20 October 2011

My Wild Life heads for the Capital….

Froglife's My Wild Life project will be holding its first reminiscence session in London on Tuesday 25th October at Foots Cray Meadows in Bexley. Project Officer Jodie Coomber explains more...
One of the pic nic baskets to prompt wildlife memories
We'll be travelling down to London with pic-nic baskets full of books, model animals and other goodies to prompt happy memories of climbing trees and looking for tapoles.  This will be part of an event hosted by the Friends of Foots Cray Meadows. It’s a lovely way to kick-start My Wild Life in London as Froglife’s Living Water scheme is responsible for the fantastic new ponds on the Meadows and we’ve enjoyed working there in the past.

We hope that families who come along will share their stories of growing up and interacting with nature in different ways, and plan to film some interviews for our growing archive.  It will be interesting to find out how stories from London compare with the ones we’ve heard so far in Peterborough.

There will also be tree planting sessions, so this event offers an exciting half-term opportunity for families to come along and share their experiences whilst learning about the opportunities provided by Foots Cray Meadows as a wildlife habitat and public open space.

The event will be held in the Information Centre between 11.30am and 1.30pm so if you’re nearby please come along and join in the fun.

You can help support Froglife's work engaging people of all ages in looking after the natural world by becoming a Froglife Friend from just £1.50 a month.  Click here to find out more.



Photo: Jodie Coomber

19 October 2011

Free Froglife Desktops from Paper Rhino

Thanks to some free help from a local design company, Froglife now has a bright, amphibian themed desktop wallpaper available to download from our website!

The colourful new Froglife desktop wallpaper
Froglife was delighted to win a competition for some free design time from graphic company Paper Rhino. The Peterborough-based company sent out a call for creative briefs, and the wildlife charity’s idea for a handy reminder of amphibian appearance was one of the winners.

“We picked Froglife, amongst others, for our charities offer as we feel they do invaluable work for much needed conservation of native amphibians and reptiles,” said Jay from Paper Rhino. “Supporting them seemed only logical. Working with them was great fun too as we had full artistic license to do what we felt necessary to convey their message. A real treat of a job!”

The result is a colourful and funky computer wallpaper to help remind people of some frog and toad identification skills. The wallpaper is available in different formats to suit different computers and devices.
Love frogs and toads?  You can help Froglife help them with a donation, or by becoming a Froglife Friend.  You can find out more about the difference you can make to Froglife here.

17 October 2011

Fundraising Frenzy: The Results are In

There’s been a recent flurry of fundraising challenges here at Froglife, and its time to hear how our fundraising champions got on!
Froglife cycler Eilidh

Froglifer Eilidh Spence took part in the Tour de Ben Nevis – a gruelling 72km cycle race circumnavigating the base of the UK’s biggest mountain:

“The first section of the route was a long, very steep hill to the west of Ben Nevis,” explains Eilidh. “The terrain was really challenging and the sides of the slope were littered with people fixing punctured tyres! My team mate had the first mechanical mishap of the day - his chain snapped. We struggled on, but after more mechanical problems and the time taken to carry out repairs, we were told we couldn’t complete the course as it was too dark. We had just 10 miles of the route to go! I’m so disappointed that we did not get to finish the full tour but I really enjoyed the challenges along the way.”

Froglifers Laura Brady and Liam Atherton took party in the Great Eastern Run- the half marathon highlight of the running calendar in the East:

One of the half marathoners: Froglifer Liam
“It was seriously tough!" explains Liam. “You wouldn’t believe how long the miles feel as the race wears on. But with locals on every street corner, some dishing out refreshments, you really get a feel for the amazing community spirit around Peterborough. We finished and just about managed to walk away afterwards!”

Meanwhile, Froglife Friends Angela Wormald, Diane Barker and Georgina Ferguson were tackling the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London with great success. We’re really proud of the whole team for taking on these personal challenges.

All the money raised will help ensure Froglife can continue our valuable work improving habitats, protecting animals and inspiring people to be part of our conservation mission.

Sponsorship is still ongoing, and we have raised £1675 to date. Please help us reach our target of £2000 by sponsoring one of the Champions below.

Thank you for all your support!

Tour de Ben Nevis: £453 so far (£557.50 inc. Gift Aid)

Laura and Liam’s Great Eastern Run: £230 so far (£281.25 inc. Gift Aid)

Angela’s Half Marathon: £433 (£496.25 inc. Gift Aid)

Diane’s Half Marathon: £140 (£175 inc. Gift Aid)

Georgina’s Half Marathon: £160 (£192.50 inc. Gift Aid)