Charitable Traveller Magazine - October/November 2020 - Issue 2 by Charitable Traveller Magazine

ISSUE 2 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

50% travel, 50% charity, 100% meaningful

Beauty spots

Fight plastic • Follow in the footsteps of James Bond • Tackle loneliness • Visit Saskatchewan

MOSSMAN GORGE CENTRE, CAIRNS & GREAT BARRIER REEF AUSTRALIA

BEING OUTSIDE I S I N O U R N AT U R E Our garden’s a one-million-year-old rainforest. Out the back is a rich tapestry of red desert splashed with green oases. Our swimming pool? The world’s largest reef. Once the door is open, join us for a walk in our great outdoors, taste freedom, and learn from the natural wonders our ancient cultures have protected for thousands of years. We can’t wait to show you around.

START EXPLORING AT CHARITABLE.TRAVEL/QUEENSLAND

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FROM THE EDITOR

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MEET THE TEAM

Laura Gelder

Sometimes it’s hard not to feel glum. As I write this it’s a wet autumn day outside, not one of those glorious, crisp mornings where you can bask in the golden glow of nature (see page 6 for that), just a miserable, wet and cold one! And it’s becoming clear that not only do we have a hard winter ahead of us but that the world has changed forever. But perhaps this doesn’t have to be a negative. Take David Attenborough’s new film, A Life on Our Planet, (see more on page

Ian

Favourite destination: Venice Dream trip: Sorrento I like to support: Cancer Research

23) which has been described as ‘brutal’ and ‘depressing’ but also as a testament of hope and a call for action from a man with a plan. We’re over the initial shock of the pandemic, there’s no more clapping the NHS and it’s back to business for many, but that doesn’t mean that we have to forget its lessons. We can still look out for each other, whether that’s simply by spreading kindness or taking direct action. Loneliness will loom large this winter,

Steve

Favourite destination: Florida’s West Coast Dream trip: Peru

Let’s not forget to have some fun! There’s

I like to support: Prostate Cancer UK

nothing wrong with dreaming of the day you can eat too much in Paris or dance the night away in a Thai bar

Vicky

Favourite destination: Sri Lanka

but the acute awareness of its existance - which was a fact for millions before Covid-19 too - means it will be fought harder than ever (see page 52).

Dream trip: Bora Bora I like to support: Macmillan

Let’s not forget to look after ourselves either, and have some fun! There’s nothing wrong with dreaming of the day you can eat too much in Paris, dance the night away in a Thai bar or just do nothing on a Mediterranean beach. This month we whisk you away to a green and pleasant Japan (page 25), cycling around quirky Copenhagen in search of pastries (page 29), walking on the wild side in South Africa (page 30) and chasing birds on the silky beaches of Anguilla in the Caribbean (page 40). Enjoy the trip and look out for all the amazing charities you can support along the way.

©CHARITABLE TRAVEL 2020. CHARITABLE TRAVELLER is part of CHARITABLE TRAVEL, Fundraising Futures Community Interest Company, One Elmfield Park, Bromley, Kent, BR1 1LU, UK. Putting our profit to work supporting the work of charitable causes. T: 020 3092 1288 E: bookings@charitable.travel W: charitable.travel Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, CHARITABLE TRAVEL cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. FRONT COVER: Hari Nandakumar/Unsplash.com. CEO: Melissa Tilling; MARKETING: Rosie Buddell; MAGAZINE EDITOR: Laura Gelder; MAGAZINE DESIGNER: Louisa Horton.

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Rosie

Favourite destination: Greece Dream trip: Maldives I like to support: Crisis

Louisa

Favourite destination: India Dream trip: Japan I like to support: Breast Cancer Care

CHARITABLE TRAVELLER

Ready to travel? We’re here for you. Travel with Confidence on a G Adventures small group tour. Your safety has always been our top priority, which is why new physical distancing and cleaning measures have been put in place on all of our tours as part of our new Travel with Confidence policy. And if you want to feel even better about your choice to explore again, our Travel with Confidence Plus Collection of tours includes all of those new safety measures PLUS added steps that go that extra, physically distanced mile. Explore on great trips like: Costa Rica Adventure — Plus | From £960 16 Days | San José to San José • Spot wildlife while cruising through the canals of Tortuguero • Hike through the cloud forest • Enjoy the gorgeous beaches of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts Ready to go? Book with Confidence. Our Book with Confidence policy lets you cancel and rebook your tour with no change fees closer to the time of departure. Find out more about this amazing trip and more from G Adventures at: www.charitable.travel/g-adventures.

Terms and conditions apply.

INSIDE

lidays: cha ho r

MY LIFE FILMS

PLASTIC SOLUTIONS

SOUTH AFRICA SAFARI

25 FIVE CHARITIES

FINDING SPACE IN

GREEN PLACES

COMBATTING

SASKATCHEWAN

IN JAPAN

LONELINESS

POSTCARD FROM COPENHAGEN

FOUR WAYS TO NATURAL ANGUILLA

PREVENT SUICIDE

WHY I DONATED TO

I SPY JAMES BOND

BUSY BEES

LOCATIONS

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INSPIRING WOMEN IN TRAVEL

For good

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF

ble.travel ita

ses & great au

this issue

Message from the CEO Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been overwhelmed by the positive reception for the first edition of Charitable Traveller. Our unique blend of travel and good causes certainly seems to have resonated with our readership. I am delighted to welcome you to our second edition. Do enjoy our eclectic mix of travel features, interviews and very welcome good news. Charitable Travel is a social enterprise which means every penny of profit we make benefits society through the charities both we and our customers support. But with the shadow of Covid-19 hanging over us, travel and tourism is facing a challenging time. To better support our marvellous charity sector, we have created another social enterprise, Charitable Shopping. Imagine one place where you can register, shop online in an array of great stores and then give a percentage of what you buy to the charity of your choice. Read more details on page 12 and see how you can make a difference to the world with your Christmas shopping!

Melissa Tilling CHARITABLE TRAVELLER

Get the picture

GET THE

picture

CHARITABLE TRAVELLER

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Fall in love with home again

Think you need to head to New England to see Fall colours? Think again. Autumn days in the UK are just as spectacular â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bronzed vistas, crisp mornings, shiny conkers, crunchy leaves underfoot and the smell of bonfires. This is the view from the top of Cat Bells in the Lake District, looking over Derwentwater to Keswick. Book a leaf-peeping trip and embrace the golden season. charitable.travel/british-isles

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INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE Providing transformational experiences for all young people whatever their background or ability. action4youth

www.charity.travel/action4youth

Get the picture

Wild and beautiful Pakistan

Ali Kazim/Unsplash

Virgin Atlanticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest destination is Pakistan and flights are on sale now from Heathrow and Manchester to Lahore and Islamabad. It might not be top of your travel list but with its natural beauty and incredible cultural history, it should be. From the snow-capped peaks, vivid lakes and epic twisting roads of the Hindu Kush region to the faded elegance of Lahore with its onion-domed palaces, tranquil gardens and bustling bazaars, Pakistan is full of surprises. charitable.travel/pakistan

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Hilton La Romana

Experience

More of Everything

— Newly Renovated — HILTON LA ROMANA | HILTON PLAYA DEL CARMEN | HILTON ROSE HALL

Timeless Elegance. Incomparable Quality. All-Inclusive. Miles from ordinary, Hilton’s newly-renovated all-inclusive resorts welcome you to convenience and comfort. Each offers an escape from the everyday, from the peaceful pleasures of sunning, sailing, swimming and water sports to endless opportunities to soothe the soul. This is what all-inclusive should be. This is Hilton All-Inclusive Resorts by Playa Hotels & Resorts.

