<![CDATA[Pressat Main Newswire]]> https://pressat.co.uk/rss/ <![CDATA[Pressat Main Newswire]]> https://pressat.co.uk/media/site/logo.png https://pressat.co.uk/rss/ en-gb Copyright: (C) Pressat Pressat <![CDATA[ It’s time to step up to the plate -The World’s Simplest Solution to Save the Planet ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/its-time-to-step-up-to-the-plate-the-worlds-simplest-solution-to-save-the-planet-786186cc7d8df76655065ee232ac94dc/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/its-time-to-step-up-to-the-plate-the-worlds-simplest-solution-to-save-the-planet-786186cc7d8df76655065ee232ac94dc/ Wednesday 1 September, 2021

We’ve been led to believe that climate change is the inevitable consequence of environmental destruction due to the industrial revolution and our addiction to fossil fuels. But anthropogenic climate change goes back millennia, beginning with the agricultural revolution. It turns out it’s what we’ve been eating that’s the real problem. For instance, the once lush and fertile regions of the cradle of civilisation became desert long before fossil fuels were being used, as Glen Merzer points out in his new book, Food Is Climate.


“The ancient civilizations that lived in the region clearly didn’t destroy their environment with gas-guzzling cars, plastics, or coal-fired energy plants. But they did have goats. All of these deserts were likely created in part by agriculture, and particularly by grazing. When goats eat plants that shade the soil, then the exposed soil is vulnerable to drying out in the sun. The soil, no longer held in place by roots, blows in the wind. The valuable top level of soil—the humus that itself holds vast quantities of carbon—becomes degraded and eventually destroyed. And without that fertile top layer, new vegetation fails to take root. With less vegetation, there is less rain. And the desert spreads.”


Excerpt from Food Is Climate by Glen Merzer


It’s clear to everyone who thinks, feels, and cares that we need a solution, fast. This book not only provides food for thought, it offers the simplest, most practical, empowering solution we can all practice: changing what we eat. Indeed, when we change what we eat and restore grazing land to forest, this alone can reverse climate change. Yet changing what we eat also addresses biodiversity loss, helps clean up chemical pollution, restores the planetary water cycle and, in short, allows the planet to heal itself. Indeed, there’s almost nothing that doesn’t improve when we change what we eat—including many of our own health problems.


"Climate change is real, it’s here now, it’s getting worse very fast, and the consequences if we don’t fully address it are certain to be utterly catastrophic. There are in fact steps we could take that would defeat climate change and save our world, and Glen makes it clear exactly what they are. This book is an extraordinary antidote to the hopelessness that many of us feel. But more importantly, it may very well present us with the heretofore missing key to solving what is probably the greatest problem ever to confront humanity."


— John Robbins, best-selling author and President, Food Revolution Network


About Glen Merzer


Glen Merzer is a playwright, screenwriter, and author. Glen began his career in book-writing as co-author, with Howard Lyman, of Mad Cowboy (Scribner, 1998) and No More Bull! (Scribner, 2005). Glen is also co-author of The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss (2018) by Chef AJ; Unprocessed (2011) by Chef AJ; Food Over Medicine


(BenBella Books, 2013) with Pam Popper; Better Than Vegan (BenBella Books, 2013) by Chef Del Sroufe; and The Plant Advantage by Benji Kurtz. Alongside Eric Brent, Glen edited The HappyCow Cookbook (BenBella Books, 2014). In 2020, Glen wrote Own Your Health (The Book Publishing Company), to which Chef AJ contributed over





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01 Sep 2021 12:47:54 GMT Farming & Animals Food & Drink Lifestyle & Relationships
<![CDATA[ Gordon Banks - The Impossible Save ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/gordon-banks-the-impossible-save-5f33015bf0de3bb33a65bb56f5a275ec/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/gordon-banks-the-impossible-save-5f33015bf0de3bb33a65bb56f5a275ec/ Friday 12 January, 2018

Gordon Banks, arguably the world’s greatest ever goalkeeper, was eighty on 30th December. Inevitably what every commentator and journalist wanted to talk about, even more than the 1966 World Cup victory, was the world’s greatest ever save.

That ‘impossible’ save has taken on more significance as Gordon revealed his love of nature and his concern for what is happening to the planet we share. Gordon says, “Throughout my footballing career I have been fortunate enough in my lifetime to visit some of the most beautiful places on earth.I truly believe that we must unite to change attitudes and make the difference needed to save this beautiful world we live in. Sport and Art are consistent sources of inspiration to many, I believe sportsmen and women inspire people to achieve the impossible and artists open our eyes to see the beauty in so many things. Let us unite and fight to save this beautiful planet”.

In 2016, Gordon became a sport ambassador for NO MORE DODOS, a charity which uses Art, Sport and Lifestyle to raise awareness of the threats to endangered plants, animals, and their habitats. The charity commissioned a 1970’s pop art image of the save from artist Paul Windridge and the save has been adopted as an emblem and the metaphor which inspires their mission.

