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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Greater Manchester shoppers can take part in a real-life supermarket sweep competition
Emily Sergeant
Aldi is giving Greater Manchester shoppers the chance to take part in a real-life supermarket sweep for charity.
Building on the success of Aldi Scotland’s long-running initiative – which has raised more than £60,000 for charity over the past decade – Aldi is bringing its successful ‘Supermarket Sweep’ fundraiser to England and Wales for the first time, and shoppers from across Greater Manchester will have the chance to take part for a brilliant cause.
10 winners will be selected to take part in the challenge at their local Aldi store, racing against the clock to fill their trolley with Aldi products in just five minutes.
Once the dash is complete, Aldi will donate the full value of each winning trolley to Teenage Cancer Trust, helping to support young people with cancer across the UK.
Unfamiliar with Supermarket Sweep the TV show? This is how it works.
Shoppers can take part in a real-life supermarket sweep competition / Credit: Aldi
The game consists of three teams of two, each with a clock that starts with 60 seconds on it. The teams then attempt to add as much time as possible to their clock by answering questions and riddles posed by the host. The time they accumulate determines how long they have in the ‘Big Sweep’ round to run around a studio mock-up of a supermarket, collecting shopping items.
The team with the shopping trolley filled with items of the most value wins the chance to enter the final ‘Super Sweep’ prize round.
Speaking as entries to the unique competition open this week, Julie Ashfield, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: “Our customers are always incredibly supportive of the causes we champion, and we’re pleased to be bringing this much-loved fundraising initiative to England and Wales for the first time.
“We can’t wait to give shoppers the opportunity to put their trolley-dashing skills to the test, while helping to raise vital funds for Teenage Cancer Trust. Every pound raised will help the charity continue providing specialist care and support to young people with cancer when they need it most.”
The competition is now open, with entries closing at 23:59 on Tuesday 4 August.
To enter, you’ll simply need to email [email protected] with your details for the chance to win, and you can find all the terms and conditions here.
Featured Image – Aldi
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England given potential advantage against Norway after reports of illness in World Cup camp
Danny Jones
England may have just been given a potential advantage ahead of the 2026 World Cup quarter-final against Norway, as it’s said that multiple players have been feeling sick of late.
Now, we’d never wish illness upon anyone… BUT, you certainly won’t hear us complaining about this one.
Yes, according to head coach Ståle Solbakken, some of his teammates haven’t been at their best over the last few days, but he has assured supporters that everyone is recovering well.
Speaking to the media before the upcoming clash, the manager said: “We’ve really only had Jorgen [Strand Larsen of Crystal Palace] who has had a fever, but then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping scattered throughout [the national squad].”
He’s also admitted the Three Lions will be a tough challenge.
However, the initially reported ‘sickness bug’ is now being played down, with Solbakken noting that with his wider travelling camp having to contend with temperatures, altitude, air conditioning, flights, “changing rooms and all that […] it would be strange if something or other didn’t crop up.”
So, while it may have been exaggerated to a degree, they’ve certainly not been 100%.
The Scandinavian outfit are based at a training complex in Greensboro, North Carolina for this year’s World Cup – their first in nearly three decades – and have had to fly all across the United States for their matches in Boston, New York and Dallas thus far.
Once again, though, even the team doctor has told Norwegian press that the claims have been blown out of proportion, citing “very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks”, and insisting that “all players are healthy now”.
Even James Corden was quizzing the opposition on the claims ahead of the fixture:
When asked about the truth in the headlines by domestic news outlet Nettavisen, he even went on to add: “So great that they believe this. We are in control.”
So perhaps there is a bit of sensationalism and/or gamesmanship at work, but that won’t stop us from hoping for a second that there’s even a shred of weakness to be capitalised on.
It remains to be seen just what condition both teams are in after the respective round of 16 thrillers – especially Thomas Tuchel’s side, who had to do it the hard way with 10 men against Mexico in that exhausting first knockout tie – but we’ll take whatever glimmer of hope we can that luck is on our side.
And regardless, it’s given England fans online plenty of material to have some fun with ahead of what is no doubt set to be another very long and stressful night this weekend.
Emily Sergeant -
18th February 2021 
