There’s amazing beaver news from the National Trust!   And it’s a great example of how membership supports conservation.

At the Holnicote Estate in Somerset, the Eurasian beavers Yogi and Grills were released in the enclosure back in January 2020.  The aim was to improve flood management and also support the health of rivers and streams.  And these beavers are really busy – restoring biodiversity loss, showing the flow of water AND managing the effects of climate change!

They've also been busy producing their first kit in 2021 and twins in the spring of 2022.  The three kits – Rashford, Russo and Toone – were named after England football stars, with the help of the public!

And now, the National Trust has given us all the chance to join an interactive 360 degree video tour of the beaver enclosure they now have! 

You can watch the beavers as they beaver away and go about their daily lives and it’s also a great opportunity to find out how the beavers are changing the landscape there. 

You can explore the lodge, dams and pools that these eco-engineers have created, and watch footage of the beavers and their kits!

The National Trust is going to add more footage to the tour in the future – it’s a very exciting project!

Whilst the beavers are beavering away, the Holnicote team are beavering away as well.  They are looking to see how the beavers are changing the environment around them.   They are creating dams and deep pools of water which in turn has created homes for wildlife such as amphibians, bats, otters, kingfisher, dipper and waterfowl.

Image © National Trust/Nick Upton

Go beavers!  Do have a look at the beaver cam – it really is exciting, but I also found it very peaceful and restful simply watching the beautiful scenes of nature!   And if you don’t see them the first time, take another look another time of day – you never know what you’ll spot!

More dam news from those Beavers!

The National Trust has a guide on beavers and you can find out lots more about there and what the Trust is doing to beaver away for beavers.

Memberships supports the conservation work the National Trust is doing

• Members help the National Trust protect over 780 miles of coastline;
• Members help the Trust to protect and promote the outdoors in its care so that everyone can connect to nature, and members inspired the Trust to launch its well-known “50 things to do before you’re 11 and three quarters” campaign to get children outdoors.
• Members help the Trust look after woodlands, both old ones and new ones
• And members have helped support conservation efforts such as the beaver release in Somerset

So what do members get?

There are lots of benefits, including free access to over 500 places in the Trust’s care.  There’s free parking at most National Trust car parks for members, and you get the National Trust Handbook, which is packed full of useful information about the places you can visit.  You also get the National Trust Magazine three times a year – it’s full of inspiration, interviews and news, and there’s access to the Trust’s online Members’ Area, with lots of behind the scenes features and first-look previews!  Find out more and give a gift membership today!

Now, this is another blog not related to gift memberships but there's news from gift experience company BuyaGift!

They have their Winter Sale on at the moment, with up to 80% off on some experiences, giving you the chance to treat yourself and/or a loved one to a day out.

There are 2 for 1s, days out, getaways and food and drink experiences as well and many of them enable you to use our special BuyaGift discount code.  (It's AHW2023 and it's valid until 31 December 2023, although some products are excluded.)

 
There's Gin and Tonic Afternoon Tea at Mr White’s by Marco Pierre White for Two
It was £70.00, now £49.99


Take a look at other Food and Drink special offers

2 for 1 Meet The Meerkats Experience is now £49.99 instead of £98.00

There are more Days Out experiences to choose from,
including Kew Gardens, vineyard tours & wine tasting,
animal experiences, theatre tickets, The View from the Shard and more!


There's a Premium Spa Day with up to One Hour of Treatments, Lunch or Afternoon Tea for Two for £149.99 instead of £200.00.

There are more Spa Days here

How about a night away as a treat?

Take a look at more Short Break Offers here

Don't forget that you can use our code AHW2023 
to get 15% off (it's site wide and applies to special offers)
although some products are excluded.  
It's valid to 31 December 2023!

Go to BuyaGift here.

Those lovely people at gift experience company Into the Blue have a range of experiences for all sorts of interests and they often have special offers.

You could try your hand at cheese making
in Essex, London or Buckinghamshire

These gift experiences include a cheese making experience, flight simulators, archery, chocolate making, wine tasting, even a blacksmith course, beer experiences, gin experiences - so lots to choose from.  If you fancied your hand at writing, then you could look at the online writing courses. 

There are a number of flight simulator experiences on offer
- Airbus 320, Messerschmitt vs Spitfire Combat,
Boeing 737, and a fighter pilot simulator

How about a two night break away?

There are also a couple of escape breaks, if you feel like getting away from it all. 

There's a Kids Superstar Singer Experience
with opportunities around the country. 
It's now £59.00 instead of £99.00! 

Don't forget that Into the Blue also have a number of gourmet gifts and subscriptions to choose from, covering goodies such as coffee, gin, rum, sweets, brownies, wine and eating out.  These can be found here.

Fly off to Into the Blue and go browsing!  

There's great news from ZSL London Zoo!

A baby two-toed sloth was born on New Year's Day!  What a start to the new year! 

Sloths are nocturnal mammals, native to South America.  They have evolved over millions of years in a fairly stable climate and environment, but they are very vulnerable to small changes in temperature and weather.  The reason is that they can't regulate their own body temperature, so they are really affected by climate change. 
 

Zookeepers have called the baby Nova - it means "new" in Latin. 

Mum Marilyn spent the first week with baby Nova generally tucked away from view, but they've been spotted with dad Leander in Rainforest Life.  You can find out more about them from ZSL's website. 

Pop in to say hello at ZSL London Zoo! 

Members get unlimited visits to both ZSL London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo and there are lots of other benefits besides.  Why not give a gift membership and support ZSL's conservation efforts as well? 

Can't get to the zoos?
Take a look at the gifts for sloth lovers available from ZSL's shop
Click on the sloth below to see them!