Says Geoff Francis co-founder of the charity, 'Gordon defied what appeared inevitable when he managed to make an impossible save from the greatest player in the world, Pele. Pele’s header had 'goal' written all over it. For many people the continued destruction of the planet is seen as inevitable. But that sort of thinking is not what the world needs.”

The commentators at the time, and for many years after, suggested that Gordon would not know how he did it. But that is not the case. He applied intelligence, understanding and experience as he set about preparing for the the prevailing conditions.

In Mexico the playing surfaces were baked hard. He saw how the ball was bouncing up high from the ground. And so it was on the day - as he dived he was able to anticipate how high the ball was going to bounce. He got a hand to it. The ball hit the top of his hand and looked as though it might still be heading into the top of the net. But as he hit the floor he saw that he had made the save.

For the sake of the planet and all the generations that will follow we have to take inspiration from the achievements of sporting heroes like Gordon, recognise the dedication and intelligence that brought them about and apply them in our own lives to the challenge. That challenge is to find the hero inside ourselves and to save this beautiful planet as Gordon asks us to.




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12 Jan 2018 12:24:34 GMT Charities & non-profits Children & Teenagers Environment & Nature Lifestyle & Relationships Men's Interest Sport
<![CDATA[ The Power of Art - Helping a blind woman "see" art she loves. ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/the-power-of-art-helping-a-blind-woman-see-art-she-loves-c7263defe2c8fcb0ccf5e60687567bf9/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/the-power-of-art-helping-a-blind-woman-see-art-she-loves-c7263defe2c8fcb0ccf5e60687567bf9/ Wednesday 25 October, 2017

An art-loving woman with restricted sight was overjoyed to use touch to finally ‘see’ a painting by a Saatchi-shortlisted Dorset artist at a conservation charity’s auction at the Cutty Sark in London.

Sandi Johnson, who had begun to lose her sight aged 12, no longer has central vision and her peripheral vision has also deteriorated. She told Artist Geoff Francis, who donated four pieces to the Sea Shepherd charity’s auction at their 40th Anniversary Gala event, that she loved art but could not see it without an extremely strong magnifying device and then only rarely, since most art was behind glass.

Geoff invited Sandi to run her hands across the canvas of his sculptural painting Hidden Deep. The painting was created as an environmental statement about the dark deeds of humanity, hidden in the oceans, about which Sea Shepherd inspiringly and bravely raise awareness. Sandi tearfully exclaimed, “I have never experienced art like this.”

Hidden Deep sold immediately at the auction. When the purchasers Vanessa and Nick Warwick learned of Sandi’s experience, they decided they wanted to give the painting to her. Sandi was shocked and speechless as tears trickled down her face. Over an hour later, she was still shaking.

Nick Warwick later told Sandi, "The painting was, as I learned, always yours, only you could appreciate it by feel as much as we did by sight - it would be wrong to have kept it, as much as we liked it. It makes us so happy that you have it in pride and place and we will never forget that.”

Sandi runs her hands over the contours of the painting every day. Her hands still shake with the experience. "I can’t really put into words how overwhelmed I was by [Nick and Vanessa’s] generous gift.”

Artist Geoff Francis, who is also a co-founder of the environmental charity No More Dodos, says that everyone who hears this story feels moved. “This really shows how the power of art can reach everyone. I have never heard a better justification of thirty years of my work as an artist than in Sandi’s words. This experience has inspired me to make my work even more accessible to those who necessarily rely on other senses and might sometimes be excluded from the transformations that art can bring.”

/END

Contacts

Geoff Francis For interviews and all press and other enquiries about this story please call Geoff Francis on 07581221462 or geoff@nomoredodos.org

Sea Shepherd

Heather StimmlerMedia Director, Sea Shepherd GlobalTel: +339 7719 7742Skype: hstimmlerwww.seashepherdglobal.org

About Geoff Francis and No More Dodos

Geoff Francis is the co founder of the charity No More Dodos which, uniquely, uses Art and Sport to inspire us to help save the planet.

The pieces donated to Sea Shepherd were 2 posters signed by Gordon Banks for No More Dodos, a shortlisted photograph of Geoff's which had been shown in The National Maritime museum and an original sculptural painting 'Hidden Deep.’ Like much of Geoff’s work, it was created using discarded and recycled paints in what he very much believes is his own unique sculptural style.

Geoff (along with his fellow Animus colleagues Hilly Beavan and Anthony Lawrence) has been a long term supporter of Sea Shepherd. In the early 80s, Geoff organised the first animal rights album 'Animal Tracks' with Country Joe McDonald. Animus created a record label to release this album and the single 'Blood on the Ice'. All revenue went to Sea Shepherd.About Sea Shepherd UK

Sea Shepherd UK is a registered marine conservation charity whose mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife around the UK's coastline and across the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.

Sea Shepherd UK uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities committed against marine wildlife and habitats. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately balanced oceanic ecosystems, Sea Shepherd UK works to ensure their survival for future generations.




