This website is about gift membership but occasionally I hear of something which really touches my heart and today I want to share with you the need of rescued bears.

Free the Bears is 25 years old in 2020;  since they were founded, they have rescued 950 moon, sun and sloth bears.  They are cared for in sanctuaries in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. 

Many of the bears have been rescued from bear bile farms where bile is cruelly extracted from them for use in medicine.  They can enjoy life in sanctuaries where they can have a healthy diet, excellent veterinary care, and be enriched in their enclosures.  

Here's one recently rescued bear having his first swim at the sanctuary - he was caged for 18 years.  

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Free the Bears have lost many of their fundraising sources and of course they need an income to look after the bears they have rescued - and to continue to rescue more bears.  If a bear is in trouble, they will be there.  

So if you are looking for a gift membership idea for a bear lover, please could I suggest you give them the chance to become a bear buddy, a bear carer, a cub carer or a bear angel?  You donate by month, and donations start at £5 a month.  It's not really a membership as such, but think of the good your gift will be doing and how it will help bears! 

Free the Bears is a registered non-profit in Australia and more recently the UK.  

This would make a great gift for bear lovers and a bear necessity for the bears. 

Visit Free the Bears' website here and you can see more You Tube videos from Free the Bears here

It’s World Wetlands Day!

Wetlands are a really important part of our planet, although they cover very little of its surface.   They are, effectively, where land meets water, and as such they cover areas such as shores, estuaries, mudflats, floodplains, coastal marshes, local ponds, the bog and pond in your garden, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, and rivers.  

Why wetlands matter

They provide us with drinking water, they store a third of the world’s carbon emissions and they buffer us from floods and droughts.

They are important to wildlife because 40% of all plant and animal species live or breed here.  They are vital breeding and feeding grounds for migratory birds – stopover points, if you like.  They give wildlife a chance to rest, shelter and winter.   

The theme in 2020 is Wetlands and Biodiversity.  You can find out about it here.

Wetlands are facing increasing threats from pollution, climate change, dams and over-exploitation. 

In the UK, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust works hard to combat these threats. 

Why not give a membership and support their work?  They offer Family, Joint and Individual memberships and there’s a Life Membership as well.

Membership benefits:

• Unlimited entry to WWT’s nine wetland centres
• A Welcome Pack full of information about the charity’s conservation work and visitor centres
• Quarterly copies of WWT’s award-winning ‘Waterlife’ magazine
• Entry vouchers for friends and family
• Keep up to date via regular newsletters sent straight to your inbox
• Free welcome gift if you pay by Direct Debit

The WWT’s vision is “A world where healthy wetland nature thrives and enriches lives”. 

Memberships help the WWT:

• Restore, connect and enhance wetland habitats
• Recover endangered species in the UK and further afield, such as the spoon-billed sandpipers
• Help people to manage, protect and appreciate their wetlands
  
  

Help the WWT fulfil its vision and in doing so help people and wildlife around the world.

Give a Gift Membership to the WWT today

Robert Burns Night is on 25^th January every year, around Burns’ birthday.. It combines haggis, whisky and poetry with a great night out.

Burns Night celebrates good fellowships and the works of Robert Burns, a national poet. 

Today there are Burns Nights all over the country, and most start with a grace, generally the Selkirk Grace which is attributed to Burns.

Some have meat and cannot eat.
Some cannot eat that want it:
But we have meat and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

Then it’s time to address the haggis; a piper leads the procession of the haggis which the chef carries on a platter.  They circle the room, the guests clapping them in time to the music. 

There is a fundraising appeal to save Robert Burns' Cottage with the National Trust for Scotland

And then the haggis is presented in front of the Addresser who recites the Address to the Haggis.  He gives the chef and piper a glass of whisky, and everyone toasts the haggis.  And then it’s time for the chef to leave with the haggis and prepare it for the meal.  Of course, it’s usual for other courses to be served – pudding, for example!

After eating, there’s speeches and entertainment, which all kick off with a toast the monarch – the Loyal Toast.  And then there’s a toast to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns, followed by a Toast to the Lassies – Burns appreciated women. And then there’s a reply to the Toast to the Lassies which is generally funny.   Finally, the ladies present applaud and toast the “Laddies” present.

There maybe more toasting after that – the guests, absent friends, Scotland and a vote of thanks.    There’s certainly entertainment, generally with recitations and music. 

And the night ends with – what else – a rendition of Auld Lang Syne and three cheers! 

For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne.

The first one was held back in 1801 in Burns Cottage, Alloway – you can visit it at Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.  The three room cottage is where Burns was born and lived until he was 7 years old – and you can see the box bed he shared with three of his siblings!  They lived side by side with their farm animals, and eat their meals in the kitchen together.  

At the moment the National Trust for Scotland is running a fundraising appeal for urgent restoration works that need to be done on the cottage.  You can donate here