Give a little it'll mean a lot

ACACIA Africa is asking all of its travellers who are finishing their tour in Cape Town to open their hearts and their backpacks and consider donating to SAVE. The SAVE Foundation is a registered non-profit organisation that works to enrich, educate, and empower various township and settlement communities, every donation going to families affected by the shack fires in the Dunoon and Morning Star housing areas on the outskirts of South Africa's Mother City.

Sabine Behrmann, Cape Town Manager, at Acacia Africa, comments, “So far we have donated 20 camping mattresses, in excess of 30 pillows and an assortment of kitchen equipment including pots, utensils, serving bowls. Our tour leaders let clients on our southbound tours finishing in #CapeTown know that if they wish to donate their sleeping bags, pillows or other personal items (clothes, flash lights, books etc) they should simply leave them on the truck after checking into the lodge in Cape Town. We then pass them on to the SAVE Foundation who see that these items get to the needy."

While there's no better time to put the word out, the fires are frequent, so Acacia #Africa is hoping travellers will continue to give what they can over the festive season and beyond.

Sabine Behrmann, comments, "These families are often left with nothing at all so every donation goes a long way to helping them get back on their feet, and no matter how small, travellers will be making a very real impact on these people's lives."


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Visitors volunteer to help Aruba charities

AS MORE British travellers discover the Dutch Caribbean island of #Aruba, they are also being lured by a growing phenomenon on the island – voluntourism. 

The island has a high repeat visit factor, particularly among American travellers who make the island a regular winter haunt. Community service abounds on Aruba, with locals volunteering their time, energy, and skills to help many charities. Growing numbers of visitors are now also joining in, spending some of their holiday time helping worthwhile causes.

For those who want to take a break from the sun lounger, here are some of the opportunities to put something back into the life of Aruba.

The Aruba Reef Care Project is the best-known and largest volunteer environmental initiative on the island. Launched in 1994, it attracts more than 1,000 participants who every September scour the beaches and dive and snorkel various sites in a massive clean-up effort. Supported by public and private sector businesses, the Reef Care Project raises awareness of the importance of preserving the marine environment. For information, contact Castro Perez by e-mail: castroperez@gmail.com

Fundashon Turtugaruba was established in 2003 and is a member of the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network. Turtugaruba volunteers know where to patrol to spot, monitor, and protect turtle nests, primarily at Eagle Beach, Boca Grandi, and Arikok National Park. Volunteers comb the beach during the season looking for nesting turtles so the area can be cordoned off and protected.  E-mail enquiries to info@turtgaruba.org

Sponsor a Mile is a monthly initiative held during the third and fourth weeks of every month.  Spearheaded by the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association (AHATA), its members, including island hotels and activity companies, adopt a designated mile of beach, roadsides, and countryside to scour for debris. Staff volunteer their time to keep their island clean, and are often joined by eco-minded tourists.

Visitors can contact their hotel directly for information and dates, or contact Vanessa Rasmussen at AHATA by e-mail: at Vanessa@ahata.com

Donations and the work of volunteers are vital to the Aruba Animal Shelter, which aims to improve the lives of dogs and cats. Go to www.arubaanimalshelter.com for more information.

The Aruba Donkey Sanctuary is supported entirely by donations and volunteer workers. Donkeys were first brought to Aruba by the Spanish 500 years ago, and there are still some 200 on the island today. Volunteers are welcome to help with the daily chores of feeding and cleaning or assisting with general maintenance and repairs. http://main.arubadonkey.org/portal/index.php/volunteers

FAVI offers a variety of services with the purpose of contributing to the wellbeing of the visually impaired and blind. It welcomes volunteers to help with craft classes and the outings.  Contact Cetty Baarah on +297-582-5222 for more information.

www.aruba.com

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Time for a fun run!

THERE’S still time to sign up for the 5km Run in Colour race in #Limassol, #Cyprus on October 17.

#RuninColour is an international event series involving a 5km run, music, and dance.

Created to motivate participants to boost their health, it’s suitable for joggers, experienced runners, and even people who just like walking at a slightly faster pace than usual.

