Cancer Research charity officials are growing increasingly concerned that under age girls are still determined to use sunbeds, no matter the consequences. New studies report that many girls under 18 are still regularly using sunbeds, even though they are actually breaking the law.

The study found that many 15-18 year old girls are still willing to risk their health, even though they know the risks of using a sunbed. Many think that a tan not only makes them feel confident, but also that they feel healthier with a glow.

Sundbeds were made illegal for under 18′s in 2011, a year after a Cancer Research study showed more than 250,000 children aged between 11 and 17 in England were regularly using sunbeds. Tanning salons are now required to ask for identification from people when booking a course, but not all staff are stringent in their supervision.

Head of the study, Dr Jeffrey Lake, said -

The research shows us that the desire for tanned skin in young people is blinding them to the potential long-term health risks associated with regularly using sunbeds. We’re finding that their worries are cosmetic when they should really be thinking about the unseen damage they’re inflicting on themselves.

This report comes just a week before Cancer Research relaunch their ‘R UV UGLY?’ campaign, which will see people offered free scans at skin clinics around the country. These will be able to show people the hidden damage beneath the skin’s surface through overexposure to UV sunbeams, and of course the sun; the biggest sunbed in the world!

Co-author of the study, Catherine Thomson, said -

It’s worrying to see that, in some areas of the UK, half of all 15-17 year old girls are using sunbeds on a regular basis. Introducing the legislation banning sunbed use by under 18s was vital to protect younger people from the harmful effects of UV. But proper supervision in salons is essential to combat the determination of teenagers to get round laws that are there for their own protection.

Let’s hope that many people make use of the free skin clinic scans to see how much they may have been affected by UV damage. Tanning salons need to clamp down on under age usage, as a young person’s skin should be not be hammered with UV from an early age. Full ID should be shown and scanned into the system to prove the age of the person booking the course to ensure that nobody is breaking the law. These preventions were put into place for a reason.

If you would like more information on the work of Cancer Research, why not check out our dedicated page where you can purchase an innovative charity gift to help raise funds to aid their live saving work.

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Have any of you heard any mystery bird songs during the evening? The RSPB has been receiving a lot of calls from homeowners who suspect that Nightingales may be out singing their winter songs. But the RSPB wildlife team seem to be pretty sure it’s actually our good friend the Robin redbreast that is having a good old sing song.

Robins are usually one of the first birds that are ‘up and at ‘em’ first thing in the morning. This means they are used to singing in low light conditions, so the evening is also the perfect time to for them to clear their throats for a good old sing song.

Birds mainly sing to attract a mate, or to defend their territory. The Robin is one of the few birds who protect their own ‘patch’ during the winter, and this is also one of the reasons why they continue to sing when most other birds have stopped.

RSPB wildlife advisor, Richard James, said -

We’ve had lots of calls from people sharing what they’d spotted during their Big Garden Birdwatch, but many also called rather excitedly to say they’d heard nightingales singing in the evenings. They were a little disappointed when we told them the birds were almost certainly robins, although they were still surprised to find out these birds sing at night. Before the cold weather took hold, we had a number of reports of night-singing birds, but that stopped when the snow arrived. Since it melted across most of the country this weekend, the birds have started up again and as we head towards the breeding season, this should increase.

It’s strange to thing of a Robin having it’s own territory. I mean, it doesn’t exactly look tough! So if you hear an evening song, just know it’s a gang of Robins protecting their patch from some other hoodlums who are trying to step up, just to get a rep!

If you would like to learn more about the work of the RSPB, or would even like to purchase a membership, check out our dedicated charity page for more information.

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RSPB charity officials are sending out a warning to all the UK’s bird lovers, as the cold weather grips the nation’s gardens. This of course will cause major issues for our fine feathered friends, as water sources freeze over and food becomes scarce.

Now is the time for all of us to really step-up our bird feeding to provide birds with the nutrients and water they need to drink and wash. RSPB are suggesting that you leave a few more calorie-rich foods outside, including -

• Mixed seed
• Fatballs
• Suet sprinkles
• Sunflower seed
• Mild grated cheese
• Rice
• Porridge oats

to provide birds with some serious energy laden snacks during these sub zero temperatures. A fresh supply of water every morning will also be really helpful, and if you are finding that the water is freezing, try floating a ping pong ball in the bowl. This helps to keep the water moving thanks to the ball moving in the breeze.

