Blogger: Adam Murray, Communications Officer
OK so this is not a post about free alcoholic beverages but about what flicks your switch – everyone likes free stuff right?
Yesterday morning, after many times poking my head into their doors, I stepped over the threshold of Warings Furniture Company – the big and beautiful glass building on Rose Lane. I had been intrigued by their coffee, a temptation and possibly perfect pit stop on my 3 mile walk into work. After receiving a stonking double shot macchiato the nice lady asked me if I was from Aviva. Trick question – if yes, then apparently I would get a discount. They don’t call me Honest Murray for nothing and so I said I was from the RSPB. At that point she said, “Who are they?”, I stumbled and fumbled in my mind, falling over all the millions of things we do from saving tropical forests, wildlife friendly gardens to lobbying government. My answer was simply, “The bird people, you know, right?” and which point I gave myself a big Homer Simpson style slap to the forehead.
As I left and wandered into work it got me thinking. How would you define what we do in one simple sentence? Answers on a postcard. Secondly, I thought that the human condition does love a bit of FREE stuff (whether it’s BEER or anything really). Then the thoughts in my mind collided into the beautiful fact that many of our RSPB managed sites are totally free to enter. Maybe that is what I should have said to the nice barista lady. Maybe it is what may have floated her boat. Then again, as my lovely lady and son have pointed out “it takes a lot to look this good” (photo below).
So if you have been to one of our sites and liked what you saw then please help us with any donations by visiting here. I am going to see if I can go back to Warings Furniture Company and see if they can help us by looking after one of our brilliant pin badge boxes. Watch this space and let’s see if I can work out a RSPB deal with Warings and even wangle a pin badge box in there.