The 1 November is World Vegan Day and as such this is a great opportunity to tell you about memberships for people who are vegan or who are thinking of becoming vegans or who want to help animals.

Vegan Society

The Vegan Society was founded in 1944.  It works towards a world in which humans do not exploit other animals, and it works to promote vegan lifestyles for the benefit of animals, people and the environment.  It does this through education, advocacy and outreach, as well as campaigns. Members receive access to the quarterly magazine, over 130 discounts by third parties and much more.   A gift membership is £24 a year.   There’s a gift youth membership as well.

The Vegetarian Society

I’m mentioning this because it could be a great membership for people who want to eat less or no meat/fish but who don’t want to take the complete step towards becoming a vegan.   The Society is an absolute fountain of knowledge about the world of vegetarian food – it’s mission is to inspire, inform and enable people to be vegetarian.  Find out more about becoming a member – eat less meat to beat climate change!

Compassion in World Farming (CIWF)

You could also make a donation each month on behalf of the animal lover in your life to CIWF who work to promote compassionate farming practices and fight hard to help farm animals and end factory farming through campaigning, raising awareness and educating the public.   The charity was founded by a British farmer in 1957 who was horrified by the development of factory farming. 

Give a gift membership that will really make a difference! 

It’s National Mammal Week from 23 October to 1 November 2020, a week to celebrate all mammals great and small and to give them our support.

The week is organised by the Mammal Society, and this charity work hard to do science-led conservation, so their conservation efforts are grounded on research.

They collect and share information on animals and encourage research so that more can be learnt about the ecology and distribution of mammals.  This means that efforts to conserve mammals will be more effective because more is known about them.

The Society has a project to make a “Red List” of endangered mammals for the UK, and memberships help pay both for this and the production of new guidelines and training on how to protect some of our most threatened species.  They also work to influence government policy and secure a future for Britain’s wildlife.

Which mammals live in the UK?

Take a look at the list of mammals in the UK here.  There are 107, and they include the hedgehog, red squirrel, water vole, harvest mouse, shrews, rabbits, hares, beavers, voles, otters, badgers, stoats, polecats and pine martens, deer, wild ponies (such as the Exmoor and Dartmoor), wallabies, seals, bats, whales and dolphins. 

Give a Gift Membership to the Mammal Society today

Give a gift membership and help the Mammal Society help mammals!

Just imagine – for less than the cost of a cup of coffee every month, giving a gift membership to a nature lover would mean you’re supporting research to help the conservation of British mammals!

Members receive (and this is from their website in October 2020):

• Reduced ticket prices for our workshops, training and conferences at venues around the country.
• Updates on mammals and research via Mammal News
• Their E-bulletin to keep you further up to date
• Mammal Review – you need to pay an additional fee for this
• Access to our trap loan scheme
• Access to knowledge of ongoing mammal projects in your area

Your gift will make a difference to mammals

If you want to treat someone who is serious about helping mammals, or simply wants to help make a difference, why not give a gift membership?  All gift memberships come with a free gift and the knowledge for you that you are helping mammals so your gift will make a difference.

To find out more about gift memberships, email the Membership Officer at [email protected] or 02380 010 982.

Alternatively, why not take a look at the Mammal Society's shop?  It has something for all the family with some gorgeous pictures on t-shirts and sweatshirts.   Hop off here to the Mammal Society's online store.

I've always liked cheese, and am very pleased to discover that Virgin Experience Days have introduced a new British Cheese Subscription Box from Letterbox Cheese.

It's a two month membership and you can tuck into a fine cheese and biscuit selection.  Each box has four different cheeses, a homemade relish, specially made biscuits and more cheese delights.  I'm starting to feel hungry!

You can expect a smooth Double Gloucester with Chives and Onion, nutty Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, or a flavoursome mature Ogden truckle.  All for £60.00.

Dive over to Virgin Exprience Days and tuck in!

Many species have thrived during lockdown – and there’s great news from the National Trust about one of them!

Peregrine falcons have thrived during lockdown.

Peregrine falcons at Corfe Castle in Dorset have thrived during lockdown!

The National Trust reports that peregrine falcon chicks have hatched in the ruins of a 12^th century castle in Dorset in the south of England AND across the rugged moors of the Peak District!

The National Trust think the success of these birds is most probably down to the peaceful environment lockdown created.   There are 11 peregrine falcon chicks ready to fledge across four acres of land that the Trust cares for.   Three of these were at Corfe Castle in Dorset and the other eight were found at three different sites in the Peak District’s High Peak Moors!

The breeding peregrines in Dorset had built a nest 70 feet up on the castle’s keep walls – the first time a pair of the raptors had nested there since the 1980s.  The castle was quiet, thanks to lockdown, so the birds had the peace and quiet they needed to make a nest and lay their eggs.  By opening time, the eggs had hatched – so the parents were not likely to abandon their nest. The parents encourage their offspring into the big wide world, by offering them food!

When this little chick grows up, it will be able to fly at about 200 miles an hour...
Find out more

And there are six successful breeding pairs in the National Park moors this year – double the average since the Bird of Prey Initiative started to report in 2012.  The goal is to encourage at least 17 breeding pairs and that will hopefully mean lots of young peregrine falcons!

When these peregrine falcons grow up, they will be the fastest animals in the world.  Stooping adults hunting prey can reach incredible speeds of 200 miles an hour.  Their wingspan reaches 1.2 metres.  That’s impressive.

The National Trust is working in partnership with the British Trust for Ornithology, Natural England and volunteers from the Peak District Raptor Monitoring Group.  Many of the birds in the Peak District have been ringed so that it’s possible to monitor their progress.

It is really important that visitors keep their distance because if the chick’s parents are disturbed, the adult birds may not come back to feed their offspring who will die.

The ultimate vision is for the moors to be full of wildlife and the Trust is working with tenants and partners to make this happen.

Fly away to the National Trust here to find out more - and to see some absolutely stunning photos of the peregrine falcons!.

Give a gift membership and help the National Trust protect wildlife such as the peregrine falcon, the puffin, beavers, otters, and more!

Members enjoy 

• Free entry (on pre-booking) to some of the National Trust's gardens and parklands as they reopen
• Free parking at most of their coast and countryside car parks (pre-booking required for a small number of car parks) as they reopen
• Members' Handbook, full of information about their places
• National Trust Magazine three times a year, packed with inspiration, interviews and news

Plus, when all of their places and car parks reopen:

• Free entry to over 500 special places, including their houses
• Free parking at most National Trust car parks

You will have the knowledge that your gift is helping the National Trust to protect some amazing wildlife and places for future generations!