RSPB’s wildlife advisors, Richard James, said -

The sudden drop in temperatures across the UK will have been a big shock to birds’ systems after spending the past couple of months with few worries in terms of food availability. Thanks to the recent mild weather, many natural food sources have been readily available and water has been easy to come by. Now the snow and ice are here birds will need all the help they can get to survive the winter. With the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch coming up on the weekend of 26 and 27 January, keeping your feeders, tables and bird baths topped-up will not only make sure your garden visitors are well fed and looked after, it’ll also encourage them into your garden just in time for you to take part in the world’s biggest wildlife survey.

Don’t forget that the RSPB Garden Birdwatch is just around the corner, so let’s hope the weather clears up by then! This will take place on the weekend of Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th January 2013, and is the world’s biggest wildlife survey! For more information on the Big Garden Birdwatch, checkout their page to find out how you can get involved this year.

If you would like to find out more about the work of the RSPB, check out our dedicated charity page for more information on how you can help by purchasing a membership card to provide funds.

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A massive congratulations to the students of Bacon’s College, who managed to raise a whopping £9000 for Centrepoint in December 2012. The school, based in South East London for 11 to 18 year olds, took part in a number of interesting and hilarious fundraising ideas, including -

• Sponsored detentions
• Cake Sales
• Spice Girls Impersonator

Plus twelve 6th form students and two teachers took part in Centrepoint’s ‘Sleep Out’ at the Exchange Square in Broadgate to get a real feel of what it is like to spend a night sleeping rough on the streets.

Centrepoint’s relationship manager, Martyn Paré-Hall, said -

The students demonstrated an inspiring talent, determination, imagination, energy and commitment, in the true spirit of giving. Taking their inspiration from the story of Centrepoint young person, John, students recognised the plight of other young people like themselves, but are homeless and took this message to heart and out to their families and friends.

Well done to all those that took part in this amazing fundraising idea, £9000 is a fantastic amount to raise just by one school. This money will now be used to aid Centrepoint’s quest to help people off the streets, and to give them all the assistance they require to keep them of the streets.

If you would like to learn more about Centrepoint’s work on the front line helping young homeless people, check out our dedicated charity page for more information on how you too can provide funds to keep people from living on the streets.

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Greenpeace is looking for your support to ask Waitrose to drop their planned partnership with Shell, seen by many as one of the world’s most destructive companies. Waitrose are planning to add Shell petrol stations to their stores across the country, but as we know, Shell are intent on the destruction of the Arctic with their drilling.

Waitrose have built up a very ecological and environmental profile over the years, helping to protect vulnerable fish stock for example. You even receive a token with each shop where you can choose a charity to support as you leave by dropping it in a slot. So why have them teamed up with Shell then?! After making such an effort previously to save the world’s fish stocks, surely they should be choosing the environment over Shell?

Shell recently broke American law when their Arctic Challenger vessel was found to be making four illegal fluid discharges. There plans for Arctic drilling is sure to cause massive problems for the eco system in one of the few untouched natural areas left on the planet. ‘Safe drilling’ is a fantasy in an area of like this, and there is no technology that can clean up the oil spills that are inevitable if Shell continue with their plans.

Greenpeace is asking you to add your voice to there’s to make Waitrose see sense and abandon their partnership with Shell. Simply click on the link below to send a message to Waitrose’s managing director and help save the Arctic before it’s too late.

Together, we can start to make a real difference to the world around us if we all pull together.

> > Click here to sign petition

If you would like to learn more about the groundbreaking work that Greenpeace do around the world, or would like to provide funds to help their cause, check out our dedicated charity page for more information.

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Pop sensation and Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon recently travelled to Romania in support of the WSPA Big Bear Rescue appeal. Whilst in the country she helped to rescue two European brown bears from the Onesti Zoo, which closed four years ago due to their inability to meet European Union standards.

Now, the animals that have been left there are living in cramped conditions, as their health slowly deteriorates. Thankfully the WSPA and their local partners, Millions of Friends Association (MFA), were on hand to rescue the bears with Alesha’s help and take them to the WSPA funded bear sanctuary in Zarnesti.

