've got a choice of three plant subscriptions - 3, 6 or 12 months - and they choose one of their favourite seasonal house plants each month. They are each delivered in their own container. And you choose the start date!
This was the plant for January, a pretty yellow kalanchoe in a ceramic.
This is a lovely gift idea to give someone a surprise for however many months you choose to have your subscription run - just imagine their faces when they open the door! And plants arrive in a co-ordinating container, so the recipient doesn't have to go rummaging for pots and so on - they can just decide where to put them and sit back and enjoy them!
Those fabulous people at English Heritage work to preserve beautiful historic houses, stately homes, stunning gardens, iconic buildings and monuments. These include Stonehenge, Tintagel Castle, Osborne, Hadrian’s Wall and Dover Castle. They champion our historic places and work to ensure they are protected for future generations. Members can enjoy access to hundreds of historic places with an annual membership so they can visit places where history actually happened!
Enjoy 15% off Gift & Annual Memberships at English Heritage. Make the most of longer days to get out and about and immerse yourself in history! There's unlimited access to lots of historic places along with other perks - just choose the best membership for you here, and use code EHAFF2024at checkout.
So what are the benefits of a gift membership with English Heritage?
Unlimited access to over 400 historic properties across the country so fun days out for one year! Plus there's free entry for up to six accompanying children per adult member
Free or reduced-price entry to exclusive members’ events - this gives you a glimpse behind the scenes and access to experts
Exclusive Members’ Magazine four times a year with features about the properties and the work of English Heritage, as well as a nationwide events guide
A free handbook to help plan your next exciting day out
Special offers, discounts and competitions for a great variety of products and experiences, and
Called Secret Life of the Safari Park, the six part series gives us all behind the scenes access, with footage of the animals at the park, the incredible keepers caring for them and some of the visitors.
Knowsley Sfari Park is 10 miles from the heart of Liverpool. It’s home to 700 animals. There’s a Safari Drive, a Foot Safari, and there’s a new App to help you plan your visit. And they’ve got animal experiences (rhino, lion, tiger, meerkat, bush dog, and also an accessible experience). If you’re worried about your car being damaged by those naughty baboons, you can take the Baboon Bus instead!
In Episode One for example, the programme:
Delves into the dynamics of an African lion pride as they navigate their social hierarchy
Watches the heart-stopping intensity of a Congo buffalo calf’s birth
Follows Cosmo, a mischievous Fallow deer who is trying to charm the ladies
Watches the antics of Kevin, a baboon who is coming of age
It’s a chance to see Knowsley Safari Park, even if you don’t life anywhere near it, so tune in!
And you can watch it on demand on Channel 4, and check to see what’s happening in episodes by following @KnowsleySafari on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X.
@KnowsleySafari
#SAFARIPARK
You can also give a gift membership to a loved one - there are plenty to choose from, with an Adult Membership, a Senior Membership and a Child Membership, plus a Child and Ride and a Ride Only Membership too.
I love the Wildlife Trusts. They are a grassroots movement of people from all sorts of backgrounds and they are on a mission: to restore a third of the UK’s land and seas for nature by 2030.
Each Wildlife Trust is an independent charity. Those involved (in whatever way) want to make a difference to wildlife, to nature, to our climate.
There are now 46 Trusts throughout the UK, from Alderney Wildlife Trust in the Channel Islands to the Scottish Wildlife Trust, from South and West Wales to Suffolk, from Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to Northumberland. So wherever you are, or wherever the nature lover in your life is, there should be a Wildlife Trust in their area you can tap into and get involved with.
The Wildlife Trusts together have over 900,000 members. There are 600 Trustees, over 32,500 volunteers and 2,500 staff. That’s a lot of people who care about nature and who want to make a positive difference. If we all work together and we are committed to making life better for nature and wildlife – and for people, too – we can achieve much.
Members are helping their Trust to look after wildlife and the natural places in their area, and they receive a welcome back, regular magazines and lots of information. It’s the sort of thing where you can get as involved as you want; if you are really manic with life, you can at least know that your membership is helping your Trust continue with its vital work.
Membership benefits
Because each Trust is an independent charity, the memberships will vary on cost (most are about £3 a month) but generally they include a welcome pack of goodies, regular magazines full of news and features, access to beautiful nature reserves, talks, walks and events – these are a great way to meet fellow wildlife lovers who care about the natural world – and chances to campaign for wildlife.
It may be half price membership month at your local Wildlife Trust or offers may be available on memberships!
The good news is that in January, some Wildlife Trusts (but not all) have half price or memberships for the month, or an offer of some sort, so if you’ve been thinking about joining but not got round to it, this could be a great time to join.
Take a look at your local Wildlife Trust, you can find yours here – and sign up. It’s a great way to show your support for nature and to help Wildlife Trusts reach the 30x30 target - that's 30% of land and sea protected by 2030.
The Wildlife Trusts are aiming to put nature in recovery, making more space for it and connecting habitats on a large scale so that wildlife can pass safely through to new territories. The Trusts want to restore nature so that ecosystems can function again - the UK natural world is very much depleted now.
The Trusts are also hoping to inspire us all to act for nature and rewild our neighbourhoods, working with our communities. I am a member of a couple of Wildlife Trusts and love to receive news of how I can get involved and make a difference - and also to see success stories. Together we can all drive change and actually help nature help us - nature is vital for our wellbeing.
So give a gift membership to a Wildlife Trust and you'll be giving a gift that helps nature, wildlife and people and is a win-win for nature lovers all round!