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25 Oct 2017 15:50:52 GMT Charities & non-profits Entertainment & Arts Environment & Nature Health Home & Garden Lifestyle & Relationships Women & Beauty
<![CDATA[ Celebrity Connections at the ANIMA Event ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/celebrity-connections-at-the-anima-event-ddbf8dfc35f052e9513855f56f3184f2/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/celebrity-connections-at-the-anima-event-ddbf8dfc35f052e9513855f56f3184f2/ Monday 25 September, 2017

Celebrity Connections at the ANIMA EventThere is a wide and varied array of celebrities associated with the organisations which are exhibiting at the Anima event at Brockenhurst Village Community Centre in the New Forest on Saturday September 30th from 10 AM to 5 PM. (Just 10mins fast train from Southampton and Bournemouth stations.)

Some founders are celebrities in their own right. Jane Goodall uses her voice to advocate for the dignity and well-being of all living things, speaking out on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves as fellow inhabitants of this shared earth. She has been joined at times by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Pierce Brosnan and Chalize Theron.

Colin Firth has supported Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots programme for the last seven years. He is a strong advocate for environmental matters and sustainable practice which he employs in all aspects of his life and work.

Colin says “We live in turbulent times. Economic, political and environmental challenges are the order of the day. In a world with increasing social unrest and discontent, Roots & Shoots offers us a constructive way forward, by engaging and motivating our next generation towards creating a sustainable planet and a brighter future for our environment and all its inhabitants.” Born Free FoundationBorn Free was a 1966 British drama film starring Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Joy and George Adamson who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her into the wilderness of Kenya. Born Free, and its musical score by John Barry, won numerous awards.

In 1984 Pole Pole, an African Elephant that had starred in the film 'AN ELEPHANT CALLED SLOWLY' with Bill and Virginia died in London Zoo and gave rise to the whole debate on the ethics of keeping animals in zoos. Bill and Virginia established Zoo Check to amplify the voice of this debate. And the Zoocheck programme remains at the heart of Born Free Foundation’s work to prevent captive animal suffering and phase out zoos.This is why Born Free is supported by celebrities like Joanna Lumley, Martin Clunes, Bryan Adams, Rachel Hunter, Helen Worth, Jenny Seagrove, John Cleese, Amanda Holden and Peter Andre. Orangutan Appeal UK

Paul O'Grady became Patron of Orangutan Appeal UK following a visit to Sepilok recue centre in September 2015. Paul says “ Meeting the baby orangutans was heart-wrenching, I immediately fell in love with baby Archie which has inspired me to get involved. Compassion in World Farming Dead Zone

Desmond Tutu"I hope we will learn that we are related to animals and to nature, and if we destroy the balance we are ultimately going to suffer and pay the price."

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall"All over the world now, we’ve got booming populations with an increasing voracious appetite to eat meat. And it’s too much meat – for human health; for the welfare of farm animals; for our environment to sustain. We need a massive rethink." Animal Equality

Musician Moby says"There’s so much work for me to do. There’s so much work for you to do, but we’re winning and we’re going to win a lot sooner than we think we are." Artist and entrepreneur Kat Von D says"I believe it's our right to know what is really happening behind closed doors. And now, thanks to Animal Equality's investigations, we have the power to see, understand, and take action.”

Population Matters

Sir David Attenborough“The human population can no longer be allowed to grow in the same old uncontrolled way. If we do not take charge of our population size, then nature will do it for us and it is the poor people of the world who will suffermost.”

Susan Hampshire OBE“It’s been so obvious to me for so long that cramming ever more people onto our little planet does it ever more damage — I can not understand why so many people find this so hard to grasp, and why so many Governments ignore it.”

James Lovelock CH CBE FRS PhDOriginator of the Gaia Theory“Those who fail to see that population growth and climate change are two sides of the same coin are either ignorant or hiding from the truth. These two huge environmental problems are inseparable and to discuss one while ignoring the other is irrational.”

Chris PackhamNaturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author“There’s no point bleating about the future of pandas, polar bears and tigers when we’re not addressing the one single factor that’s putting more pressure on the ecosystem than any other — namely the ever-increasing size of the world’s population The Badger Trust

Speaking on behalf of the Badger Trust, Chris Packham also had candid words about what is happening to Badgers.

"And so the injustice goes on. The suffering, the cruelty, the waste. The lives of badgers, the time, the money, the cast quantities of our taxpayers money wasted because the government simply won't listen to the science, won't make an evidence based decision on this issue. History will remember this as a dark time in the management of the UK's countryside and its wildlife.And opposing it is getting tougher simply because its in danger of becoming 'normalised' and that just won't do. It's not normal, it's not justifiable, it's not right". Mike Dilger, Naturalist and TV presenter, says“I’m delighted to be involved with the Badger Trust’s ‘Give Badgers a Brake Campaign’ and would implore anyone who has an interest in Britain’s wonderfully diverse wildlife to get behind this wonderfully proactive initiative. It’s unfortunately true that the only badger most people will have seen is a dead one by the side of the road, but with the collective will and support of the Great British public we can turn around this depressing statistic” Sea Shepherd

Sea Shepherd's inspiration and bravery cannot fail to move so many to support their cause including The Architects,Pamela Anderson,Beau Bridges,Boston,Brigitte Bardot,Christian Bale,Curtis Stone,The Dalai Lama,Daryl Hannah,The Grateful Dead,Martin Sheen,Michelle Rodriguez,Red Hot Chilli Peppers,Sam Simon,Sean Connery and Sean Penn.

