The UK Wild Otter Trust

I have been invited to become a Patron of the UK Wild Otter Trust - a huge honour.

The trust was set up to help raise awareness of British otters by providing talks at clubs and schools. It exists to help ongoing otter projects and groups that encourage otters in the wild. The trust is run by a really active team. You can read about them here.

The trust works hard to protect the habitat of the otter and is currently monitoring otter populations in North Devon. It work with anglers, fishery owners and organisations throughout the UK to ensure otter predation and behaviour is well understood. This has been well received and is vital to the conservation of this native species. To read more about the aims of the trust please click here.

 What can I do to support the Trust?

There are all sorts of things you can do. Click here for the UK Wild Otter Trust website and see how you can help secure the future of this special creature, which is still under threat. It would be hugely helpful if you simply told others about the trust and pointed them to the website.

If you would like to make a donation to the Trust, please click here.

Otters and other things at Lee Valley

Our tame otters currently are at Hackeny Marshes in the Lee Valley in North London. They are taking part in Countryside Live, an event that introduces inner city children to rural life.

I tell the children that the otter's favorite food is the eel. In catching these they help protect fish stocks. Did you know this? Eel are notorious for feasting on fish fry. Old Father Thames, who is depicted here with eels peeping out of his beard has been brought up to the River Lee by the Worshipful Company of Drapers. He sits on the stern of the Drapers' Barge, the Royal Thamesis, which you might have seen taking part in the Royal Jubilee Pageant last year when she was number three in the procession.  

On Thursday 26th and Friday 27th September the crew of the Drapers' Barge will be at Lee Valley, teaching primary school children how to row. In past years we found that it was the first time that most of them had ever been in a boat. We were able to tell the enthusiastic that there are opportunities to join the Sea Scouts or canoe clubs on the River Lee.

I always enjoy meeting the bat men who exhibit at Countryside Live. They literally introduce you to different species of bats. The fascinating pigeon fanciers explain how vital homing pigeons were during WWI, there are falconry displays, ferret racing and gigantic heavy horses.

However it is the sheep who captivate large audiences. Here you can see Belinda being introduced to her admiring public.

What struck me most about Countryside Live is that money is not involved. There is nothing to buy. No one asks for cash - and yet there is so much to do and see. The children leave laden with corn dollies they have made or useful things they have constructed out of withies.

At the end of the day the Drapers have a tradition of rowing pensioners form the Tottenham Almshouses up the river. Some have been known to take an oar themselves although these ladies were happy to be taken for a ride.

To learn about the work of Countryside Live, please click here

For information about events at Lee Valley please click here

Countryside Live run a silent art auction - do have a look at the auction held in July 2013 by clicking here

Red Nose Day in London ~

Arriving at Waterloo Station on Red Nose Day

Sophie at St Paul's

Buttoned up smartly with the Beadles of the City of London

With Richard Chartres, Bishop of London and Lady Victoria Leatham, Master of the Drapers Company

And a red nose for the train driver

For links to our HIV/AIDS charity in Africa supported by Comic Relief please click here 

What are you doing for Comic Relief?

It must have been the coldest night of the year - so cold I had to wear a polo-neck jersey under Stella McCartney's Comic Relief T-shirt, but about seventy of us gathered at the River Severn Motor Yacht Club at Worcester.

I managed to get the microphone working and gave an illustrated talk on 'The Secrets of filming Swallows & Amazons in 1973' ~ something described in a section of 'Funnily Enough'.

For details on future talks click here:

We raised £168 and had a lot of fun - as well as a very good meal at the yacht club.

Funnily Enough on Premier Christian Radio ~

I really enjoyed being at Premier Christian Radio in London 

where Maria Toth invited me on her morning show 'Woman to Woman'.

You can listen to the programme on this link
only certain browsers will get you there,
You will need to use Internet Explorer or the latest versions of Chrome of Firefox 

A life transformed ~

This is the inspirational story of July Letsebe, 'Stepping Forward' Programme Director at the Waterberg Welfare Society, a charity that addresses the pandemic HIV/AIDS in a corner of rural South Africa.

Please visit my charity page for detailed information and links.