If you currently live in a marginal constituency, you have a unique opportunity to be a major influence at the next general election. WWF UK would like to use your influence to help preserve some of the world’s most incredible animals and create a better future for everyone in the country.

You may be wondering what links tigers, the general election and your future, and the answer is climate change. Rising temperatures are putting up to 30% of the world’s species at risk. Tackling climate change not only offers the opportunity to safeguard the wildlife at risk from a warming world, but also to help create a green economy right here in the UK. This could also open up the door for thousands of new green jobs during a time of high unemployment.

This years general election is the perfect opportunity to let your local politicians know that there is public support for action on a greener Britain. WWF UK has teamed up with CAFOD, Christian Aid, Tearfund, Greenpeace, Oxfam UK, RSPB and many other charities to encourage all of their supporters to ‘Ask the Climate Question’. This can be done by

1. Every time a member of a political party asks whatís important to you, list climate change in your top three issues.
2. Attend a candidates political meeting with family and friends to quiz them on climate change.
3. Get involved locally help with this campaign by writing letters to candidates

Marginal constituencies will be closely fought in the country, with political parties taking far greater interest in the views of voters in your area. With the ear of the politicians, now is a great time for you, your family, friends and neighbours to tell them that you are concerned about the future of not just humans, but also the countries wildlife and their habitats due to climate change.

> > Click here to visit the WWF campaign site

Help WWF UK with a Charity Gift

The WWF is a non profit organisation who can only sustain their tireless work in saving the planet and its inhabitants through donations. You can help raise funds through the WWF Adopt an Animal scheme.

From as little as £3 a month you receive a certificate, a print of your animal, a greetings card, and a soft toy that would make a fantastic charity gift for a loved one.

> > Click here to Adopt an Animal with WWF UK

View other top charity gifts

The RSPB Gift Shop is currently offering an extra 20% absolutely free with every bag of sunflower mix purchased online. With the weather around the country still cold and snowy, now is a great time to think of the garden’s birds who may be struggling to find food in these treacherous conditions.

Finding food is the greatest test for wild birds, and with the UK’s recent winter being extended till, well, nobody is quite sure when, food for our feathered friends is scarce. But help is at hand at the RSPB Shop , who will be offering an extra 2.5kgs of sunflower mix absolutely free when purchasing online.

Sunflower mix is a high-energy  birdseed that doesn’t contain husks or shells, so you’re not paying for the birds won’t eat. Thanks to its balanced blend of sunflower hearts, kibbles, maize, husk-free oats and canary seed, RSPB sunflower mix is loved by most garden birds and can be fed from seed feeders, bird tables and even from the ground.

With a wide selection  of high quality bird food and bird feeding accessories, the RSPB gift shop is the perfect place to stock up on everything you need to keep your garden friends happy. Plus with 100% of all profit going to the conservation group, you can be sure that everything you purchase is going a long way to keeping the UK’s wildlife fruitful.

> > Click here to order online at the RSPB shop

The RSPB charity Big Garden Birdwatch will be kicking off again on the weekend of Saturday 30th January 2010, with this months event promising to be the biggest ever! This year almost half a million people will be taking part across the country to see how many different types of bird they can spot over the course of weekend, making this the biggest bird survey in the world.

Started in 1979, the Big Garden Birdwatch has been going from strength to strength each year, with over 6 million birds counted in the last 30 years. This survey is a great way to study nationwide animal patterns and also to help decide which birds the RSPB need to focus their conservation work on.

Last year the top ten spotted birds in the UK were -

1. House Sparrow
2. Starling
3. Blackbird
4. Blue Tit
5. Chaffinch
6. Woodpigeon
7. Collared Dove
8. Great Tit
9. Robin
10. Long-tailed Tit

Also, if you become a new member between 19th January and 31st March 2010, you will now receive an RSPB classic apex nest box, which normally retails at £11.99, absolutely free as a joining gift.

By encouraging people to count the birds in their garden for just one hour over this weekend, the information that is provided can help the RSPB prioritise their conservation work to specific areas and breeds where their support is most needed.

Join the RPSB for as little as £2.84 a month

An adult RSPB membership is a fantastic and thoughtful charity gift for a loved. The membership entitles the holder to -

• free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK
• great welcome pack
• quarterly ‘Birds’ magazine
• a choice of free gift

Whilst a junior membership offers -

• free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK
• posters
• stickers
• logbook with activities
• bi-monthly ‘Wild Times’ magazine wildlife
• stationary set.

When you sign up to become a member of the RSPB you not only get the great benefits listed above. You will also help them to continue their important work in protecting endangered birds, restoring vital habitats and campaigning against damage to the environment.