Two Celebrities are attending to speak. For Population Matters Adrian Hayes the record-breaking adventurer, author, keynote speaker, leadership & team coach / consultant, documentary presenter and campaigner who has achieved more major goals the past ten years than most people in the world two Guinness world records, two books and three documentaries. Adrian has featured in two documentaries: the 2011 National Geographic Channel ‘Greenland Quest’ and the 2013 Discovery Channel ‘Footsteps of Thesiger’ and is now an establishing television and documentary presenter. His first book, ‘Footsteps of Thesiger’, was published in 2013 and his second book, ‘K2 – The Tragedy and the Triumph’, will be published in 2018.

Adrian says“I’ve seen melting ice caps with my own eyes and got very wet in the process. But, as a passionate promoter of economic, social and environmental sustainability, it is pointless campaigning against climate change or to ‘save the Arctic’ without addressing the root cause behind it and virtually every other environmental or indeed social issue we face: our unsustainable numbers on this planet. That is the real inconvenient truth.”

Keith Taylor the Green MEP for the South East of England.In his role as an MEP, Keith sits on the European Parliament’s Committee on Transport and Tourism and the Parliament’s Environment, Public Health and Food Safety committee. Keith is also Vice President of the UK’s Local Government Association Group in the European Parliament, Vice Chair of the parliament’s Intergroup on animal welfare and a member of the parliament’s Intergroup on LGBTI Rights. Keith is Vice Chair of the European Alzheimer’s Alliance No More Dodos Is the host for the ANIMA EVENT.Formed just 2 years ago, No More Dodos is a registered charity dedicated to highlighting the problems of habitat and biodiversity loss, with all its attendant causes to promote the work of those who are trying to halt its progress and to encourage individuals to take personal action.To do this we are uniquely using art and sport in their widest senses to inspire a concern amongst a wider population to bring about changes that are so necessary to save the planet and lifeforms we share it with.

No More Dodos has a number of well known people from the worlds of Art and Sport as Ambassadors. These include Actress Carol Royle , the late and truly great playwright and poet Heathcote Williams and legendary goalkeeper Gordon Banks. Spike Milligan famously told us he was ill.He also warned us time and time again that the planet was sick and, with his inevitable raw honesty, that the majority of us - in the way we were treating the earth and the animals we share it with - were pretty sick too.

No More Dodos is establishing an annual environmental awards event. It will celebrate Spike’s long-term contribution and passion for this cause, and recognise the work of organisations and individuals who are actively involved in this cause. The first awards event is planned to be in 2018. As well as providing a platform for all the exhibitors attending, the ANIMA event is intended to be a feeder fundraiser for the awards which will be given on that evening which will be on 17th November 2018 at Hoxton Hall London.

To kick off the fundraising there will be some very exclusive cards available for sale for the very first time on 30th September. Actress Rita Tushingham has created images of pandas and rhinos and Carol Royle has created an elephant card. World Cup Hero Gordon Banks has signed a number of 'pop art’ posters of his legendary ‘Impossible save’ from Pele. Spike’s manager, the wonderful Norma Farnes,has offered the use of drawings by Spike, from Milliganimals.

And we are hoping that some very special guests will find time to attend too. There will be nearly 30 stalls from a wide and varied range of exhibitors to give us all ideas of how to tread more gently on the planet. Plus there is an art exhibition, workshops, music, talks, films, and lots of good eats which won't cost the earth.If you are in any way interested in animals and the planet we live on, this should be the day for you.

Entrance to Anima is a very affordable suggested donation of £2.50 per person and £5 for a family.

For all press and other enquiries please call Geoff Francis on 07581221462Photo reference available




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25 Sep 2017 09:57:26 GMT Charities & non-profits Education & Human Resources Entertainment & Arts Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Food & Drink Health Lifestyle & Relationships Sport
<![CDATA[ ' Badger People ' earn high praise from Chris Packham ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/-badger-people-earn-high-praise-from-chris-packham-0ce09000f0b69eb68b00bba389b6b2ef/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/-badger-people-earn-high-praise-from-chris-packham-0ce09000f0b69eb68b00bba389b6b2ef/ Friday 15 September, 2017

Badgers at BROCKenhurst Anima Event

The image which represents the venue of the Anima Event is that of the badger.Any town or village which includes the name Brock indicates an ancient presence of this much venerated and more recently often abused creature.