Modern Accommodations • 24-Hour Room Service • Specialty Lounges • World-Class Spas MEXICO | JAMAICA | DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

www.charitable.travel/playa • Tel number: 0203 092 1288 ©2020 Playa Hotels & Resorts is the owner and exclusive operator of Hilton Rose Hall, Hilton La Romana Family Resort, Hilton La Romana Adult Resort and Hilton Playa del Carmen. All rights reserved. PLA06080920

Get the picture

Definitely out of office

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still working from home and the novelty of wearing PJs to meetings is wearing off, how about you switch things up and work from paradise? The Nautilus Maldives is offering jaded home workers the chance to do their spreadsheets from the Baa atoll UNESCO biosphere reserve for up to 21 days. The Workstation Package starts at $23,260 for seven nights in a beach hut with a computer, printer, phone, ocean-view desk, a dedicated personal assistant and daily yoga sessions. You can even Zoom from a sandbank with a shaded desk and high-speed wifi. charitable.travel/nautilus

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Global good news

GLOBAL

For good

good news

ble.travel ita

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NEW HOTEL

GOING SHOPPING? PAY IT FORWARD Charitable Shopping is now live, a new website which lets you buy your favourite things and give to charity at the same time. Just like Charitable Travel, Charitable Shopping is a social enterprise. You’ll need to register and choose your preferred

ACCESSIBLE NATURE IN OKINAWA Japan’s southernmost prefecture, subtropical Okinawa, will open a new luxury eco resort, Treeful Treehouse, in Spring 2021. Located in rural Nago on the north side of Okinawa Island on the banks of a river, it has four egg-shaped rooms with 360-degree views from an outside seating area with a hammock. The communal Aerohouse has bathrooms, relaxation rooms and a kitchen connected to the rooms via a series of floating walkways and jungle paths. A ‘Floating DNA Catwalk’ connects to the ground to make the resort accessible to wheelchair users. treeful.net

charity, then just browse the huge array of brands, click on the one you want to buy from and when you purchase Charitable Shopping gets a ‘thank you’ fee from the brand for directing you the site, which gets sent to your charity. charitable.shopping

CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT IN TENNESSEE, USA, IS THE FIRST AIRPORT IN THE COUNTRY TO RUN COMPLETELY ON RENEWABLE SOLAR ENERGY GOOD MOVE! 12

CHARITABLE TRAVELLER

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Andy Holmes/Unsplash

Global good news

Good to know... NEW CHARITY

FOCUS ON BRAIN CANCER The Tessa Jowell Foundation was launched in September on the birthday of former Labour MP Tessa Jowell, who died of brain cancer in 2018. The charity will be run by her daughter Jess Mills and will concentrate on continuing her mother’s mission to improve brain cancer treatment and care. tessajowellfoundation. org.uk

UK CRUISING

NEW BRITISH CRUISES LAUNCH Two cruise lines, Cunard and Hurtigruten, have announced new UK-based itineraries. Cunard will offer cruising around the British Isles for the first time in its 180-

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

VIRGIN RESORTS REACH OUT

Virgin Limited Edition,

year history, with five sailings, a mixture of three- four- and seven-nights, from Southampton aboard the Queen Elizabeth, starting on March 26 next year.

which has several luxury

Hurtigruten has a new 15-day expedition

resorts, runs charitable

cruise departing three times next year from

projects from its

Dover on the newly-refurbished MS Maud.

properties which have

cruise.charitable.travel

helped communities through the pandemic.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

The concept of sustainable tourism plays a key role in mediating conflicts between tourism and conservation, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Focused on analysing the founding of Koli National in Finland, the study shows how it created jobs as well as helped to protect nature - a win-win situation!

Eve Branson Foundation, at Kasbah Tamadot resort in Morocco, has been sewing face

NEW RESORT OPENING

masks and providing

CARIBBEAN DREAM

food support and PPE

Grenada has a new place

while Necker Island’s

to stay, The Point at Petite

Unite BVI has enabled

Calvigny, and it’s described as

a local gin distillery to

an ‘ultra-high-end boutique

produce hand sanitiser. charitable.travel/ limited-edition CLEVER STUFF

VIRTUAL HOLIDAYS If you can’t decide where to go on your next holiday, try a few

resort and luxury lifestyle and wellness destination’. It has three villas and 12 suites plus a gym and wellness centre, a spa, five pools, a beach bar and restaurant and a marina. The resort’s built using eco-friendly materials

options virtually instead

and offers activities ranging

with VTRIP, a clever

from CrossFit to meditation.

new digital platfrom. charitable.travel/VTRIP

charitable.travel/ point-calivigny

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Global good news

PONANT is the first international cruise line to join the Green Marine environmental certification programme which helps the marine industry reduce its environmental footprint and recognises initiatives like plastic and emissions reduction

SLOW TRAVEL

WEST VIRGINIA’S NEW FOREST RETREAT A new eco-conscious luxury treehouse resort will open next year, offering forest bathing in West Virginia’s Appalachian Mountains. Expected to meet net-zero energy and environmental impact guidelines, the resort will offer activities and workshops based on health, wellness and the environment, hosting art and performances too. Perched above Dawson Lake, each two-storey treehouse has a reading lounge on the ground floor and a bathroom and bedroom above with large windows. charitable.travel/west-virginia

Did you know? Without any new treatments and preventions, one in three people born in the UK this year will develop dementia in their lifetime. But you can help! When booking your next dream getaway, please consider choosing Alzheimer’s Research UK at the checkout and help fund vital dementia research. Alzheimer’s Research UK is the leading dementia research charity dedicated to making life-changing breakthroughs in diagnosis, prevention, treatment and cure. Visit Charitable Travel’s website to find out more: https://charitable.travel/alzheimers-research-uk/

Registered charity numbers - 1077089 & SCO42474

Peter Pichler Architecture

CRUISING

Global good news

HISTORY & CULTURE VOLUNTOURISM

TRAVEL FOR GOOD IN SOUTH AFRICA Travellers looking to make a difference in South Africa can book a new 10-day itinerary with The Royal Portfolio, a collection of luxury hotels. The Royal Portfolio Foundation

SAUDI ARABIA’S NEW STAR OPENS Archeological wonder AlUla is open to year-round visitors for the first time this October in Saudi Arabia. The project is a major move towards responsible tourism for the oil-producing nation. AlUla consists of several ancient archeological sites, including the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra, an ancient Nabataean city built by the same civilisation as Petra in Jordan. Visitors can also see rock tombs, the ‘open-air library’ of Jabal Ikmah where pre-arabic inscriptions are carved into the rocks and the ancient walled city of

itinerary incorporates four iconic

AlUla itself. Activities include star-gazing, desert buggy trips and walks

South African destinations and

in the Sharaan Nature Reserve to see wildflowers and wildlife like ibex.

hotels: Cape Town (The Silo

charitable.travel/alula

Hotel) Franschhoek (La Residence) Hermanus (Birkenhead House) and Kruger National Park (Royal Malewan) with participation in important community and conservation projects included. Experiences include visiting Lalela Project, which provides educational arts for at-risk youth in Cape Town or a day in the Outdoor Wildlife Classroom at Royal Malewane safari lodge, meeting the remarkable dogs and their handlers who protect endangered rhinos and other wildlife from poachers. The Royal Portfolio Foundation itinerary starts at R 150,000 (£7,500) per person. charitable.travel/royal-portfolio

PITTSBURG EPLEDGES TO ADD 120 MILES OF CYCLE LANES IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS. THE U.S CITY WILL ADD BIKE LANES, TRAILS AND LOW-TRAFFIC STREETS CALLED ‘NEIGHBOURWAYS’ TO REDUCE TRANSPORT-RELATED EMISSIONS BY 50% BY 2030. .

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SUSTAINABILITY

GREAT GOALS The Travel Corporation, which represents 40 brands including Trafalgar, Contiki, Uniworld and Red Carnation Hotels, has a new five-year sustainability strategy. Goals include carbon neutrality by 2030, using more renewable energy and improving diversity, and animal welfare. charitable.travel/travelcorporation

CHARITABLE TRAVELLER

Plastic solutions

Masking the problem With Covid-19 causing mayhem, have we all forgotten a potentially more pressing problem for humanity? Laura Gelder talks plastic

CHARITABLE TRAVELLER

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Plastic solutions

are refusing to serve you coffee if you want it in your keep-cup, supermarket delivery services are back to using plastic bags and plastic bottles of alcohol hand gel are selling like hot cakes. Has the world forgotten something? Plastic has been a hot topic for some time. Barely a day goes by when I don’t receive a press release lauding a travel company’s efforts to eradicate single-use plastic from their operations. And good for them! But is it enough to get rid of straws? Probably not.

