Saturday 27 October 2012

Zoo Licence for Hobbledown



Surrey’s newest tourist attraction Hobbledown has received its Zoo Licence.


The licence is mandatory for any establishment which exhibits wild animals to the public.

The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 sets out how zoos in Great Britain are inspected and licensed. This ensures that zoos are safe for the public to visit, that high standards of welfare are maintained and that zoos make a contribution to conservation of wildlife.

More than 100 animals currently reside at Hobbledown, ranging from wallabies and birds of prey to miniature sheep, meerkats [which have just had a new family] and Patagonian Mara.

Over the next few weeks they will joined by a variety of new species including otters, racoon dogs, great grey owls and an Amazonian parrot.

The animals are overseen by an expert team of handlers on site lead by Dolores Nicholson. In addition Matt Hartley has been employed as a zoo and wildlife consultant.
Matt has worked in zoos and with wildlife for 20 years throughout the world and is a Government appointed Zoo Inspector.
His job at Hobbledown is to ensure the farm is kept to the highest possible standard.

A spokesperson at DEFRA [Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] said: “Well-managed zoos can play an important role in educating visitors about wild animals and their habitats, and through activities which help conserve and protect threatened wildlife.”

  • Hobbledown is a unique farm park adventure which opened this summer. It cost more than £3million to build and has created more than 65 jobs.
  • As well as the animals it houses a variety of adventure play equipment including towers, tunnels, a low ropes adventure, aerial walkways, mazes, an interactive sand play zone and an aerial adventure course. There is also a 14,000sqft play barn.

Hobbledown at Horton Park Children’s Farm can be found in Horton Lane, Epsom, Surrey, KT19 8PT. For more information visit www.hobbledown.com or telephone 0843 289 4979.

Sunday 21 October 2012

WhaleFest 2012: A Whale of a Time! Hilton Brighton Metropole, 27-28 Oct




 
WhaleFest returns to Brighton this month with a wild weekend of whale and dolphin inspired activities from 27-28 October.

Following the huge success of last year’s event which was attended by over 2,500 people, WhaleFest 2012 will be the largest celebration of wild whales and dolphins in the world and this year’s event will be spectacular.

A shoal of ocean inspired enjoyment, WhaleFest will be jam packed with exciting activities for visitors of all ages including:


·         35 life size whales and dolphins, not to mention sharks, seals and turtles!
·         The chance to try scuba diving in the crystal waters of the dive pool
·         A guided tour of a Sperm Whale belly
·         Get splashed on a real-time virtual whale watching trip
·         ‘Cinema of the Seas’ showing new and exclusive marine conservation films
·         ‘Ocean Storytelling’ by acclaimed authors including Lauren St John, Nicola Davis and Gill Lewis
·         A sandy beach to relax on while experiencing the sights and sounds of the deep blue ocean.




Whalefest will see conservationists, divers, whale and dolphin experts and celebrities from across the globe sharing their passion for whales and dolphins with members of the public. Bill Oddie, renowned conservationist and television presenter, Doug Allan, BBC Frozen Planet cameraman, Mark Carwardine from ‘Last Chance to See’ with Stephen Fry, and Ingrid Visser, from the BBC documentary ‘The Woman Who Swims with Killer Whales’, are amongst those well known supporters who will be attending and speaking at the event.

WhaleFest is the culmination of a whole week of WhaleFest Fringe activities in Brighton offering a host of music, arts and cultural events themed around whales and dolphins, backed by Visit Britain and Visit Brighton.  It will also feature jewellery, artwork, photography, books and DVDs all inspired by whales and dolphins, alongside exhibitors including whale watch tour companies and conservation charities. 

WhaleFest 2012 also has a serious message to share.  Held at The Hilton Brighton Metropole hotel, the event marks the 30th anniversary of the world’s governments vote to suspend the hunting of whales, which was announced outside the hotel in 1982. 


Thirty years later, Planet Whale will be inviting the public to support its new campaign - Save The Whales: Reloaded. The campaign aims for the first time ever, to bring people across the globe together to help identify the next generation of Marine Protected Areas. 

Visitors to WhaleFest will be encouraged to get involved by using an innovative free online tool to map out areas of the oceans which they would like to see ring fenced for the protection of wild whale and dolphin communities.  These will be combined with maps drawn by people across the globe to ensure members of the public, governments, charities and stakeholders all have a say in the future protection of the oceans.

Advance tickets to WhaleFest are now available from £9 per adult at www.whale-fest.com.  FREE entry for children under 16 all weekend.

Thursday 18 October 2012

How to create Facebook lists, so you never miss one of our posts!

As you know Facebook have been making it harder & harder for business pages 'likers' to see all their posts, but there is a solution! You can create your own interest lists so you never miss posts from your favourite pages; obviously ABC being one of them ;-)

I found the easiest way to do this was:

From your PC/Laptop click on the following link to the Facebook Help Centre this will then take you to this screen:



Click on 'Add Interests' & you'll get taken to this screen


Click on 'Create List' & it will then come up with a screen where you can add any of your favourite pages to your new list, by clicking on them (to get the blue tick):



Then click 'next' and you'll be taken to this screen where you can give your list a name (if you didn't at the earlier stage) and then decide who gets to see that list.



Click 'Done' & you're all finished! You'll then be able to see your 'interest' lists on the bottom left hand side of your main feed. This will then mean you can visit these lists when you want & never miss a post from your favourite pages!