It is only fitting that the badger should feature in the Anima Event at Brockenhurst Village Community Centre on Saturday 30th September.

The Badger Trust will be there promoting their recently launched campaign, ‘ Give Badgers A Brake ' to encourage reporting sightings of badgers killed due to road traffic allowing the trust to ascertain hotspots where badgers are continually being killed and to then lobby for improved mitigation. Reports can be made online at https://www.badger.org.uk/report.

Traffic is the number one threat to badgers in the UK. Recent surveys, have estimated that 50,000 badgers are killed every year, making badgers the most numerous victims of road traffic accidents of all UK species.

The Chief Executive of the Badger Trust and Policy Adviser to the Born Free Foundation Dominic Dyer is one of the UK's leading wildlife protection campaigners, broadcaster and writers.

He took up this role after a career in government and industry. Now he uses skills he acquired in Whitehall, Brussels and the Corporate Board Room to fight for the protection of animals at home and abroad. He is a regular speaker at wildlife protection protests, conferences and exhibitions and a contributor to the print and broadcast media on a wide range of issues ranging from the badger cull and wildlife crime in the UK to the protection of dolphins, lion and elephants around the world. In August 2016 Dominic published "Badgered to Death” a hard hitting and controversial book which looks at the demonisation of the badger over the last 40 years and how it is now being killed in large numbers for short term political and economic interests.

Chris Packham says “ I am a great fan of Dominic Dyer. Like many others I am in awe of his passion, drive and commitment, of his values and motives and of his profound determination to highlight injustice, resist apathy and campaign for wildlife protection" Dominic will talk in depth about writing his book Badgered to Death and the wider political and economic issues concerning the protection of wildlife at home and abroad to be followed by a wider debate on the issues raised with the audience and a book signing. Another “Badger person” greatly admired by Chris Packham is the world famous pioneer of natural history film making and photography Eric Ashby MBE. The Event offers a unique opportunity for people to see a very wide range of Eric’s work and to purchase them.Eric Ashby (1918 – 2003) shared his love of the New Forest with the world through his wildlife films. He believed that wild animals should be filmed behaving naturally, and his high standards of still photography and film-making in the wild became his hallmark. He was an extraordinarily patient man, visiting a site on 90 occasions to record just one minute of film about a badger. He was the first to capture the behaviour of badgers in daylight. In the early 1960s, his films brought an air of delight and wonder. He created the first artificial Badgers Sett which allowed him to reveal the intimate daily life of this delightful creature in his film “At Home With Badgers’. An ardent conservationist, he founded the first New Forest Badger Group in 1969. Chris Packham says

“Eric and his wife Eileen were a great source of encouragement to me when I was younger and a little more fragile. A lovely man. And every time I campaign against the horror that is fox hunting I think of him and hope I do his memory justice .”

The Anima Event is at Brockenhurst Village Community Centre on Saturday 30th September.
There will be over 30 stalls and all of the exhibitors at the event are, in their own way, helping us all to have a gentler
footprint on the planet which we share.

The event has been organised by No More Dodos a charity which uniquely uses Art and Sport to inspire change in our lifestyles.If you are in any way interested in animals and the planet we live on, this should be the day for you.Please do share and put it in your diary right away!http://www.nomoredodos.org/events/

Entrance to Anima is a very affordable suggested donation of £2.50 per person and £5 for a family.

For all press and other enquiries please call Geoff Francis on 07581221462Photo reference available.




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15 Sep 2017 11:20:48 GMT Charities & non-profits Environment & Nature Farming & Animals
<![CDATA[ 'Everything is connected – everyone can make a difference' ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/everything-is-connected-everyone-can-make-a-difference-cfb85efe77c27197dafa6354ae28eaaa/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/everything-is-connected-everyone-can-make-a-difference-cfb85efe77c27197dafa6354ae28eaaa/ Saturday 9 September, 2017

'Everything is connected – everyone can make a difference' so says Jane Goodall and when she speaks for Animals and the Planet people do listen.

Biodiversity and how we can all play our part in saving it is the core theme of the Anima Event at Brockenhurst Village Community Centre on Saturday 30th September. There will be over 30 stalls and all of the exhibitors at the event are addressing this issue in their own way helping us all to have a gentler footprints on the planet which we share.

Some of the organisations represented are addressing the problems directly like the Orangutan Appeal, Bumblebee Conservation, Population Matters, Born Free, Sea Shepherd and Jane Goodall Institute.