Illustration by djvstock

f you’ve left the house recently then you’ve probably happened upon the latest and greatest offender in the plastic world, lying in your local gutter or fluttering from a barbed wire fence – the disposable mask. While many people have embraced this irritating but now must-have accessory, purchasing ones they can wash and use again in the latest fashionable prints or football team colours – many have bought single-use plastic masks. Add to that the fact that cafes

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Cristian Palm

er/Unsplash

Toa Heftiba/Unsplash

Plastic solutions

More plastic than fish the stark fact is that plastics can Plastic Oceans UK was the first only be recycled so many times NGO to raise awareness about before they have to be downthe impact of plastic pollution cycled into something that will on the ocean. More than end up in landfill, because, eight million tonnes of like paper, plastic is plastic enter the seas made from fibres each year, causing which shorten each harm that we time you recycle it. might not yet fully Unlike paper The Marine Conservation Society has a petition to call understand to our though, it doesn’t for new legislation which will marine ecosystems just break down require washing machines which we depend and the much to have built-in filters. on to mitigate talked about ‘Great mcsuk.org climate change and Pacific Garbage ensure our survival. Patch’ is proof of that. What’s more, 80% of Although according to that plastic comes from what we British charity, Just One Ocean, the throw away. truth is that there is no floating I used to feel quite good about plastic island, it’s “more of a plastic my own recycling efforts, after all, I soup covering vast areas.” empty my recycling bin four times Perhaps you’ve been to a pub and more than my other bin! But then I drank outside recently, or enjoyed started looking into what recycling trendy street food from a market. plastic means and I found that it’s Often the drink comes in a cup by no means a solution. You see, which sounds green and friendly

Stop microfibres

Imagine caring for a seriously ill or disabled loved one. Then add Covid-19 to the mix. Please help us raise £1 million to fund vital respite breaks #CareForCarers charitable.travel/revitalise

Plastic solutions

Take

– using words like ‘plantbased’, ‘compostable’ or ‘bio-plastic’. The reality is that these aren’t necessarily much better. Last year the BBC reported that many plant-based containers were still going to landfill in the UK because we just don’t have the facilities to deal with them – in other words industrial composting plants which add heat and oxygen to help them degrade.

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Action on plastic

It’s all a bit depressing but there is good news and a raft of charities fighting back against the plastic tide. The Sealife Trust gets its supporters to hold regular beach and river cleans near their homes or work places throughout the year. Last year it organised its first 24 Hour Global Beach Clean: 40 teams from all over the world took part, starting with sunrise in New Zealand and ending with sunset in California. All in all, 2,442 volunteers collected almost 2,000kgs of litter from the planet’s beaches, rivers and waterways - the equivalent weight of two adult beluga whales! Support the Sealife Trust and you’ll also help to fund the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in the UK and a Beluga Whale Sanctuary in Iceland. If you fancy using your spare time to tackle plastic then join Sea Champions, the Marine Conservation Society’s nationwide volunteer programme. You can support in a variety of ways, from organising hands-on beach cleans to giving talks, attending local events or raising funds. Alex Milden from Cornwall leads school workshops and runs beach surveys and cleans, while Karli Drinkwater from landlocked London dressed up as a giant orange crab and stood outside Westminster, shouting for the government to create

Join Surfers Against Sewage for a Mass Unwrap. This simple organised action highlights the level of plastic packaging in supermarkets and puts pressure on them Marine Conservation Zones! Do you feel despair on your weekly shop, as you struggle to find anything not wrapped in plastic? Join Surfers Against Sewage for a Mass Unwrap. This simple organised action highlights the level of plastic packaging in supermarkets and puts peoplepressure on them to change. Individuals, families, friends and communities can all take part and the charity has more details of how on their

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Brian-Yurasits/Unsplash

Plastic solutions

website, but the idea is you do your weekly shop, pay as normal and then unwrap the food to put in your re-useable containers. The plastic is collected by volunteers and put in empty trollies, leaving the supermarket to deal with their ugly problem. Plastic Oceans UK has a great guide on how to reduce your plastic footprint. Do you know â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the five Rs of the waste hierarchyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;? Repeat them now: reduce, reuse, refuse, recycle and rot. This guide focuses on the small actions you can take to make big changes. Do you ever head out with your reusable water bottle, only to drink it all and then struggle to find anywhere to fill it? Charity SeaChangers created a fund this year, awarding grants to communities so that that they could provide refill water fountains, reducing the use of single-use plastic drink bottles and marine litter. Donations to Sea-Changers fund an array of grassroots projects like

this, which help to protect coastal include a plastics recycling habitats. You can apply for a grant training centre in Cameroon. on its website if you have an idea. City to Sea is on a mission Greenpeace funds research which to stop plastic pollution at has found plastic pollution source by reducing in Antarctica and takes demand. By a keen interest in engaging with microplastics, which influential brands, can be swallowed retailers and Get a Rashâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;r three-layer mask by everything from businesses it comprised of recycled polyester zooplankton to blue aims to change made from reclaimed ocean whales, carrying behaviour and waste. If you do then â&#x201A;Ź1.50 toxins into the food inspire collective goes to City to Sea to fight plastic pollution. chain. It has also action. PPE litter citytosea.org.uk helped consumers to is its latest target. make better choices by According to City to ranking UK supermarkets in Sea between the end of a plastic league table, which you February and mid-April this can find on its website. year more than a billion items For anyone who has experienced of PPE were given out in the UK dismay about the level of plastic alone. Raise awareness by sharing pollution while abroad, Wasteaid a picture of yourself in a reusable is a charity set up by waste mask with #choosetoreuse and management professionals to tagging @CityToSea. to share practical and low-cost So, there is lots we can all do. waste management know-how We can fight plastic on the with communities in low income beaches and in the streets. We countries. Examples of its projects will never surrender!

ncy/Unsplash Macao Photo Age

Plastic solutions

John Came ron

/Unsplash

Need a new mask?

A Life on our Planet

Michael Palin – Travels of a Lifetime

Delayed by Covid-19 but more relevant than ever, David Attenborough’s seminal feature film is finally out in cinemas and on Netflix – part dire warning of climate change, part retrospective on his incredible 60-year career as Britain’s most famous naturalist. “I am David Attenborough and I’m 93. This is my witness statement,” he begins before showing us his experience of the earth’s beautiful diversity juxtaposed with the awful damage that humans have wrought on it. But, he says, “if we act now we can yet put it right,” so watch to the end.

Daniel Olah/Unsplash

Another travel legend takes to our screens this October for another retrospective on a well-travelled life. BBC 2 will air a series looking back at the Monty Python member’s other career as a travelling TV presenter. More details will be revealed soon but the four-episode series will see him reflect on how travel has evolved over time and the impact of globalisation. It will almost certainly be more funny than David Attenborough’s film and apparently has some surprise guest appearances.

Film & TV

Ryan McNamara

ARMCHAIR

travel time

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Rogue Trip

It’s been on Disney Plus since the summer and it stars veteran U.S. correspondent and news anchor Bob Woodruff, who famously sustained a major brain injury from a bomb in Iraq, and his 28-year-old son, Mack. The pair visit ‘rogue’ places like Colombia and Pakistan and give a mostly positive picture of the destination behind the headlines. While the father and son formula is a bit tried and tested, it’s genuine here and what’s interesting is Bob’s die-hard quest for the story versus his son’s desire to capture every day lives in his photography.