Entry ticketsfor the event – which raises funds for charities – range from free for children (aged one to five) to €25 (£18.50)

For properties in the area and places to eat, go to:

https://govillasandcottages.co.uk/property/9077084099053079081061061/villa-retreat-akrounda-limassol.html 

https://govillasandcottages.co.uk/property/9077084103119078103061061/santa-barbara-germasogeia-limassol.html 

https://govillasandcottages.co.uk/property/9077084099053078119061061/the-cookhouse-gladstonos-limassol.html

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31112252@N00/21209641579">Holi Run Zaragoza 2015 Puerto venecia holirun</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Wanted: Volunteer beach cleaners!

THE UK’s leading marine charity – the #MarineConservationSociety (MCS) – is looking for volunteers to register for a citizen science project that involves a trip to the #beach.

The #GreatBritishBeachClean (September 18-21) is the only UK-wide beach clean that not only spruces up hundreds of beaches around the coast but also records the litter finds.

Plastic bottles and carrier bags, nappies, balloons, and tiny plastic pieces can be found on almost every beach in Britain – either washed up, blown there or dropped. Most of the litter found can be traced back to us – the general public.

‘Beach litter has steadily risen over the two decades we’ve been recording it on UK beaches,’ says MCS Beachwatch Officer, Charlotte Coombes.  ‘Last year’s Great British Beach Clean attracted almost 5,500 volunteers to over 300 beaches. It’s a citizen science project that has become the most respected and long-standing beach litter survey in the UK.’

In 2014, tiny bits of plastic were the most frequently found litter items on UK beaches. There was a 6.4% rise in beach litter between 2013 and 2014 with wet wipes having the biggest increase at almost 50%.

‘Taking part in the Great British Beach Clean,’ says Ms Coombes. ‘really can make a difference. In previous years when we’ve highlighted increases in dog poo bags and sewage related debris found on beaches, we have seen drops in numbers subsequently. We hope we’ll see fewer wet wipes in 2015 following our mini-campaign showing why these material squares should go in the bin, not the loo.’  

MCS says cleaning and surveying a beach takes only a couple of hours. Each beach has a co-ordinator who explains how to fill in a simple data form … then it’s just a case of taking a litter picker and a bin bag and filling it up with rubbish.
    
Volunteers are also asked to record any branded items they find, to enable MCS to approach specific manufacturers and retailers and look at ways they can work with them to reduce the amount of rubbish from their products reaching beaches.

‘Beach litter is a serious environmental problem,’ says Ms Coombes. ‘But the solution is in our hands. The first step is to register as a volunteer. We want the Great British Beach Clean weekend to offer a snapshot of what the future could look like for the British seaside by reducing the amount of litter that reaches our shores”.

Find out more at http://www.mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean or telephone 01989 566017.

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easyJet launches UNICEF campaign

EASYJET has launched its Change for Good summer collection, aiming to raise funds for UNICEF’s fight against polio.

The collection – which runs until September 13 – gives passengers the opportunity to donate spare change and unwanted foreign currency to UNICEF.

Carolyn McCall, easyJet’s chief executive said: ‘Our passengers have given so generously to date and we are sure that our campaign to help UNICEF vaccinate more children against polio will inspire them once again to donate to this worthy cause.’

There is no cure for polio, but three doses of polio vaccine can give a lifetime of immunity at a cost of 27p.

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55,000 tickets to be released for Enchanted Forest show

THE ENCHANTED FOREST, Perthshire’s award-winning sound and light show, has confirmed that 55,000 tickets will go on sale June 12.

After smashing box office records last year, the show’s run this year will be extended from 23 to 32 nights, including a dedicated charity night. The extended run is expected to be worth more than £500,000 in additional income to the local economy.

Confirming the title of this year’s show will be FLUX, Graham Brown, chairman of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust that runs the show, commented: ‘We are delighted that we have been able to extend our run this year to accommodate growing demand to attend the event and to continue to expand this popular spectacle for visitors to the area.’

This year’s show – in a forest near Pitlochry – runs from October 1 to November 1.

