A popular wildlife park is appealing to the public for donations after it’s been left “fighting for survival” amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Lake District Wildlife Park, in Bassenthwaite, Keswick, is home to hundreds of endangered and commonly-kept animal residents – from lemurs and red pandas, to zebras and even birds of prey – attracts some 50,000 visitors each year under normal circumstances, and ultimately aims to help to conserve species for future generations.
But due to the unprecedented circumstances over the last 11 months, with the country placed under several national lockdowns and ongoing restrictions, the award-winning Cumbrian zoo has been forced to shut the gates of its park to the public.
This has meant that a vital revenue stream for the park has been “eliminated”.
Unlike many other businesses and sectors across the UK too, the nearly 30-year-old zoo has not been able to furlough all of its staff due to “the enormous amount of care the animals need on a daily basis”.
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And while the team of keepers have continued to work hard to ensure that the animals receive the highest level of care, support and comfort, the park has still been left to cover the cost of the feeding, ongoing veterinary requirements, heating, cleaning and maintenance, which can often end up running into thousands of pounds each week.
The absence of visitors has therefore resulted in a sudden loss of income over the past year, which has placed the park’s animals, resources and team under “extreme duress”.
The park has launched an online Crowfunding campaign to appeal for donations from generous members of the public to help cover some of the aforementioned costs, contribute to several major projects in the future, and primarily put it in the best position to continue fighting the the animals in its care.
A target of £10,000 has been set, with over 300 donations already helping hit £7,500 and counting.
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But the park has stressed that even if you are not in a position to financially contribute, just showing your support and “knowing that you’re there” is equally as important and valued.
Richard Robinson – Park Manager at Lake District Wildlife Park – said: “Now more than ever, we need to support the welfare of our animals to prevent further devastation from the pandemic.
“The smallest donations add up to make a real difference for the park,
“So we’re kindly asking the public to help our where they can and help our beautiful species survive these worrying times.”
You can find more information and make any donations via the Crowdfunder here.
And you can also keep up to date with all of the daily antics at the park, as well as discover the vital work being done to conserve endangered animal species on the Lake District Wildlife Park website, and social platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Michael Carrick brands Lisandro Martinez’s red card as ‘one of the worst’ decisions he’s ever seen
Danny Jones
Michael Carrick has dubbed the red card shown to Lisando Martinez on Monday night “one of the worst I’ve seen”.
In case you missed it, Martinez’s sending off proved to be the decisive moment in Manchester United’s sour defeat to old rivals Leeds.
Despite pulling one back through another Bruno Fernandes assist and another Casemiro header from a set-piece, Man United went on to lose 2-1 in what was Leeds’ first win at Old Trafford since 1981.
A night to remember for the Whites and one that Reds, equally and ironically, won’t soon forget either, with the Argentinian being dismissed for what the referees deemed ‘violent conduct’. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the incident in question:
While there is a noticeable grabbing of the hair, Carrick and many others are understandably questioning the perceived ‘force’ that influenced Paul Tierney’s final ruling.
Put simply, many have put it down to whether or not it’s a hair pull/grab and how much of a tug the opponent felt.
Yorkshire-born striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin said in an interview after the whistle: “I don’t make the rules. I told the referee that my hair was pulled.”
Clearly, Carrick is far from the only one who thinks it was a “shocking” call from the officials, either.
Several pundits argued that it was “harsh” to send off ‘Licha’, with even old foes like former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher stating live on Sky Sports’ MNF analysis of the game: “I think everybody in the game is looking at that and thinking, ‘Oh, come on. That is not a red card. Behave yourself!
As the current interim Man United boss – on whom it remains to be seen whether or not he will get the job full-time – he was left visibly frustrated in his own post-match pressers, highlighting that there were other moments in the game that the referees missed or simply overlooked.
The Stretford finally saw their interim head coach make his emotions plain to see.
Fans online have cited other recent examples, such as Man City’s Antoine Semenyo having his hair pulled against Fulham just a couple of months ago, which went unpunished, as well as David Brooks getting away with only a booking for something similar on Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella back in January.
The general consensus in the stands on the night at Old Trafford, on social media in the aftermath, and indeed throughout the Premier League, is that supporters simply want more consistency when it comes to stuff like this.
Rule books change and get more complicated all the time; that’s just football, but if that is the way it will continue going, arbitrators like the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) have to uphold their own standards.
Now slapped with a three-match ban, Martinez had only just returned to the fold but will now be missing once again. Another absentee whose presence was clearly missed on the night was midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, though United fans will at least be relieved to hear his injury is nothing serious.
And that’s not the only positive update regarding the homegrown young star, either…
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
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Morrissey claims sole credit for The Smiths’ iconic Salford Lads’ Club photo shoot idea
Danny Jones
Morrissey is once again raising the issue of credit and disputes over The Smiths’ legacy, as the controversial former frontman has now claimed that their iconic photo shoot outside of Salford Lads’ Club was entirely his idea.
The 66-year-old lead singer turned solo star from Urmston is no stranger to sparking debates and attracting controversy, and it seems his latest is to do with one of the most iconic images in British music history, let alone just Greater Manchester.
The Davyhulme-born bard and divisive artist goes on to claim that the other co-founding members of the iconic Manc band initially viewed as more of his “lunacy” – the suggestion seemingly being (as it often is with Morrissey) that they simply didn’t understand the ‘genius’ at the time.
Many of his most die-hard fans still believe that most don’t and never will.
He even jokes that, in another life, it could very well have been something entirely different and random, such as the Kellogg’s factory in Trafford, basically suggesting that other members would have simply followed suit.
In his words, he argues that “now millions of people come from all over the world to be photographed on that very spot, it is claimed as a Smiths idea. It wasn’t, it isn’t, and it never shall be.”
Once again, this is by no means the first time he’s called into question, ‘who did what’ and/or who owns what bit of intellectual property; in fact, there was apparently another one of these instances with Johnny Marr only recently.
‘Moz’ and Marr have been at loggerheads pretty much ever since the group disbanded back in 1987, and still look to be far away from seeing eye to eye on virtually anything.
Emily Sergeant -
18th February 2021 