CHARITABLE TRAVELLER

Piotr Chrobot/Unsplash

Book

The author of this non-fiction book, Rory Putman, is a professional biologist with experience of working in the UK and overseas. He takes readers with him on working trips to Iceland, East Africa, Nigeria and Indonesia, introducing the countries, their people and their natural history, while explaining some of the wildlife issues which took him there in the first place. The understanding required to solve problems and seek solutions in conservation means you get quite a unique perspective on the countries he visits.

Michael Blum/U nsp

A Biologist Abroad

lash

If it’s not time to pack the suitcase but you’re yearning to travel, find inspiration on the box or in a book. Here are our recommendations...

2020 Children’s Art Competition The time in lockdown has created a sense of unity in our community and the London Tourism Cooperative want to mark this by asking young talented artists to enter our exciting competition. Is there a budding artist or photographer in your home? Enter for your chance to win a £150 Tommy Hilfiger Kidswear gift voucher and have their artwork displayed at London’s ICON outlet shopping at The O2 in Spring 2021. Who can enter? There are three age groups (0-6, 7-11 and 12-16 years old) so households can submit more than one entry increasing the chances of winning. Charitable Partners

What do I need to do? Create a piece of art inspired by all things British, from the clap for carers to our diverse ‘national spirit’ – let your imagination run wild! There are two categories to choose from – real life – entries using the more traditional approach of paints, pastels, acrylics, pens or pencil. And go wild category – for those of you who want to ‘go wild’ in every sense of the word. To enter this category, experiment with textiles, sculpture, recycled and eco-friendly materials, collages – anything goes! The competition is organised by the London Tourism Cooperative (LTC) a not for profit tourism marketing consortium focused on driving London’s tourism and hospitality industries recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. How to enter Please visit www.charitable.travel/art for more details of how to enter. Terms & Conditions Festival of Hope 2020 Art Competition is open to UK and Ireland residents only. One lucky person will win the voucher whilst multiple people will have their artwork displayed at London’s ICON outlet shopping at The O2 in Spring 2021. We must receive entries for the competition by noon on 31 December 2020.

Supporting Partners

*If shortlisted, we will require the actual artwork. If you want your artwork returned, please supply a self-addressed stamped envelope with the correct postage and packaging. When taking a photo of your artwork to send to us, please make sure you use natural lighting. Dark or unnatural light can result in distorted image colour/appearance. We aim to inform all winners within 21 days of the closing date. All entrants must be under 19 and should ask permission from a parent or guardian before entering. Prizes are subject to availability. If, in circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to provide the stated prize, we will try to arrange an alternative prize of a similar value. No cash alternative will be offered. The LTC reserves the right to cancel the competition at any time, if deemed necessary or if circumstances arise outside of the Cooperative’s control.

B o ok a t r i

w il d J a to p an

A SACRED WALK The Kumano Kodo is a sacred pilgrimage route across the mountains of Wakayama (south of Kyoto) that’s been walked for a thousand years but was once reserved for emperors and samurai. You don’t have to be religiously-minded to appreciate the quiet, shaded trails, mountain and Pacific views and serene Shinto temples. Different sections offer walks of varying difficulty but all have welcoming guesthouses.

SMOKING ALPINE VIEWS At the centre of Japan’s northern island, Hokkaido, Daisetsuzan National Park is the first place in Japan to see the russet blush of autumn and the first to be touched by snow. The highest peak is Mount Asahi, one of several active volcanoes and in summer hikers can enjoy colourful carpets of alpine flowers, clear lakes and dense forests. This pristine wilderness is also home to brown bears.

MAGICAL FOREST Yakushima is a sub-tropical island home to the ancient forest that inspired the mystical setting for Studio Ghibli’s eco warrior anime film Princess Mononoke. The island has a mountainous interior but the forest is the star, a fairytale scene with giant 1000-year-old Japanese cedar trees, mosssmothered, twisting roots and babbling streams. Dense foliage hides macaque monkeys and delicate Yaku deer, while loggerhead turtles nest on the beaches.

WILD COAST San’inkaigan National Park spans 75 kilometres of coastline where powerful waves from the Sea of Japan and strong seasonal winds have whipped the land into fantastical shapes. Discover hidden sandy coves, mysterious tunnels and caves, tidal pools and the swirling, mesmerising Tottori Sand Dunes. Try sand-boarding or snorkelling and spot foxes, tanuki (raccoon dogs), huge flocks of birds and endangered white stork.

A VALLEY LOST IN TIME The Kiso Valley is home to the Nakasendo trail, one of five ancient highways that connected Edo (old Tokyo) and Kyoto. Because travellers during this time made the journey on foot, the valley is dotted with historic towns where weary travellers can still stop to eat and rest. The most preserved of these post towns is Tsumago, a village of wooden shuttered houses, winding stone streets and mountain views. Stay a while before you take to the hills to follow the ancient road.

FIVE WILD

Japanese places

Japan isn’t all neon-lit crowds, busy sushi bars and crowded crossings, discover its green and natural side, away from the crowds .

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GENDER

agenda This month’s fellow social enterprise is Women in Travel, a company helping to address the gender imbalance in the travel industry. We talk to founder Alessandra Alonso

What is Women in Travel all about?

Women in Travel CIC (CIC meaning ‘community interest company’) uses travel and tourism as a force for good, to empower underrepresented and marginalised women, by providing training, mentoring, support and guidance which ultimately leads to their employment in the sector. At the heart of Women in Travel is the belief that sustainability can only be achieved by keeping

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women at the heart of societies and communities. When women are empowered, communities thrive! We consist of a senior team of three and two part-time staff plus an Advisory Board.

Why did you start it?

I’ve worked for over 20 years in the travel industry and over 15 of those in roles supporting women. I noticed a remarkable lack of women in senior positions and went on to co-found the very first gender consultancy service in the sector, which also launched the very first awards for women operating in travel, tourism, hospitality and events. After I left that company my passion was still strong so in 2017 I formalised Women in Travel as a social enterprise. In 2018 BAME Women in Travel was launched and in 2019 Jamie Lee Abtar joined as Executive Director for BAME Women in Travel.

Why do women need help in this sector?

Women are at the heart of the travel industry yet often disregarded and underrepresented in the decisionmaking process. The industry’s workforce is overwhelmingly female worldwide (up to 70% in some countries), yet very few positions at the top are occupied by women (female managers and above account for 25% globally). And that’s despite the fact that 80% of all leisure travel decisions are made by women!

Why are you a social enterprise?

We see our role as an advocate for gender equity and overall diversity, but we focus on action over words. Coming from the private sector, I wanted to offer a tangible, commercial service that would be valued by industry as it helped them address a gender imbalance while also making an impact on women.

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What is your biggest hurdle?

Our key struggle is to be understood by both companies and funders. Social enterprises have been recognised in the UK for over a decade but many people still do not know what we are about and how what we do matters to society.

Has Covid-19 affected you?

We have had to rethink the way we work and how we continue to make a positive impact on our beneficiaries. The definition of vulnerable has changed and our support now extends not only the marginalised but also those who have suddenly

How has the Black Lives Matter impacted you?

We launched our BAME-focused initiative two years ago but it is clear that BLM has accelerated the need to address the issues of racism, diversity and inclusion. Bearing in mind that the industry is all about opening up borders, we are not exactly walking the talk! Jamie-Lee is fronting some great initiatives for BAME Women in Travel. From a Corporate Membership Package to new downloadable products and

w an g e a Ch

masterclasses, there is plenty both individuals and companies can do to tangibly demonstrate they are committed to put substance beyond the black square!

What have been your biggest successes?

We measure success mostly in terms of social impact and positive changes to our beneficiaries and by the end of summer we will have supported some 200 women through training and mentoring. The journey has only just started but when a woman finds a job or says ‘you have changed my life’, I feel we are successful already.

How do you see the future?

As consumers look closer to home for their next holidays, it will be even more important for women to establish their presence within communities. There will be more opportunity for women to accelerate self-employment and enterprising, particularly BAME women who are often running side-hustles that could become fully-fledged, successful businesses.