The show has been named Best Event at the 2015 Scottish Thistle awards.

www.enchantedforest.org.uk/charity

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WOW! Round Iceland by bike

THE annual WOW Cyclothon (June 23-26) will see cyclists from around the world competing to be crowned the fastest team to complete the course on Iceland's Highway 1 – the 820-mile ring road that loops the entire country – and raising money for a worthy cause.

Taking place under the midnight sun, the non-stop relay race is the only one of its kind in Iceland, often completed by the winner in under 48 hours. 

Teams can consist of one, four or ten riders, who cycle in a relay format non-stop for the entire route, followed by their support vehicle. With the ten-rider teams offering the shortest distance per person, this category means less experienced cyclists can take part.

Starting in Reykjavik, the route takes riders past Iceland's stunning landscapes, including glaciers, waterfalls, fjords, national parks, and volcanoes.

Open to cyclists of all abilities with all types of bikes, registration closes on May 5 and costs £340 (70,000 ISK) for teams of four, £608 (125,000 ISK) for teams of ten, and £146 (30,000 ISK) for solo riders.

Committed to promoting healthy living and outdoor activities in Iceland, the WOW Cyclothon last year raised £74,070, which was given to the Department of Orthopaedics at the National University Hospital of Iceland.

www.wowcyclothon.com
www.wowair.co.uk

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Picture Credit: "Roads in Iceland" by Helgi Halldórsson from Reykjavík, Iceland via Wikimedia Commons

Where to dive for those Easter eggs!

DIVERS and snorkellers visiting the Florida Keys who want to become deep-sea egg-splorers and support a Keys charity can join the annual Underwater Easter Egg Hunt on April 5 in clear waters off Islamorada.

The Easter Sunday event is hosted by Captain Slate's Scuba Adventures at mile marker 90.7 Oceanside in Tavernier at the Casa Mar Village shopping enclave.

Captain "Cottontail" Spencer Slate has offered dive, snorkel, underwater wedding, and glass-bottom boat packages in Florida Keys waters since 1978. He also promotes ocean conservation to divers, encouraging them to be active stewards of the undersea environment.

Slate is renowned for staging offbeat events such as the Easter egg-stravaganza, an underwater game of hide-and-seek that awards prizes to participants, including a valuable goodie basket for the fortunate finder of a "golden” egg.

Captain Slate - www.captainslate.com - puts on a giant bunny suit and dive gear and hides brightly coloured Easter eggs for bounty hunters. Real eggs and non-toxic dyes are used to avoid negative environmental impacts.

Boats full of egg seekers head out to a secret location adjacent to shallow reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where the philanthropic revellers take the plunge to find the hard-boiled hoard.

A morning two-tank trip, the dive excursion is priced at $65 for certified divers. Snorkellers pay $30 per adult and $25 per child.

Money raised from the egg hunt benefits Kids In Special Situations, providing gifts for the area's needy children and holiday cheer throughout the year.

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Picture Credit: GoHoliday / captainslate.com 

Equine charity launches responsible tourism campaign

AN international taskforce co-ordinated by global equine welfare charity the Brooke has launched a responsible tourism campaign at Petra, the UNESCO World Heritage site in Jordan.

The Care for Petra campaign aims to improve tourist attitudes and behaviour towards working animals, working children, and the historic monuments of Petra in Jordan, where injured or weak donkeys and horses are used to transport tourists around the site.

The campaign provides advice for tourists on ways to prevent animal suffering at the site, and encourages visitors to enjoy the monuments on foot wherever possible.

Very young children work on the site selling souvenirs and offering donkey rides. The awareness campaign asks visitors not to buy items from children or give them money, as this encourages them to stay out of school.

www.thebrooke.org

Go Holiday editor David Kernek comments:  This charity, clearly, does good work, but its arguments should not be put only to the tourists who ride on these cruelly-treated creatures and who buy mostly trash from the children at tourist sites such as Petra. This is also a problem in Greece where in towns such as Lindos on Rhodes, less-than-healthy donkeys are used to carry tourists – many of them obese – up to ancient sites on clifftops. It should be the responsibility of public authorities to ensure that animals are properly looked after, and that children are not forced to run these shoddy businesses.

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Picture Credit: www.thebrooke.org