> > Click here to join the RSPB

View other top charity gifts

Roll up, roll up, because now is a great time to order your Christmas presents from the RSPB Gift Shop. Not only is there a huge selection of gifts to choose from, but for a limited time there is now 50% off a number of excellent Christmas ideas for friends and family. These half price bargains include -

• Pocket diary
• Snowflake cookie cutter
• Metal gift trug
• Sunflower drops
• Advent candle
• Misteloe
• Wide selection of Christmas cards

All these items are subject to availability while stocks last, plus if you order by 3pm on Monday to Friday you will receive dispatch on the same day to help ensure your gifts are there in time for Christmas. So why not order a present from the RSPCA charity gift shop, a sure fire way to brighten up someone’s Christmas this year.

> > Click here to order online with the RSPCA Gift Shop

Other top charity gifts

The RSPB charity is over the moon with the news that the UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill has received Royal Assent and become a law. After 10 years of tireless campaigning for the Bill to be put into place, the RSPB now believe that by putting into place better, sustainable systems will provide a cleaner and safer marine and coastal environment for the nearby wildlife above and below the waves.

The RSPB will now focus it’s campaign to ensure that the Act is put into practice in both Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure that their marine wildlife and seabirds are protected and safeguarded for future generations too.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said -

This historic, ground-breaking legislation fulfils the Government’s 2005 commitment to introduce a new framework for managing the demands we put on our seas, improve marine conservation, and open up access for the public to the English coast. I would like to thank all of you who have dedicated so much time and energy to producing this excellent Act and look forward to your help in implementing it.

It is largely thanks to the work of the RSPB and their supporters that this important legislation has been passed through Parliament. By making this law a reality, Britain’s coastal wildlife will now be afforded the level of protection that it so desperately needs.

Join the RPSB for as little as £2.84 a month

An adult RSPB membership is a fantastic and thoughtful charity gift for a loved. The membership entitles the holder to -

• free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK
• great welcome pack
• quarterly ‘Birds’ magazine
• a choice of free gift

Whilst a junior membership offers -

• free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK
• posters
• stickers
• logbook with activities
• Bi-monthly ‘Wild Times’ magazine wildlife
• stationery set.

When you sign up to become a member of the RSPB you not only get the great benefits listed above. You will also help them to continue their important work in protecting endangered birds, restoring vital habitats and campaigning against damage to the environment.

> > Click here to join the RSPB

View other charity gifts

RSPB UK are pleased to announce that their newly appointed president, Kate Humble will be presenting this season’s Autumnwatch which began on Friday 2nd October 2009. Autumnwatch, which is also presented by RSPB vice president Chris Packham, will be bringing birds, wildlife and nature back to our screens with an amazing selection of stories.

The show will run every Friday night at 9pm on BBC2 and contain many exclusive features including red deer rutting, a guide to Autumnal fungi, and of course in depth studies and observations of all the wildlife that really come into their own during this colourful time. Personally, autumn is my favourite season, as the days grow darker, fireworks, bonfires and leaves falling from the trees, it truly is a spectacular time of the year.

So why not get involved and follow the Autumnwatch team as they guide you through the heart of the action as this rich and dynamic season progresses?

This is also a fabulous time to visit one of the many RSPCA nature reserves across the UK. The RSPB are the largest wildlife conservation organisation in Europe and aim to protect endangered birds and other wildlife, whilst also restoring their natural habitats and surrounding countryside.

Join the RPSB for as little as £2.84 a month

An adult RSPB membership is a fantastic and thoughtful charity gift for a loved. The membership entitles the holder to -

• free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK
• great welcome pack
• quarterly ‘Birds’ magazine
• a choice of free gift

Whilst a junior membership offers -

• free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK
• posters
• stickers
• logbook with activities
• bi-monthly ‘Wild Times’ magazine wildlife
• stationary set.

When you sign up to become a member of the RSPB you not only get the great benefits listed above. You will also help them to continue their important work in protecting endangered birds, restoring vital habitats and campaigning against damage to the environment.

> > Click here to join the RSPB

View other top charity gifts

RSPB UK is currently offering the new RSPB Nature Guide book free to all new members who join between 1st July and 31st August 2009. This great new family activity book is packed with fun ideas and activities to help the whole family get the most out of nature, both indoors and out.

A family membership for a year costs less than a day at a theme park, and allows free entry to over 100 nature reserves across the country, plus free information, activities and magazines to help the whole family learn about nature. Plus, for every £1 of your membership fee, 90p of it is used to fund current and future conservation projects, so you can be confident that your money is having a real impact in all the right areas.

Join the RPSB for as little as £2.84 a month

An adult RSPB membership is a fantastic and thoughtful charity gift for a loved. The membership entitles the holder to -

• free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK
• great welcome pack
• quarterly ‘Birds’ magazine
• a choice of free gift

Whilst a junior membership offers -

• free entry to over 100 RSPB nature reserves across the UK
• posters
• stickers
• logbook with activities
• Bi-monthly ‘Wild Times’ magazine wildlife
• stationery set.

