Life in the Midlands Regional Office has been rather hectic of late as we prepare for the beginning of Love Nature Week. Love Nature Week kicks off on Saturday 28 May but the team in the office have been preparing for months! And now it has finally arrived and collections are taking place all over the UK in garden centres, supermarkets and streets – who knows, you may well spot one in your area!
I'll be out collecting during Love Nature Week myself – returning to Leamington Spa (sans Owlbert, who will be strutting his stuff at the famous Hay Festival in Wales) to help raise as much money as possible for the RSPB! Having never done a bucket collection before, I'm looking forward to seeing just what exactly will happen on the day. In particular, I am excited about meeting a variety of different people, the opportunity to raise awareness for the RSPB and of course, raising plenty of funds for a fantastic cause.
All of my kit has arrived – including a bucket, a PayPoint card, stickers and of course the “How To...” handbook. If like me you are collecting for the first time, or indeed are contemplating collecting for us in the future – this is the essential guide and tells you absolutely everything you need to know about collecting for the RSPB. I found it exceptionally useful as it answered any queries I had about street collections, and I will no doubt read it again just before my collection.
This week we've been telephoning all the volunteers just before their collections so that we can wish them the very best of luck and answer any further questions they may have. It promises to be an enjoyable week for all involved – great fun, plenty of money being donated and hopefully some fantastic weather too!
Aside from collections, I've helped to devise our brand new Love Nature Bird Quiz that you may well have seen on offer at some of our reserves, or at our Date with Nature sites. It's definitely worth entering – with the prize on offer being some of our very scrumptious Love Nature Fudge! We’re also having our very own fancy dress day next week, taking on the movie theme – which we in the Community Fundraising Team are particularly excited about as we have a Top Secret plan for our costumes.
For those of you collecting, donating, or participating in Love Nature Week – thank you very much for your support!