A lot has been written about the benefits of gardening but what happens for people who have disabilities, ill health or who are disadvantaged, vulnerable or isolated?
Well, there’s an amazing charity called Thrive. They use gardening to bring about positive changes through social and therapeutic horticulture.
They help people work with plants to improve their physical and psychological health, as well as communication and thinking skills.
Gardens are very restful places to be in terms of the peace and quiet they offer people seeking recovery.
It follows the work of big cat expert Giles Clark.
He's working to turn a The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent into a centre of excellence for conservation. There are 50 big cats there, many of whom have been rescued - some from circuses. Others belong to an international breeding programme to act as an insurance policy against extinction.
Giles takes in a tiny jaguar cub tonight called Maya - she wasn't thriving with her mother.
Crucially, the programme doesn't shy away from important conservation issues. In the last 100 years, some big cat species have declined by over 90% and many experts think some big cats could disappear completely in the next decade.
There's a very inspiring story on the BBC website this morning which comes from the Canadian city of Toronto.
The good people of Toronto have been working hard to make their buildings safer for birds. The city sits on a major route for migratory birds - and many of those birds are flying into buildings and a good number of them are killed doing so. They get confused by the glass and its reflections.
So they city has come up with five ways in which to make the windows safer for birds. Since 2010, developers have had to meet bird safety standards.
Have less glass in new buildings (which also helps insulate the buildings better)
Put markings on the glass so that birds can see it
Recess windows to stop reflections
Use shutters or sun-shades to hide glass
Switch off lights so that birds aren't drawn to them
Some older buildings have been made more bird safe as well. In one case, 100 birds had been found to have died at a building. Markers were put up to show the glass to the birds and since then, just 1 or 2 a year have been found, so it has made a difference.
The more birds who make it to the northern forests to breed, the better for birdlife and for all of us.
TrustedHousesitters is a house and pet sitting website, connecting home and pet owners with trustworthy, verified sitters who care for pets for free in exchange for accommodation. The way it works is that sitters offer their help for free in exchange for a free retreat worldwide, so saving accommodation costs for them and pet care costs for homeowners. It's got homeowners registered in over 150 countries so it's fairly extensive
Trustedhousesitters have come up with 10 reasons why a pet is better than a date on Valentine's night...
1. A pet won’t stand you up 2. A pet won’t order the lobster 3. A pet is not embarrassed by a Public Display of Affection 4. A pet won’t grumble about the film you choose on Netflix 5. A pet won’t veto your romantic songs playlist 6. A pet won’t text its ex on your special evening 7. A pet won’t moan you scrimped on champagne 8. You can bet you’ll get more likes for your Valentine’s pet-date selfie than the human equivalent 9. With a pet, it’s always clear who’s paying 10. A pet will suspend all judgement because they just want to be with you
And with Valentine's Day on the way, TrustedHousesitters has come up with a new way to match animal lovers with pets who need their care and create the right match!
It's called #FurryValentine. Users complete a free, short questionnaire so that TrustedHousesitters can understand what personality type you are. The site’s algorithms use the data to propose pet sits across 130 countries, matching your lifestyle, interests and animal experience
It was a wonderful thing to do and I loved it. The cats were appreciative, so were the staff. Yes, there were times when I came away and shed a tear; but I used to tell myself that the cats needed practical help, not my tears. Tears don't change anything, I'd say to myself; practical help will.
There are many different ways you can get involved and make a difference to cats and kittens all over the UK.
Cats Protection is the UK's largest cat charity. They help about 200,000 cats and kittens every year, thanks in part to a network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 32 adoption centres. And there are also charity shops, too. There are about 10,000 volunteers across the UK - that's a lot of cat lovers!
Volunteering is a great way to make new friends who also care about cats...
Cat care and welfare - hands-on roles with cats Committee members - leading and managing roles Education - inspire & educate Fundraising - raise money for cats General admin and support Publicity & Communication - spread the word for cats Retail - a role in a charity shop Volunteer management
So there's lots to do!
If you're looking to do volunteering for your Duke of Edinburgh Award, click here
There are 32 branches of Butterfly Conservation across the UK, each one managed by a committee of volunteers. Help your local branch, and you could find yourself leading butterfly walks, and moth events and conservation days, or getting involved with publicity, fundraising, or recruiting members. Click here to find your local branch.
Or you could get involved in work parties, helping to bash scrub, plant trees or re-build stone walls, usually on the charity's nature reserves. Essentially, you're doing vital work to restore or maintain butterfly and moth habitats.
And there are four offices who need help with tasks such as database input, making up reports, cataloguing of materials, preparing mailings, and photocopying.
The Society believes too much is being taken out and too much is being put into our seas. Everyone involved in the Marine Conservation Society is passionate about creating a sustainable future for our seas.
Since 2000, The People's Trust for Endangered Species estimate that we've lost 1 in 3 of the hedgehog population.
We had quite a surprise recently when our dog brought us a hedgehog late one evening. We put him into a box, with a towel and some water, and put him into a darkened quiet room away from everything. The following morning, we called the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for advice. They were very helpful, and later that night we released our hedgehog into the garden. Two days later, he - or she - had a hedgehog house!
So I was very pleased when I heard from Clive Harris, a fellow hedgehog lover. Clive writes a gardening blog and he is passionate about hedgehogs.
Clive has written the Ultimate Guide to Hedgehogs. It's a mine of information - do take a look. There's information on where hedgehogs live, what they eat, whether they have any predators, whether they hibernate and how they help the garden. Also there's information on how you can help them, when to rescue them - and even how to pick a hedgehog up!
Click on the hedgehog below to go to the Ultimate Guide to Hedgehogs.
Chris Packham and a group of experts from London's Natural History Museum scrutinise the wildlife in gardens on a surburban street in Welwyn Garden City. They do this for one year.
Switch on to BBC Four to watch this 90 minute special. It shows a world full of wildlife with snails, worms, foxes, woodlice and frogs. It asks questions such as "are lawns any good for wildlife?" (The wild garden lawn has 3 times as much insects - even letting our lawns grow a few inches helps.)
So to help wildlife, stop mowing all your grass and let some grow long.
On reading my Cats Protection members' magazine last night (which is a great read, by the way, with lots of news and information about cats), I came across an appeal which I thought I'd pass on....
Cats Protection are looking for people to be volunteer cat fosterers.
Fostering, they point out, is a great way to help homeless cats and kittens. If you can't have a cat long term, you can have one in the short term. Fosterers take cats or kittens into their homes on a temporary basis. They look after their every need until a new home can be found.
Fosterers with Cats Protection are linked to a local adoption centre or volunteer-run branch, so you'll be working with other cat enthusiasts to help the cats in your area and you'll need to be comfortable working with a team of people. Therte's training and support for anyone wanting to become a fosterer - you can see a demo of the induction here
Trouble having a think about what to type next....or, more likely, wondering what's for dinner...
There are adoption centres and volunteer-run branches all over the country. Being a fosterer is a great way to do something practical for cats and help them, without owning a cat long term. I volunteered for Cats Protection and it's a wonderful charity.