When you sign up to become a member of the RSPB you not only get the great benefits listed above. You will also help them to continue their important work in protecting endangered birds, restoring vital habitats and campaigning against damage to the environment.

> > Click here to join the RSPB

View other top charity gifts

This Saturday see’s ‘Stop Climate Chaos’ group members Oxfam UK, WDM, RSPB UK, People & Planet, NUS, Christian Aid UK & the WI get together to put on the first ‘Mili-band’ event of the summer at the Kingsnorth summer fête in Kent. The event is being held at the proposed site of a new coal power station at Kingsnorth, with the aim to show government minister in charge of UK climate change policy, Ed Miliband, that the UK must show true global leadership on tackling climate change.

The plan for the day is to form a giant human band around Kingsnorth and send an unmissable message that a clean, low-carbon future can be the only way forward at UN climate meeting in Copenhagen this December. It promises to be a family friendly fête atmosphere, with music from Get Cape Wear Cape Fly alongside internationally renowned Ugandan musician Geoffrey Oryema, plus loads of fun activities such as dancing, face-painting and lots of interesting and informative eco stalls.

Ed Miliband has already pushed through a Climate Change Act which commits the UK to an impressive 80% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, but still needs to invest in low carbon solutions not a coal power station. This day of solidarity will hopefully convince the UK government to ditch its plans to build the power station in Kingsnorth and think more towards a cleaner future.

> > Click here to find out more about the ‘Stop Climate Chaos’ Summer Fete

Back in 1979, amidst a struggling economy and severe winter, something great was born with 30,000 children taking part in the RSPB’s first Big Garden Birdwatch. Thirty years on … oh, and amidst another struggling economy and cold winter! … over half a million people enjoyed taking part in the RSPB’s 30th Big Garden Birdwatch!

This fantastically popular event has not only spread a little happiness by encouraging people to enjoy watching the birds in their garden, but it has also demonstrated that our feeding and bird care can have a really positive impact.

The recently published results show that all but one of the top ten birds seen in people’s gardens has increased slightly since last year. And, for the first time, the long-tailed tit has flitted into the top ten. Long-tailed tits are a little noisy, have tails bigger than their bodies and are very sociable birds often seen in flocks of twenty or so. This year they were seen in over 30% of gardens and increased by an amazing 88% from last year’s count. We believe its improved numbers are because this insect-eating bird has adapted to feeding on seeds and peanuts at bird tables and from hanging feeders.

The top ten birds seen in this year’s 2009 Big Garden Birdwatch were :

1. House sparrow
2. Starling
3. Blackbird
4. Blue tit
5. Chaffinch
6. Woodpigeon
7. Collared dove
8. Great tit
9. Robin
10. Long-tailed tit

For more information and results visit: www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/results

Help Protect Birds and Their Habitat with an RSPB Membership

To help garden birds and wildlife further, why not join the RSPB this Easter or give a membership as a great charity gift and enjoy FREE entry to over 100 nature reserves. Join online by 14 May 2009 and you’ll also be automatically entered into our free prize draw (no purchase necessary) to win a digital SLR camera and copy of the RSPB Guide to Digital Wildlife Photography!

>> Click Here to Get an RSPB Membership

WWF UK is leading a coalition of environmental groups, alongside councils and residents, to battle against the government’s decision to expand Heathrow airport with a new runway. The coalition claims that the third runway will breach UK legal limits on noise and air pollution that in turn will seriously undermine government climate change targets.

WWF UK director of campaigns, David Norman, said –

The decision to allow a third runway at Heathrow blows the chances of setting the UK onto a low carbon pathway completely out of the water. If the targets set in the Climate Change Act are to be meaningful, the government must stop adopting policies that undermine them.

The coalition also claim that the consultation process for the new runway was flawed and that the costs of the project had not been properly assessed and will not benefit the economy. If the legal challenge is successful, the government may also be forced to review its entire aviation policy, with plans already afoot to expand nearly 30 airports across the UK.

The coalition is backed by Transport for London and London mayor Boris Johnson, alongside wildlife charities such as Greenpeace, WWF UK and the RSPB, all claiming that the expansion will increase carbon emissions incompatible with the need for climate change. If the third runway goes ahead the village of Sipson would have to be demolished, with the number of flights increasing by 220,000 a year.

How that can be seen as helping towards the decrease in global warming is anyone’s guess…

Help WWF with a Charity Gift

The WWF is a non profit organisiation who can only sustain their tireless work in saving the planet and its inhabitants through donations.

From as little as £3 a month you can help raise funds through the WWF Adopt an Animal scheme. The recipient gets -

• a soft toy of their selected animal
• a certificate
• a print of your animal
• a greetings card
• plus much more …

> > Click here to Adopt an Animal with WWF

View other top charity gifts