Equal opportunities

Find out more about how you can help Women In Travel by emailing alessandra@ womenintravelcic.com or visiting the website womenintravelcic.com

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We have worked with many partners in the UK and internationally. We have a Women Returners programme to get women back to work in the sector, in collaboration with charities including Crisis UK and Refugee Council. Currently we are busy supporting women who have suffered from job and income loss in London through our FEAST programme, sponsored by the European Social Fund, as well as internationally and UK-wide through our mentoring circles and inspirational events. These activities prepare women to find new employment opportunities, give them a safe space to talk and the confidence necessary to keep going at these challenging times.

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What action are you taking?

lost income and are struggling to support their family and keep their home. When recession hits, women suffer over and above and the pandemic has been terrible, not just because of unemployment but in terms of domestic abuse, domestic workload and exposure to healthrelated risk. As women are made redundant from this industry they will inevitably move to jobs outside the sector and may never return but we see an opportunity to attract women refugees and other marginalised or vulnerable women to the sector who are often ‘invisible’ to employers. They are talented and available but have neither the confidence nor the network to access it. This is where we come in, making the invisible visible, providing support and creating a win-win situation for women and industry.

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Urban Adventures in Denver, Colorado Gateway to the American West! SAMPLE DENVER’S CRAFT BREWS

Let the Denver Beer Trail be your guide to some of The Mile High City’s 150 unique craft breweries, many of which are located in the walkable city center. Or, learn from the experts on a guided beer tour!

EXPERIENCE A WALKABLE CITY CENTER.

It’s easy when you take the train from Denver International Airport to Denver Union Station that features farm-to-table restaurants, The Terminal Bar and Cooper Lounge, and hop on the free 16th Street Mall shuttle to explore more of downtown.

BE INSPIRED BY ART!

LISTEN TO MUSIC UNDER THE STARS!

No music lover’s bucket list is complete without experiencing a concert at the world-famous Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre; and, during the day, you can hike the park’s scenic trails amidst ancient, giant boulders.

Visit Denver Art Museum, home to famous Western and American Indian art collections. General admission is free to all youth age 18 and under every day and includes transportation for eld trips for underserved schools, granting more kids access to art.

EXPLORE DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOODS.

Make your way through creative neighborhoods that surround the city center like Highlands, Art District on Santa Fe, Golden Triangle Creative District and RiNo (River North) offering colorful street art, intimate live music venues, craft breweries and urban food halls.

@el_chan_guri @ddaatteelliinnee

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The classics

Copenhagen is packed full of beautiful buildings. Watch the changing of the guard (11.30am) at Amalienborg Palace – the winter home of the Danish royal family. From here, take a walk along the waterfront to the star-shaped Kastellet, one of the bestpreserved fortresses in Northern Europe, with picturesque berry red barracks and cobbled streets. Close to here is the underwhelming but must-see Little Mermaid statue of Hans Christian Andersen’s most famous character. Walk thorough neighbouring Østre Anlæg Park to the fairytale Rosenborg Castle with its green turrets and symmetrical gardens. Finally, head down Gothersgade street to Nyhaven and spend the evening in Copenhagen’s most famous spot. Pitch up like the locals, legs dangling above the canal, can of beer in one hand, hotdog in the other, and gaze at the reflection of the multi-coloured houses in the water.

Nordic food is so beautiful it’s rude not to take photos. Head to Høst for flower-adorned dishes and rustic decor .

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COPENHAGEN

Postcard from

to Copen rip

Going off-beat

You have to ride a bike in Copenhagen, it’s the done thing. Pedal over to Christianshavn, a workingclass neighbourhood turned hipster hangout/hippy commune. The latter is ‘Freetown’ Christiania, a naval base now emblazoned with

Visit Hans Christian Andersen’s grave at Assistens Kirkegård, a green and peaceful cemetery graffiti and bathed in a marijuana haze – grab a beer and wander through the ‘Green Light District’. After that, clear your head with a ride along the reed-fringed waterfront home to peculiar homemade houses. You’ll pass the famously cool Noma restaurant but you won’t get in so go to Reffen instead, the largest street food market in the Nordics. Sit in a deckchair by the water and feast. End the day at Kødbyen, a former meat-packing district where the whitetiled warehouses have replaced choice cuts with craft beers and DJs.

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South Africa safari

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South Africa safari

Animal attraction A first-time safari exceeds every expectation for Laura Gelder, as she learns the ways of the bush and discovers some unexpected and unsung heroes

n alarm is sounding, shrilly cutting through the silence of the bush like an electric saw, but the leopard really isn’t concerned. I’m watching closely and a paw twitches, almost imperceptibly, but she stays stationary, her fashionably-patterned belly rising and falling gently as she pants in the already stifling morning heat. The sound comes from a tiny bird, which flies in front of our jeep screeching at the top its voice and flapping its wings in a mad panic. It’s as if it’s saying: “What are you doing? There’s a massive leopard right there, get out of here – save yourselves!” The drongo, our safari ranger Jaben tells us, is one of the security guards of the bush. They are always on hand to let smaller animals know when a predator is about. It’s an unremarkable looking creature, small and black like a

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blackbird but with a forked tail, and not a bit as glamorous as the gloriously flashy lilac-breasted roller we spotted earlier. But I appreciate my plucky feathered friend’s warning, even if we are perfectly safe in our sturdy jeep with our rifle-wielding companions. In Sabi Sands, the boundary between the raw natural world and the comfort of a holiday resort is always blurred. My boyfriend, his parents and I are staying in Simbambili Game Lodge, one of several on this private reserve in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park. Its luxurious stilted suites are dotted among dense stands of knobthorn and jackalberry trees along the currently bone-dry Manyeleti River and perfectly placed opposite a water hole, artificially topped up by the owners, where animals gather to feed throughout the day. On the first evening, after

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South Africa safari

SIMBAMBILI GAME LODGE

Next stop.. South Africa is one of many safari destinations, here are some other great wildlife hot-spots Botswana This elephant haven has unique topography which makes for a series of very different experiences and diverse wildlife. Go on safari by boat, in the vast, green wetlands of the Okavango Delta; stalk black-maned lions in the Kalahari’s grasslands or meerkats in its arid salt pans; or run with the herds in Chobe National Park which has Africa’s largest concentration of game. Namibia If you can’t afford a ticket to space, head to Namibia to search for wildlife in its other-worldly landscapes. The towering, shifting red dunes of Sossusvlei is like a different planet to the grassy plains of Etosha National Park, where you can see flocks of flamingos and the smallest antelope in the world. Then there’s the Skeleton Coast where swirling mists hide colonies of seals.

Simbambili Game Lodge

Kenya The Masai Mara is what you imagine when you think ‘safari’ - teeming savannahs and the silhouette of flat-topped acacias against a burnt orange sunset. Here you can get the best seat in the house for nature’s most dramatic event - the great migration - and watch as thousands of wildebeest and other animals thunder past.