Alesha Dixon in Romania to support of the WSPA Big Bear Rescue appeal

Alesha helped to coax the nervous bears into the transport cage to take them to their new home using fruit and honey . The sanctuary in Zarnesti is one of the largest in Europe and is the perfect place to nurse these beautiful creatures back to health. Due to the terrible ordeal they have suffered, they will never be able to return to the the wild. Thankfully they will be well catered for in their new home, and will be able to live in a quiet environment, without the cruelty of neglect that they have suffered.

Alesha said -

I was absolutely horrified by the conditions at Onesti Zoo. I’ll never forget the sight of the bears mournfully pacing around their cramped cage. You could tell they’d suffered truly miserable lives; it was heart breaking that they’d never had the chance to move freely, climb a tree or even hibernate. It fills me with hope for the future that groups like WSPA and MFA are working to end this cruel practice. I hope the public give generously to WSPA’s Big Bear Rescue Christmas appeal: I can’t think of a more special gift than to give bears like these the gift of freedom at the sanctuary.

Here’s hoping that WSPA and their partners can help to put an end to the illegal captivity of these poor bears across Europe, and offer them the chance of a new life without cruelty. You can help put an end to bear cruelty by supporting the WSPA and becoming an ‘Animal Protector’. Check out our dedicated page for this amazing charity, and how you can help to make a difference to the lives of animals all over the world.

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The National Trust has agreed to run an amazing new farming scholarship in Wales, which will see a number of young people given the opportunity to run a £1million site for a year. Every year a young agriculturalist will be given the keys to the Llyndy Isaf farm, which is based on the shores of Llyn Dinas near Beddgelert, to live and manage for 12 months to handle all the day to day decisions and tasks on site.

The 600 acre farm in Snowdonia was saved by a £1 million fundraising appeal by the National Trust, which was supported by Welsh Hollywood actor Matthew Rhys and supported by Catherine Zeta Jones. The farm will now be used to encourage the next generation of welsh farmers to hone their skills at this amazing site for 12 months and learn everything there is to know about the workings of this type of business.

The farm area itself is home to many threatened wildlife species, like kingfishers and otters, and is rated as the best place in Wales to see an amazing array of woodland birds. The farm will now be looked after by the National Trust in partnership with the Wales Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.

General Manager for Snowdonia and Llyn, Trystan Edwards, said -

This is a fantastic opportunity for a young farmer to be allowed to run a farm. With the Trust’s team behind them to offer guidance and support the scholarship winner will have 12 months to make all the day-to-day decisions to successfully manage this iconic upland farm. This initiative will ensure that the successful candidate can build their confidence and develop their skills in stock management, business, and practical management through formal and informal training as well as work experience. Llyndy Isaf is the perfect place to learn about conservation farming and to highlight the many ways upland farmers can work with the many thousands who come to Wales to discover and enjoy the landscape.

More than 20,000 people donated to save this site, raising the £1 million needed in a staggering 8 months! It just goes to show how important a site the Llyndy Isaf farm is, not only for the people, but also for the amazing wildlife that call this area home. Good luck to all the young farmers who will get a chance to run this amazing site and the chance to take on board the day to day lessons of running such a prestigious farm.

If you would like to learn more about the amazing work of the National Trust, or would like to purchase a membership card to visit their UK wide sites, check out our dedicated charity page for more information.

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Today, 34 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day takes place on the 1^st December 2012, bringing people together from around the world to raise awareness of the pandemic and encourage progress in prevention, treatment and care. Concern Worldwide are specialists in tackling hunger in the world’s poorest countries. As part of this work, it is vital that we simultaneously address life-threatening diseases like HIV/AIDS.

In 2011, Concern’s HIV and AIDS programmes had a positive impact on the lives of over 250,000 people directly and almost 1.2 million indirectly. We have three main approaches for our programme:

• Raising awareness to prevent the spread of HIV and supporting people living with HIV or AIDS, and educating community members and healthcare staff.
• Increasing access to effective care and treatment for people living with HIV or AIDS.
• Improving outcomes for people directly affected by HIV or AIDS by ensuring that they have adequate food and income.

Sauda’s Story:

Sauda Ntakiteye, 45, lives in Nyankwi village, West Tanzania. Nine years ago she was diagnosed with HIV, and just a few years ago, Sauda was close to dying – she was missing nutritious food to support the medicine she was taking.