Orangutan Appeal UK is dedicated to the rehabilitation and preservation of orangutans and the conservation of their habitat. The Appeal strives to protect remaining wild populations of orangutans by providing support and funding for projects across Borneo; and by raising awareness of the plight of this great ape across the globe on behalf of the famous Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

Pictured in media attachments is Orang-utan Appeal’s founder Susan Sheward MBE with baby orangutan Archie, who was heavily featured in 'Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans' on ITV. Paul fell in love with little Archie on his trip to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was established because of serious concerns about the 'plight of the bumblebee'. In the last 80 years our bumblebee populations have crashed. Two species have become nationally extinct and several others have declined dramatically.Bumblebees are familiar and much-loved insects that pollinate our crops and wildflowers, so people are rightly worried. They have a vision for a different future in which our communities and countryside are rich in bumblebees and colourful flowers, supporting a diversity of wildlife and habitats for everyone to enjoy. They are growing fast and have over 10,000 members.There is an excellent success story featured here: http://bumblebeeconservation.org/about-us/our-projects/bees-for-everyone/

Born Free Foundation promotes Compassionate Conservation to enhance the survival of threatened species in the wild and protect natural habitats while respecting the needs of and safeguarding the welfare of individual animals. Born Free seeks to have a positive impact on animals in the wild and protect their ecosystems in perpetuity, for their own intrinsic value and for the critical roles they play within the natural world.

Population Matters addresses population size and environmental sustainability. Population growth contributes to environmental degradation, resource depletion and other problems. They conduct research, inform the public and advocate improved family planning and sex education, women’s empowerment, smaller families and moderate consumption.Their film Sense and Sustainability will be shown at 10.30 am followed by a talk at 11.30 am by world-famous explorer and sustainability ambassador, Adrian Hayes, who will tell of his direct experience of humanity’s effects on the wild places and what we can do in our lifestyle to bring about the changes the planet needs. Sea Shepherd Established in 1977 by Captain Paul Watson, one of the founders of Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species. To do this Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations.

The Jane Goodall InstituteDr. Goodall has long been an advocate for the dignity and well-being of all living things, and the Jane Goodall Institute shares her belief that speaking out on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves is our responsibility as fellow inhabitants of this shared earth.Environmental advocacy, animal welfare and human rights are just a few of the issues we are passionate about both by being thought leaders and influencers, and by bringing all voices into discussion rooms on topics that matter. Dr. Jane Goodall discovered that when we put local communities at the heart of conservation, we improve the lives of people, animals and the environment. Jane Goodall Institute advances Dr. Goodall’s holistic approach through a tapestry of nine programs that build on each other and bring the power of community-centered conservation to life.

“When you live in the forest, it’s easy to see that everything’s connected.”

The New Forest Small School will be showcasing the work they did to be shortlisted for Jane Goodall Institute ‘Roots and Shoots’ campaign.

Compassion in World Farming’s ‘ Dead Zone ' campaign focuses on how our eating habits are causing huge habitat loss throughout the world.

Keith Taylor, Green MEP and member of the European Animal Welfare Committee will be talking about the cost of meat consumption on the environment.

The event has been organised by No More Dodos a charity which uniquely uses Art and Sport to inspire change in our lifestyles.If you are in any way interested in animals and the planet we live on, this should be the day for you.Please do share and put it in your diary right away!http://www.nomoredodos.org/events/

Entrance to Anima is a very affordable suggested donation of £2.50 per person and £5 for a family.

For all press and other enquiries please call Geoff Francis on 07581221462Photo reference available.




Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/ ]]>
http//:www.twitter.com/@nomoredodos Pressat geoff@nomoredodos.org

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contact@nomoredodos.org

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09 Sep 2017 18:44:18 GMT Charities & non-profits Education & Human Resources Entertainment & Arts Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Food & Drink Lifestyle & Relationships
<![CDATA[ Variety and Diversity in Art at Anima Event to save Biodiversity ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/variety-and-diversity-in-art-at-anima-event-to-save-biodiversity-29ad06f01a414e6f1ed2cb420edf8d7d/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/variety-and-diversity-in-art-at-anima-event-to-save-biodiversity-29ad06f01a414e6f1ed2cb420edf8d7d/ Thursday 31 August, 2017

Variety and diversity are the watchwords for the Anima Event at the Brockenhurst Community Centre New Forest on Saturday 30 September. This is most certainly true of the elements gathered together for the art exhibition which is an integral part of the event.

Digital artist Paul Windridge

Paul works in moving image and sound. He is a short film and music maker, exploring what we perceive to be reality then presenting it as something completely different. His visual work is centred on the atmospheric distortion of time and space - on ambiguity, experimentation and abstraction, in order to open up the possibility of multi-dimensional filmic universes, and to suggest there may be more to the world than most people imagine.

Having started his creative life as a painter he is as much concerned with the still image as the moving, and his desire is to be able to stop his films at any point and for that single one twenty fifth of a second still frame to be good enough to stand as a still image in it’s own right.

One-man exhibitions include: The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, The Barbican Centre, London and The Mermaid Theatre, London. Selected exhibitions include: Lancashire Artists, The Laing Collection and Manchester Academy.

His moving image work has been shown in various film and arts festivals, and galleries, including: Paris, St Petersburg, Berlin, Dublin and Zurich and in special events at Tate Britain, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and on BBC Big Screens nationwide, Big Screen Project Manhattan and at BBC Electric Proms.