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dinner we venture out onto our private deck to gaze at the stars, which burn bright in the absence of street lights. We’re swaddled comfortably in the balmy night air but it’s not long before the peace is destroyed again, when an almighty crash signals the approach of something. We listen, frozen next to

after dark. Two nights later, a guest nips back to her room to get some reading glasses and gets stuck when they find her sitting outside their door, a dangerous interpretation of ‘cat on the mat’. I’ve never been on an African safari before but I’m instantly hooked. The day starts early, leaving at

Staring into the pale gold eyes of a young male lion, perched imperiously above us on a termite mound is unforgettable. He strolls casually towards us... each other, our eyes straining into the black. The prolonged drought means the undergrowth is brittle and as whatever it is gets closer we stand back from the railings and listen to the snap, crackle and pop pass right by our noses. The next morning our suspicions are confirmed, it was a herd of elephants looking for food, and they came so close we could probably have reached out and touched their leathery hides as they plodded by. Apparently there’s a resident leopard here too, she was born under the resort’s decking and still likes to hang out here, hence the need for an armed escort between your room and the restaurant

5am to beat the heat. Jaben and Rodney, our tracker, drive us around the reserve looking for wildlife for a few hours before a sumptuous breakfast and a day of relaxing on the deck. Then, as the sun starts to dip and the intense heat subsides, we head out again, stopping only for a ‘sundowner’ – mine’s a gin and tonic and they make a mean one – until darkness falls completely. The principle aim is to see the Big Five – lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and Cape buffalo – a term coined by hunters to describe the five most difficult animals to hunt on foot. Happily it’s now mostly used in safari vernacular and the feat is accomplished by

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Water of life

SERVICE WITH

A SMILE

than the morning after pill, I muse, while sipping a cold beer. Of course, the Big Five impress too. Staring into the pale gold eyes of a young male lion, perched imperiously above us on a termite mound, is unforgettable. The size of his paws compared to my own cat back home is what I note, as he strolls casually towards us and slumps in touchable distance, using us in the charming way that only cats can for the shade our jeep provides, just as my Burmese Gabby would on a hot summer’s

AFRICAN SUNSETS ARE MADE TO BE WATCHED

Hu Chen/Unsplash

sanitation and hygiene projects to communities across Africa and the rest of the world. justadrop.org

Simbambili Game

seeing them, not killing them. rejected 12 times too and eventually I can’t imagine why anyone she gets bored, retrieves her bone would find any glory in killing from the murky depths and trots any of the Big Five or any of the off into the bushes. We follow for other captivating creatures, great a while, all rooting for him, as he and small, which we happen pursues her doggedly through upon. The study of them is so the undergrowth, always at a endlessly rewarding and what respectful distance. They aren’t really strikes me is how unexpected dogs at all though, we’re told, characters, like the Drongo, closer to cats and not dissimilar provide just as much fascination to bears in many ways. as the big guns of the bush. I become slightly obsessed with We spend a whole hour, one these reviled scavengers and sweltering afternoon, observing two grow to respect them more and hyenas in a stand-off over a dirty more as the days go by. Back at bone. The female sits in the middle the plunge pool I read that female of a muddy pool, guarding it under spotted hyenas were once thought her paws and watching balefully to be hermaphrodites because they as the male tries, unsuccessfully, to sport an enormously elongated approach the situation delicately. clitoris, through which they In the hyena world, Jaben tells urinate, copulate and give birth. us, women are dominant. This is Youch! This does have its up-sides patently obvious as we watch him though, it makes it challenging for perform a cringing dance a male to get his end away around her and 12 and it means she can attempts at contact by change her mind sloping towards her after sex and flush in an obsequious his sperm out with bow. This gesture her urine – genius Just a Drop helps to bring of courtship is and much easier sustainable and safe water,

Lodge

South Africa safari

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curled protectively around her offspring’s wrinkled little bottom as it hurries beside her. It’s strangely emotional and I shed a tear behind my sunglasses for these almighty and humbling creatures. Later we find some male elephants crashing about in a thick swathe of bush and learn that young males often hang out in bachelor groups before they mate. A life-long animal lover and over-sensitive soul, I’ve always been prone to anthropomorphise but with elephants I can see that I’m not totally off the mark. Simbambili is pure luxury and although we experience visceral nature out in the bush, I always feel cocooned. We don’t see any death – a lifeless impala being dragged up a tree by a determined pregnant leopard is the closest – but we often feel like we’re on the verge of observing a kill. One morning we accompany a pack of African wild dogs on the scent of a potential meal.

day in the garden. “They are just massive great cats,” I think out loud, and Jaben agrees kindly. Elephants are ten-a-penny in Sabi Sands but we never tired of seeing them and a highlight is seeing a three-day-old elephant up-close. The mother and child peel off from the herd and parade right past us, seemingly in a show of bursting parental pride, mum’s trunk always

adventure

South Africa safari

WATCHING FOR WI LD

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South Africa safari

An otherworldly sound rings out that

These beautiful and endangered the look out for a free lunch. Later animals are something of a rarity we have the privilege of seeing in many parts but here they are hyena puppies, lying in their own quite common. Also known as urine but still impishly adorable painted wolves, they are patched with their oversized snouts and black and tan with splashes of clumsy paws. But my growing white, have large, round upright love affair with hyenas is briefly ears and a fluffy white brush of a stalled that evening when I hear tail. Rodney spots them from afar, their laughter for the first time. as usual, and Jaben swings into We’re treated to a bush dinner, pursuit so that we are soon racing an epic buffet in the middle of alongside them, bumping up and nowhere, where the wine flows down over the rough ground in a and the smell of sizzling kudu thrilling chase, the wind in our hair. melts into the night. But as we That’s one of the fun things about stand to head back to the lodge, Sabi Sands - the topography lends an otherworldly sound rings out itself to stealth and chase. It might which makes the hairs on the back not look like the flat, green African of my neck stand up instantly. First plains you’ve seen in National a whooping sound, starting low Geographic, with distant snowbut ending high, reverberates from capped peaks, but rumbling along the shadows, a call apparently as a dry riverbed, not knowing what’s individual as a fingerprint. As we around the corner or hiding in follow our guide’s torchlight the the trees above, is exciting. sounds build in intensity and Soon we notice we’re burst into ominous cackles not the only ones which seem to echo following the dogs, from every angle. loping hyenas There’s no denying appear, always on my creeping sense For Africa provides food,

Children are the future

education and healthcare to Africa’s most vulnerable children and they need more help than ever since Covid-19 arrived. forafrica.org.uk

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sound reverberates from the shadows...

TRY TO S POT A SPOTT ED HYENA

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stand up instantly. First a whooping

ALWAYS SMILING SIMBAM BILI STA FF

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makes the hairs on the back of my neck

of foreboding - now I understand why these iron-jawed spectres are so dreaded and why they’re associated with witchcraft. Of course, there is nothing to fear, and it’s actually the next night when I get a real shock. I slope off from the car bonnet bar for a wee while the gin and tonics are being prepared and my boyfriend, acting as lookout, pretends he’s seen a lion when I’m at my most vulnerable (classic move). But we both start when armed guards suddenly appear out of nowhere in the dusk. Wearing military fatigues and carrying some serious weaponry,

SABI SANDS IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO SEE LEOPARD

WATERHOLE SUITE, SIMBAMBILI GAME LODGE

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South Africa safari

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they look like they mean business. bush beside us, sprinting away with It’s the anti-poaching unit of course, its spindly tail pointing straight up, and they do, they’re here to make the fluffy tip bouncing in the breeze. sure no one gets to the rhino. Jaben says we’re ready for a bush On the last day we get to see a walk so, fortified with coffee and rhino in a way I never would have biscuits, we set off across the sunthought possible. The game drive baked earth, disturbing a flock of starts as normal. We pass spherical guinea fowl who a troop of wildebeest, scatter, heads bobbing oversized heads in the direction of down and grazing, freedom. We pick our and some way between termite Every 12 hours a rhino is graceful zebra mounds to keep poached in Africa. Save this in the distance. ourselves in cover amazing animal by funding We finally see but only see animals community-led conservation two elusive in the distance, a and education to stop horn animals, a hippo – spiral-antlered kudu, a trade in its tracks just its back, mind lone warthog and some savetherhino.org – poking out of the buffalo, with their comical last remaining spot of horny centre partings. sludge in the dried up lake As we walk I see holes in the and a giraffe peering at us through ground and, flashing back to the the trees and then picking its way time I spent in Borneo, I ask Jaben across the bush slowly, purposefully what they are, though I think I and well away from us. Then one of already know. Spiders. Big hairy my favourites, a warthog, closer than tarantulas. “You can feel it biting,” ever as it bursts, startled, out of the he says, grinning as he pokes a

Save the rhino

THE DECK ABOV E THE RIVER

We are excited to welcome you back to Barbados! We know that while here, you will thoroughly enjoy our quality of life, celebrations, openness, inclusiveness, white sandy beaches, gorgeous Caribbean climate, culture and, the many nuances of a Bajan lifestyle. So hurry and book your next holiday and, let Barbados provide you with the perfect blend of rhythm, passion and unbelievable experiences! Visit Barbados

