The 22st July is National Hammock Day!  It’s a day dedicated to relaxing and just lounging about in a hammock – to enjoy being in the outdoors, maybe enjoy a good book, listen to the birds around you as they chirp away, and watch any clouds as they float by.

Hammocks go right back to the Mayan civilisation, so over 1,000 – they were great for giving people the chance to sleep off the ground, and later on, sea crossings by explorers not only discovered lands previously unknown, but they also discovered people using hammocks. And the sailors fast found that the hammock saved space on board ship – and were pretty stable in bad weather.  And an added bonus was that you could take them down in the day very easily and put them away somewhere until you next needed them.

Now, of course most people will associate the hammock with a relaxing afternoon somewhere, meant for you.  Amazon has lots of hammocks to choose from, if you’re looking for a gift for someone, and you can give them lots of relaxing times in the garden – and they can take the hammock down after use, too.  You can just imagine having a quiet time to yourself, when everyone else is out, swinging gently in your hammock, really escaping from everything.

Someone else loves hammocks, too!

Give a rescue bear some privacy with a hammock!
Image ©Free the Bears

Bears love them!  And if you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves relaxation and bears, how about treating rescue bears to a hammock gift?

Free the Bears rescue bears being held captive in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and they care for them beary carefully in their sanctuaries.   Many of these bears have been through a terrible time, held in tiny cages with little room to move and be a bear.  They have had awful diets, their teeth may be in a bad state and they may have difficulty moving because of being in enclosed spaces for so long. 

Free the Bears have now rescued over 1,000 bears and the bears receive the best of care – veterinary help, a good diet, water and a space to roam and be a bear. 

Normally, Free the Bears say that the bears are normally solitary but because of space restrictions, they share enclosures.  Enter a  hammock, to give these beautiful bears some privacy – a bear necessity! 

And not only that, the hammocks for the bears are made by volunteers!  Your donation covers the cost of the materials needed for the bears’ hammock, and the volunteers make them up!

You can dedicate this gift to a loved one & email them an e-card with a personal message.  The e-card has gorgeous pictures of the bears.   This is a really meaningful gift to help bears who have been through a very difficult time.  

There are other gifts for the bears too, starting at £8.00.

Find out more here.