Paul has created a number of very special digital images from photographs he took on a recent trip to Zambia. These will be available to buy as cards, posters and print with all proceeds going to No More Dodos. He has also created a film celebrating the work of a number of the contributing exhibitors at the event. This will be on continuous display in the foyer. As well as this he will be presenting an environmental film show at 3.30 p.m in the stage area.

Beau Townshend Patrick the Animatronic Sumatran Elephant

Beau Townshend is a free-lance SFX artist from Norwich, Norfolk with a BA Hons in the degree of Special Effects for Film and TV; majoring in animatronics, from Southampton Solent University.He has worked on such films as Christopher Reith’s “Chain” and Darren Wards “Beyond Fury” as well creating various animatronic installations for music festivals across the UK, such as “Boomtown Fair”, “Symmetry Festival” and “No man’s land festival” to name a few. Beau is currently running a crowdfunding campaign to build a life-size fully functioning (walking) Sumatran elephant he calls Patrick. Beau plans to take Patrick on walk’s through various cities such as Brighton, Bristol, Norwich, London, Southampton, Cambridge and many more, to raise awareness for the plight of the critically endangered Sumatran elephant, whose numbers are rapidly declining due to loss of habitat and poaching.Beau built the head of Patrick for his final major project whilst at university in 2016, and now looks to build the rest of him with help from public donations. Patrick will be working closely with the Born Free Foundation next year. He will be running a workshop to show just how Patrick was created and to allow young people to take the controls.

Geoff Francis - Dissing the PlanetIn 1986 Geoff Francis set up and ran Animaline for Linda McCartney, Carla Lane and Rita Tushingham. When he resigned as a director four years later he resolved to commit his concerns and feelings about what we are doing to the planet and animals to canvas and paper.Since that time he has published 10 books and has been shortlisted in Saatchi showdowns on five occasions. He has also had photographic work exhibited in the National Maritime Museum. This current collection has been drawn together specifically for the Anima Event. It is called 'Dissing the planet'. He takes an abstract expressionist eye to the theme using discarded materials (including paint) to create paintings and sculptures. Geoff is a co-founder of No More Dodos.

Elephant enthusiast, Susie Laan, will be launching the first two volumes of her children's books Eleph Ant and Queen's Birthday with profits going to the David Sheldrick Fund in Kenya to help orphaned Elephants and anti poaching initiatives.

In addition there will be video programmes celebrating the work of wildlife filmmaker Eric Ashby and playwright and poet Heathcote Williams. Eric’s photographs and Heathcote’s books will be available to buy.There will also be a number of elephant themed images by several artists.All the art and a huge range of animal artefacts and books will be on sale at affordable prices.

As well as the art exhibition there will be nearly 30 stalls, workshops, talks, films, and lots of good eats which won't cost the earth.If you are in any way interested in animals and the planet we live on, this should be the day for you.Put it in your diary right away!

The Anima Event will benefit the environmental charity No More Dodos, which uniquely uses Art and Sport to inspire individual action to bring about change for the good of the planet.

Entrance to Anima is a very affordable suggested donation of £2.50 per person and £5 for a family.

For all press and other enquiries please call Geoff Francis on 07581221462Photo reference available.




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http//:www.twitter.com/@nomoredodos Pressat geoff@nomoredodos.org

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contact@nomoredodos.org

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31 Aug 2017 16:58:50 GMT Charities & non-profits Entertainment & Arts Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Lifestyle & Relationships
<![CDATA[ A celebration of the lives of 2 wildlife heroes ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/a-celebration-of-the-lives-of-2-wildlife-heroes-50057ec373030b8c66736460a0880439/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/a-celebration-of-the-lives-of-2-wildlife-heroes-50057ec373030b8c66736460a0880439/ Tuesday 22 August, 2017

Press Release 2 Amongst the varied and exciting things which will be happening at the Anima Event at Brockenhurst Village Community Centre from 10 a.m.- 5 pm on Saturday 30th September is a celebration of the lives of two pioneers in their field who with very different skills have helped us all understand what is happening in the natural world.

Eric Ashby, the film-maker and Heathcote Williams the poet and playwright were both moved by an intense love of nature.Eric Ashby (1918 – 2003) shared his love of the New Forest with the world through his wildlife films. He believed that wild animals should be filmed behaving naturally, and his high standards of still photography and film-making in the wild became his hallmark. Eric worked on many wildlife programmes for the BBC Natural History Unit. He was an extraordinarily patient man, visiting a site on 90 occasions to record just one minute of film about a badger. He was the first to capture the behaviour of badgers in daylight and also developed soundproof camera boxes that allowed him to get close to deer without the animals taking fright.

In the early 1960s, his films brought delight and wonder to viewers of the BBC's popular series Look, which was presented by Sir Peter Scott. So impressed was Scott by Eric's remarkably intimate close-ups of wild forest animals that he dubbed him the Silent Watcher.