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@visitbarbados

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ZEBRAS GATHER AT THE WATERING HOLE

stick down one of the holes. We pass through a gully in single file and as we come out the other side, Jaben motions for us stop. “We’re going to find the rhino we saw yesterday,” he whispers. We already know that rhino are virtually blind, but is this a good idea? It’s too late to back out if it isn’t. The scrubland doesn’t offer as much cover as we’d like but we keep to it, acutely aware of every

JABEN FINDS A BUFFALO SKUL L

twig snapping under our feet. Suddenly, Jaben motions for us to stop. To our left is a thicket of thorny bushes and we spot a glimpse of a grey shape moving. Jaben tells us to stay still but most of all quiet because they have acute hearing. “You can’t outrun a rhino,” he adds, helpfully. Crouching in the dirt, my heart hammering, I hear our collective ragged breathing – adrenaline, not exertion – along

There is no cover in front and at one heart-stopping moment, when he’s only 12 metres away, his delicate ears swivel

Simbambili Game Lodge

in our direction A WHITE RHINO

UP-CLOSE TO WARTHOGS

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with the irritating buzz of a fly, distant birdsong and the rasp of cicadas. Suddenly he walks into the clearing straight ahead of us. There is no cover in front and at one heart-stopping moment, when he’s only 12 metres away, his delicate ears swivel in our direction. Magnificently muscular, the white rhino’s pre-historic profile is fearsome but he pads gently, head down, a little bird hopping down his long, squat body. The last we see of him is his tail, an absurdly small appendage for such an imposing beast. When we leave Sabi Sands I feel as if I’m leaving friends. I swear the group of impala we pass just before the gate are an official leaving party. I will never forget this place or the cast of characters I met. I still admire hyenas, the sustainability consultants of the bush, making sure nothing goes to waste. I want to be a cat - who doesn’t - but if this was possible I’d need to work towards a fairer division of labour between the sexes. And I love elephants. Is it possible that we can learn more about humanity from these grey giants than from ourselves? We would certainly all do well to listen to nature more.

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out more

s Film

the life of

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A DAY IN

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Kenyon Shankie, a freelance film maker for the charity My Life Films. His work stars people with dementia and helps them to reflect on a life well lived and connect with their loved ones I work in lots of different areas, from music videos to commercials, but working with My Life Films gives me a unique opportunity to tell people’s life stories in a meaningful way. Back home in New Zealand I worked for the government helping people on mental health benefits find fulfilling jobs. Interviewing people taught me to be mindful and patient, how to frame questions and when to move on from a topic or go back to it. My job at My Life Films is to show the highlights of a life so that a person with dementia can remember, reflect on it in a positive way and gain a better quality of life.

A typical day...

...doesn’t really exist! I can be up all night working for a client but mostly I like to get straight into work when I wake. My job for My Life Films is in stages. First, I meet the person and their family to find out what the key, pivotal moments have been in their life. We work out chronological life chapters, from being born, onto education, first job, marriage and so on. The next meeting is about selecting the music and the photos which we digitalise and show throughout the film. Filming the interview follows this and takes one or two half-days. Last is the editing which can take up to two weeks.

It's important...

…that the family trusts me and feels safe to tell their story, a process that can often give them a sense of catharsis. As well as the half-hour film, we offer a five-minute

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version where I do a voiceover telling the story of the person’s life over a series of photos. It’s aimed to help carers learn things about the person they work for and they really appreciate it because it gives them material for good conversation.

The hardest thing...

Story-telling to transform lives

My Life Films raise self-esteem and restore hope and dignity to people suffering with dementia, as well as giving families precious memories to cherish forever. mylifefilms.org

…is interacting with families who are having a really hard time because of the terrible effects of dementia. I think it’s worst for those close to the person with it as they are often full-time carers but when their loved one forgets their name it’s devastating. I don’t think there’s been a film I’ve worked on where people haven’t cried. I just try to be empathetic and to listen. Though it’s very rewarding, I often leave feeling quite mentally drained.

The best bit...

…is the film premier where the family gather to watch. It’s an emotional rollercoaster with lots of tender moments, laughing and people pointing and reminiscing. I meet fantastic people from all walks of life who have lived incredible lives and I love seeing old black and white photos and how people have changed.

I've learnt...

…that there are people who work really hard and have amazing experiences through their careers - like the surgeon or psychologist I met – and there are people whose lives are defined by really powerful relationships, but the only thing that really matters is to live life to its fullest doing all these great human things.

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four ways to help

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PREVENT SUICIDE

Suicide is the biggest killer of young people – male and female – under 35 in the UK. If someone tells you that they are contemplating the unthinkable, here’s what to do

Prevent young suicide

PAPYRUS is dedicated to shattering the stigma around suicide and equipping young people and communities with the skills to recognise and respond to suicidal behaviour. Hopeline: 0800 068 4141. papyrus-uk.org

ASK QUESTIONS WHEN NEEDED Ask open and honest questions and show that you’re listening by reflecting on what they say and clarifying what they mean if needed. Don’t jump in with solutions but instead allow them to express their problems first. Remember that, regardless of what has happened or your opinion on this, it is making a young person think about ending their life.

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ACKNOWLEDGE, DON’T MINIMIZE Don’t belittle their feelings by saying it’s ‘just a phase’, ‘you’ll grow out of it’ or ‘why is that even bothering you?’, no matter how hard you find it to understand. Don’t offer platitudes like ‘things will pick up’ or try to fix everything. Take the time to imagine what it’s like for that person, focus on their feelings and their experiences – not your own.

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Adrian Swancar/Unsplash

STAY CALM AND LISTEN Firstly, it is important not to panic and to listen to the person contemplating suicide – hear them out. It has taken them a lot of courage for them to be open and honest with you so it is important that you take what they say seriously and without judgment. As hard and as painful as it might be to just stay silent, you need to hear their reasons for wanting to die before you can focus on the many reasons they have to live.

REASSURE WITH HONESTY It’s absolutely okay to not know what to say. You’re a human being too and what you’re hearing might be terrifying for you, as well as the individual. If you don’t know how to respond, tell them that. But reassure them that you are glad they told you – this can be far more empowering and genuine than making something up. If you’re honest with them, they’ll be honest with you. Acknowledge the importance of what they’ve said and give them space and time to talk some more.

Anguilla

Wild at heart

Anguilla’s luxury resorts are some of the Caribbean’s most prized gems, but the island’s real treasures lie in the wild spaces between, says Lauren Jarvis, who visited in March

’m at the Pink Flamingo at 7am, the March sun already hinting at the tropical temperatures to come, while a cobalt clear sky confirms Anguilla’s much-preferred take on the Monday-morning blues.

Although firmly in Caribbean holiday mode, I’m not here to slurp on a hair-of-the-dog rum punch, nor am I still propping up the bar from a decadent night before

(Me? Never). I’m here to meet one of the island’s most famous and handsome residents: Martin. Flamboyant and with a definite strut, he’s not hard to find, and I soon spot him standing casually on one leg under a tree, surrounded by a gaggle of birds, every inch the beauty I believed he would be. “Martin’s a man of mystery,” says Jackie Cestero, who has been closely following his movements since he first visited the island in 2015. “We still don’t know where he came from, and although he used to arrive with a partner, now he’s usually seen alone. He stays for long periods of time before disappearing again, and seems to really enjoy our seafood.” A fully-fledged vegetarian, I realise Martin and I aren’t a match, so I capture some shots on my SLR and leave him to preen in peace amidst his admirers - a bonafide American flamingo is a superstar among birds after all, even in tropical Anguilla!