Thanks to Concern Tanzania’s Integrated Livelihoods Programme, Sauda was trained on how to grow vegetables. Since then Sauda has been working hard on her farm and is food secure, as well as making income from selling the surplus of her vegetables and crops.

Instantly I started to feel better, and my medicine worked. I grew strong and within a short period I was able to start farming again. I live more comfortably now and I am no longer hungry.

An important part of the support and care that individuals living with HIV/AIDS need are simple items, which help to protect their health and livelihoods.

How you can help:

• £41 pays for a HIV Test and Counselling bringing confidential HIV testing, counselling and treatment to someone needing the chance to talk and get help.
• £48 pays for Farmer Field School which trains up to 25 farmers in simple techniques that can stop soil erosion, harvest rainwater, improve crop yields – and grow more food for their families.

If you would like to learn more about the amazing work of Concern Worldwide or would like to choosing from their range of special gifts, you can check out our dedicated charity page and become part of the solution.

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The NSPCC has a magical way for you to surprise someone this Christmas with a personalised Letter from Santa. Each of these amazing charity gift donations allow you to make each letter totally unique, by adding the chosen recipients name, age, address and gender. You can even add a best friend’s name too!

There’s three different age categories to suit different reading abilities, and there’s even a special letter available for a newborn; a perfect memento to save for a babies first Christmas with their family. Plus if you wanted to send separate letters to more than one child in the same home, you can do that too as long as you order at the same time.

Each letter is beautifully illustrated and will arrive through ‘Rudolph Mail’, the perfect way to add a bit of extra Christmas pizazz on this amazing festive treat. Prices start for just a small £5 donation, with the money you are donating going a long way to not only help stop child cruelty, but also provide 24 hour helplines and support. The NSPCC work tirelessly to help those children who need it the most, and thanks to your kind gift, they will be able to help more people this Christmas.

For some children, Christmas can be the most difficult time of the year. But with your help the NSPCC will be working throughout the festive period to answer as many phone calls as possible from those that are in distress and need someone to talk too. Last year alone, the NSPCC received 50,000 contacts to ChildLine. That’s almost a 20% increase on the year before. Thanks to your support, the NSPCC will be there for many more vulnerable children this Christmas.

As an added bonus, each letter that’s purchased will be put into a prize draw for a once in a lifetime trip to Lapland to see where Santa and his Reindeer are actually from. All orders need to be in by 18th December 2012, with the winner being announced on 7th January 2013. Even more reason to make someone’s Christmas this year by purchasing an amazing Letter from Santa with the NSPCC.

For more information on how the Letter from Santa works, check out our dedicated charity page to find out more about how you can help the NSPCC stop child cruelty and help those that need it the most.

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The National Trust last month made an amazing effort to save the Great British Pudding, as they back the Government’s call to cut the ‘dessert deficit’. Environment Secretary Owen Paterson urged the British public to choosing traditional British recipes like Spotted Dick and Apple Pie that use home produced diary, over over foreign imports like Creme Brulee and Panna Cotta that use imported diary products.

Get patriotic with your pudding people!

To help support the Great British Pudding, the National Trust offered free desserts thought October 2012 with every lunchtime meal purchased in its cafes and restaurants across the UK. All their puddings were made from local seasonal ingredients to remind everyone just how good we can make a desert, we’re famous through out the world for our pies and crumbles.

Clive Goudercourt, Development Chef for the National Trust, said -

We pride ourselves on baking our own food using the best of British ingredients, many grown on National Trust estates and farms. We hoped our delicious, home-cooked puddings inspired people to choose traditional recipes and celebrate Britain’s best food across the seasons. British, seasonal food is tastier, fresher and more nutritious. It is better value, better for the environment and better for your wallet.

This great offer was available in over 100 locations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It’s great to see charities like the National Trust backing this scheme last month to help Save the British Pudding from extinction. Here’s hoping those lucky people who received a free pudding told their friends to
help cut the  huge dessert deficit in this country and stick by the locally produced apple crumbles, treacle tarts and spotted dick.

If you would like to learn more about the great work of the National Trust, or would like to order a membership for free entry into their sites, check out our dedicated charity page for mow information. Let’s keep Britain great people!

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