It took four years of work for him to shoot enough sequences for his first 45-minute film, The Unknown Forest, which was shown by the BBC in 1961. A unique portrait of real animal lives, it was warmly received by viewers, who were able to see how badgers, deer and foxes in the New Forest behaved. Two years later he filmed The Major, the life story of a village oak tree and the first wildlife film to be shot in colour. Other films followed, among them A Hare's Life, A Forest Diary and The Private Life Of The Fox. He produced work for The Year of the Deer and At Home With Badgers. There was also a biographical piece, The Silent Watcher. An ardent conservationist, he founded the first local Badger Group in 1969 and was outspoken in his views against hunting. His secluded home in Linwood became a haven for some 30 wild foxes from rescue centres. Visitors from around the world came to see how Eric and his wife Eileen cared for them. They raised a cub called Tigger and told his story in a book My Life With Foxes (2000). Chris Packham says “Eric and his wife Eileen were a great source of encouragement to me when I was younger and a little more fragile . A lovely man . And every time I campaign against the horror that is fox hunting I think of him and hope I do his memory justice .”

Eileen Ashby has made a huge archive of Eric’s work available to support No More Dodos.They will be sold on a stall by Frankie James, a long term friend of Eric and Eileen who will be able to answer questions about this very special man.

Heathcote Williams, who died in July 2017, was rightly described as a genius in his Guardian obituary. Al Pacino, Harold Pinter, Mike Figgis, Derek Jarman, Ralph Steadman , Jeremy Hardy and literally hundreds of other leading figures amongst the arts world found inspiration in his work and can be counted amongst his admirers.He wrote a considerable number of epic poems celebrating animals and the planet and questioning what we are doing to it. The most famous amongst these must be Whale Nation which sold over 100,000 copies and was credited with helping bring about the moratorium on commercial whaling. In typical fashion Heathcote donated all his royalties on the book to Greenpeace. We will be showing performances of a number of his poems on a screen in the art exhibition. This will include The Last Dodo, a poem he wrote inspired by the mission of No More Dodos for whom he was an arts ambassador.Copies of Whale Nation and other books by Heathcote will be on sale.

As well as the art exhibition there will be nearly 30 stalls, workshops, talks, films, and lots of good eats which won't cost the earth.If you are in any way interested in animals and the planet we live on, this should be the day for you.Put it in your diary right away!

Anima Event will benefit the environmental charity No More Dodos, which uniquely uses Art and Sport to inspire individual action to bring about change for the good of the planet.

Entrance to Anima is a suggested donation of £2.50 per person and £5 for a family.

For all press and other enquiries please call Geoff Francis on 07581221462Photo reference available.www.nomoredodos.org




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http//:www.twitter.com/@nomoredodos Pressat geoff@nomoredodos.org

Additional Contact(s):
contact@nomoredodos.org

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22 Aug 2017 15:01:16 GMT Charities & non-profits Entertainment & Arts Environment & Nature Farming & Animals Lifestyle & Relationships Sport
<![CDATA[ ANIMA - an Event not to be missed! Sat 30th September ]]> https://pressat.co.uk/releases/anima-an-event-not-to-be-missed-sat-30th-september-66383ccc0c2996471a56024ee95d63cc/ https://pressat.co.uk/releases/anima-an-event-not-to-be-missed-sat-30th-september-66383ccc0c2996471a56024ee95d63cc/ Tuesday 15 August, 2017

For immediate release

The organiser of the 1990 Isle of Wight festival is a collaborator on the first Anima event to be held at Brockenhurst Village Community Centre on Saturday 30th September 10 a.m.- 5 pm. Geoff Francis,a trustee of the environmental charity No More Dodos, was one of the team who we responsible for the enormously successful Enormous Elephant Exhibition in Lyndhurst last October which raised £8,500 for orphan elephants and anti poaching initiatives in Kenya.

Four leading members of that team have created the Anima Event .The others are local artist and writer and elephant enthusiastSusie Laan, Beaulieu based food expert Tony Bishop Weston and Isle of Wight based avant-garde film maker Paul Windridge.

Geoff says “ This will be a very varied and exciting day. If you are in any way interested animals and the planet we live on this is the day for you.”He urges everyone to put it in their diary right away! As well as nearly 30 stalls there will be workshops, talks, films,an art exhibition and lots of good eats which won't cost the earth.

The importance of biodiversity is that the heart of the event and a number of locally-based organisations are heavily featured. Such Bumblebee Conservation, Orangutan Appeal and the Jane Goodall Institute . They are joined by other national and international organisations like Born free, The BadgerTrust, Population Matters, Sea Shepherd and Compassion in World Farming.No More Dodos uniquely uses Art and Sport to inspire individual action to bring about change for the good of the planet.

Entrance to Anima is only a suggested donation of £2.50 per person and £5 for a family.

For all press and other enquiries please call Geoff Francis on 07581221462Photo reference available.www.nomoredodos.org




Distributed by https://pressat.co.uk/ ]]>
http//:www.twitter.com/@nomoredodos Pressat geoff@nomoredodos.org

Additional Contact(s):
contact@nomoredodos.org

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15 Aug 2017 09:44:18 GMT Environment & Nature