Our Giving Gifts News Blog

 
 

This blog has gift ideas, news, and special offers. 

 

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  1. The RSPB has some lovely new gifts for the garden which may appeal to the garden lover in your life!

    And these gifts won't just be a gift for your loved one - they will help garden wildlife as well!  Birds, pond life and bees will enjoy them.

    This Nature Oasis bird bath and drinker will let garden birds take a refreshing drink - you need to fill it full of water first! - and have a dip.   

    This Nature Oasis bird bath & drinker is from the RSPB

    This Nature Oasis bird bath & drinker is from the RSPB for £18.99

    The nice thing about this bird bath is that it's got steps in it - so wildlife can easily climb out.  

    The bird bath is made from new sustainable material called Polyboo, a mix of 100% recycled plastic with natural bamboo fibres, which provide flexibility.  Polyboo comes with a frost-proof guarantee.   The birdbath is just under 30 cm in diameter, and 5.5 cm high.  Find out more here

    This is a Solitary bee home
    This is a Solitary bee home, £24.99

    The Solitary bee hive is designed for leafcutter and red mason bees.  It comes with removeable nesting trays, metal fastenings for secure siting and an overhanging roof to protect bees from the rain.  It's made in the UK from FSC ® certified pine.  Find out more

     

    The RSPB Shop also has new pond liner kit from £20.00 - we've just ordered a small one (2m x 2m) and I can't wait to dig the pond out!  The kit comes with a durable liner, recycled fleece underlay and an expert guide to creating the perfect wildlife pond! 

     

    Give your wildlife a pond liner kit - from 2m x 2m

    Give the wildlife in your garden a pond - 
    The RSPB has a new pond liner kit, from £20.00 

    A pond is one of the best things you can give wildlife - it will be a source of water for birds and mammals, and attract frogs, toads and newts who are drawn by the insects enjoying life in pond water.  Put your pond in a sunny spot and you may find dragonflies and damselflies visit too in summer!   Find out more about the pond liner kit here.

  2. Tusk 2020 1/2 Pint Mug

    Those lovely folk at Emma Bridgewater are marking Tusk’s 30th Anniversary.  They’ve designed a special mug, with cheetahs, rhinos and lemurs – just some of the species that Tusk helps project.

    Emma Bridgewater will donate £5 to Tusk

    Emma Bridgewater will donate £5 to Tusk for every mug sold 

    And for every mug sold, Emma Bridgewater will donate £5 to help support Tusk’s work across Africa.

    About Tusk

    Tusk was established back in 1990 as a response to the poaching crisis of the previous decade.  This crisis pushed black rhino to the brink of extinction, whilst 100,000 elephants were killed each year.

    The charity has become a very effective force in African wildlife conservation – it is known for its targeted intervention.  Tusk understands that the interests of people AND wildlife are, in its words “inextricably inter-twined”.  Both must be served if achievements are to last.

    Today, Tusk gives greater protection for over 40 threatened species. Many of these are flagship species which Tusk promotes to help secure the landscapes in which they are living.  Protect the flagship species, and you benefit other wildlife too.  And local communities can benefit from their presence.

    Tusk focuses on three things:

    Habitat Protection: Its projects provide vital protection for over 10 million acres of land

    Human-Wildlife Co-existence – people and wildlife need to be able to live together

    Environment Education – to bring about long term change

    To do this, Tusk partners with the leading and emergency conservaitonists in Africa.  In so doing, it does the following:

    • It protects endangered species
    • It reduces human-wildlife conflict
    • It finds sustainable solutions to preserve critical habitats
    • It combats the global demand for illegal wildlife products.

    Through education and community support, it is shaping a future where the people of Africa can reconnect with nature and understand its value;  then they will protect it for future generations.

    Lose yourself in their projects to find out more.  Lions, lemurs, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, bongos, Grevy’s Zebra, sea turtles, painted dogs, okapi, chimpanzees, gorillas, and vultures are all some of the animals that Tusk projects are working to help – but of course, if you can help one species you help many more, especially if you are working to save habitat where hundreds of thousands of animals live.

    Visit Tusk's website here

     

  3. Ordnance Survey are well known for their maps, but did you know that they have a range of outdoor garden games for all the family as well?

    Whether you’re into croquet, quoits, skittles, hopscotch, rounders, badminton, tug of war or French boules, they’ve got garden games for you.

    View the outdoor games from Ordnance Survey


    They’ve also got the horseshoe pitching game.  All hours of fun for all the family, starting at £9.99.

    Get the kids outside and get them active – perfect for the lockdown period and beyond!

    Have fun!

    Head to Ordnance Survey to see their range of outdoor games!

     

     

  4. While you're at home during the coronavirus crisis, this could be a great chance to boost your knowledge of a particular subject!

    Hive.co.uk have books covering all sorts of subjects, from home and garden to health and lifestyle, food and drink to history and transport. There's books on art and photography, biographies, craft and sport.  And also there's thrillers, crime and mystery, comics and graphic novels as well as a good range of fiction.  And they've got lots of books for kids, too! 

    Grow Food for Free : The easy, sustainable, zero-cost way to a plentiful harvest by Huw Edwards
    Grow Food for Free : The easy, sustainable, zero-cost way to a plentiful harvest
    by Huw Edwards

    Many books are on special offer, and so far as the gardening books go, there's plenty on growing your own, allotments, garden design, and plants and flowers. 

    Marigolds, Myrtle and Moles : A Gardener's Bedside Book by Alan Titchmarsh
    ~Marigolds, Myrtle and Moles : A Gardener's Bedside Book by Alan Titchmarsh


    Head to Hive.co.uk to dig out some good books!

  5. The 27th February which means just one thing:  it's International Polar Bear Day!

    The day hopes to raise awereness of the plight of polar bears and how we can all help them.     The polar bear is at the head of food chain in the Arctic and a good indicator of how species are faring.   The difficulty is that in a number of locations where polar bears live, the sea ice is disappearing as a result of global warming.  The picture is patchy:  in some areas, the polar bear populations is stable;  in one it is actually in increasing.  In others, it is declining.  You can find out about the most current status of polar bears here.

    Polar bears face many threats, most particularly the loss of sea ice due to climate change. 

    Adopt a polar bear with an eco-adoption!
    Give a polar bear lover an eco-adoption from from Polar Bears International 
    ©Polar Bears International

     

    Adopt a polar bear from Polar Bears International

    You have different options,including a Mom and Cub, or Twin Cubs Adoption.   There's also a Holiday Bear adoption, an Arctic Eco-Adoption and an Aurora Eco-Adoption.  They all support the work Polar Bears International are doing for polar bears. 

    Polar Bears International is the world's leading polar bear organisation.  They consist of a small group of passionate conservationists, scientists and volunteers.  Their mission is  "to conserve polar bears and the sea ice they depend on."  They work to inspire people to care about the Arctic and the threats to its future.  Find out more about Polar Bears International here

    If you can spare a moment, please take a quick look at ways you can help polar bears and the Arctic - all you need to do is to click here to see how you can help.

    You could also send an e-card!

    There are e-cards for all sorts of occasions!
    There are e-cards for all sorts of occasions!
    Image © Polar Bears International.