Cuba Jamaica

Anguilla Dominican Republic

Venezuela

JUNK’S HOLE BEACH

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Force of nature

Renowned for its stylish, highend resorts and dreamy, whitepowder shores – 33 stunning beaches and bays on an island just 16 miles long and three miles wide – Anguilla is a also haven for nature lovers and birdwatchers. With an active National Trust that runs marine, coastal and terrestrial conservation projects, this British Overseas territory in the Lesser Antilles has over 20 wetlands and salt ponds, including 16 Important Bird Areas (IBAs), designated by BirdLife International. Like Martin, American-born Jackie used to be a regular visitor to Anguilla, but unlike the solo

flamingo, great blue herons, glossy ibises and snow geese that spend winter here and move on, she and her husband decided to stay, buying land in the territory in 1995, days before Hurricane Luis hit. After her husband passed away in 2010, Jackie set up eco-tourism company, Nature Explorers Anguilla (natureexplorersanguilla. com), to introduce visitors to the island’s wild side. Later, when explorations are on hold during the travel ban, she dedicates time to her Bring Back the Buttonwoods project, restoring valuable mangrove habitats damaged by 2017’s

I soon spot him standing casually on one leg under a tree, surrounded by a gaggle of birds, every inch the beauty I

CARIMAR BEAC

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Hurricane Irma, and preparing itineraries for when tourists return. “Anguilla is incredibly resilient, and the island has responded well to this latest challenge, with just three confirmed coronavirus cases, all thankfully recovered,” she says over email on my return. “I’m hopeful we’ll succeed in opening up safely, and I’ll be guiding visitors to discover the beauty of our amazing wetlands and offshore cays again soon.

Jacqueline A Cestero Photography

believed he would be

Lauren Jarvis

Anguilla

ANGUILLA SEAFOOD

HOW THE LOCALS LIVE

MARTIN THE FLAMINGO

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Twitching hour

their eggs introduced, with I join Clarissa and Tashim from the majority of local fishermen the Anguilla National Trust adhering to the new regulations. (axanationaltrust.com) for a “The Anguilla National Trust nature hike along the monitors the nesting sites of island’s rugged coast, leatherback, hawksbill with its limestone and green turtles on and sandstone the main island and cliffs. We watch surrounding quieter soaring brown islands and cays,” The MCS Marine Turtle boobies and says Tashim. “Our Conservation Programme pelicans night-time turtle coordinates conservation research in the UK and catching the tours, which Caribbean to help protect wind, as scarlet run throughout these ancient mariners. pope’s head cacti September and mcsuk.org peek out from the October, offer an crags, and turtles rise incredible opportunity and fall in the dazzling to watch them coming blue waters of Little Bay below. ashore to lay their eggs.” Hunted since the time the Taino Outside of nesting season, people first arrived from South visitors can enjoy exciting turtle America to inhabit the island encounters snorkelling or diving 4,000 years ago, Anguilla’s turtle through the coral gardens of species are now protected. The the reef, or kayaking above the turtle fishery was shut down in seagrass beds around the island: 1995 and a moratorium banning rich feeding grounds for young all harvesting of turtles and green and hawksbill turtles.

CLARISSA & TA

SHIM

Halfshell heroes

Night fever

For an added splash of magic, head out on to the ocean at night with Liquid Glow (anguillakayak. com), paddling your own transparent, illuminated kayak, shining a light on Anguilla’s amazing aquatic world below. Glowing purple, yellow, blue and green, the kayaks’ see-through bottoms offer close-up views of spectacular sea creatures swimming in the warm waters of

Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts offer our guests an exquisite array of holistic services and amenities complemented by unrivalled oceanfront luxury. Endless Privileges® — where everything is included — features traditional and organic gourmet fare and unique cultural experiences in ultra-romantic seaside settings.

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Lauren Jarvis

Anguilla

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Lauren Jarvis

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the Caribbean Sea: VIP guests at a neon-lit nightclub of the deep. For over an hour, we watch sleek tarpons torpedoing through the waves, paddle gently above graceful spotted eagle rays, and glide over green turtles,

on to one of the Caribbean’s most celebrated beaches, Meads Bay. The perfect sweep of empty sand, softly lapping sea and backdrop of lush, green palms would be greeting enough, but the addition of a massage table,

Glowing purple, yellow, blue and green... spectacular sea creatures swimming in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea: VIP guests at a neon-lit nightclub of the deep somnambulantly scouring the shallows for a midnight feast. Attracted by our lights, tiny slivers of silver baitfish, known locally as ballyhoos, jump into the boat, hitching a ride and a rest until carefully caught and released back to join the party. It’s almost too fantastical to leave, floating under a star-spangled sky, and bobbing along on the best ‘ocean view’ in Anguilla.

uber-Zen soundtrack and island wonder-therapist, Big Joe, is the best ‘Hello’ ever – which reminds me that singer Adele was pictured holidaying with Harry Styles a

few doors down at Blanchards Restaurant and Beach Shack (blanchardsrestaurant.com) this January. But back to Joe. Every morning should start with Big Joe’s big healing hands soothing your stresses and strains away, while a Caribbean breeze whispers in your ear. Founder of La Severine Fitness & Massage, Joe runs a gym and studio in the island’s capital, The Valley, but will bring his massage table to you, with no rush and no hard product sell to ruin your 60 or 90 minutes of bliss. Who needs a boutique spa? Although the island’s highend resorts are eye-poppingly glamorous – drop in to neighbouring Malliouhana, Tranquility Beach, or Four Seasons Resort for a super-luxe fix over NIGHT KAYAKS

Healing hands

Next morning’s sun-drenched scene comes a close second, as I step out of my Beach View Villa at Carimar Beach Club (carimar.com), walk through the resort’s parrotpatrolled tropical gardens, and step

ANGUILLA’S TURTLES ARE PROTECTED

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Liquid Glow Anguilla

Lauren Jarvis

Anguilla

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Anguilla

drinks or dinner – the familyrun Carimar shares the same beautiful stretch of beach and sea for a fraction of the cost. That means more of your holiday dollars are freed-up for fun, to spend directly with the people who need it most – locals running independent businesses at one of the toughest times Caribbean travel has ever known. My last afternoon on the island is spent kicking up my heels on horseback, riding along the silky sands of Cove Bay, as kiteboarders fly from the white-caps, whipped up by the trade winds offshore. Tonia, owner of Seaside Stables (seasidestablesanguilla.com) leads the way, guiding us down from the beach and into the waves, where our steeds are reborn as seahorses in the surf. Just a week later, the world goes into lockdown and, for a while at least, all paradise seems lost. Now, as Earth’s special places

HIKING IN ANGUILLA’S EAST END

open up it’s time to make every journey count and a tourismdependent natural beauty like Anguilla is a good place to start.

How to do it

Lauren stayed at the Carimar Beach Club in a self-catering

Beach View Villa and flew from London Heathrow with KLM via Amsterdam (you can also fly with Air France via Paris) to neighbouring island St. Maarten and took a speedboat transfer to Anguilla with Calypso Charters. charitable.travel/anguilla

Magical Christmas in Prague Lights twinkle over historical town squares. Holiday aromas fill the air. A warm drink soothes cold hands. Come and enjoy Czech Republic and its Christmas markets with all your senses. charitable.travel/czech-republic #VisitCzechRepublic Prague

WHY I

donated... ...to Busy Bees Wollaston Pre-School: because It was a lifeline for me and my autistic son and its loving and dedicated staff deserve more funding for their amazing work, says Debbie Hodgson I have twins - George and Isabella – but when they were 18 water and I’d often arrive to pick him up and find poor Claire months old my son suddenly went silent and began to flap soaked through, but they were always smiling! like a little bird. The health visitor said there was nothing to During George’s first year at Busy Bees the staff helped me worry about but I knew different - having twins means you work towards his diagnosis, sending reports and helping me notice developmental differences quite dramatically. This was gain an education, health and care plan so that he could go the start of my two-year fight to diagnose him with autism. straight to a special school. So many children like him don’t A year later I approached my local pre-school Busy Bees with get this in place soon enough so they are forced to enter trepidation, fearing they would turn George away, but when mainstream schools and fail dramatically, often being excluded. I walked in it was like being given a warm hug. They just said, The twins are eight now and the difference between them “don’t worry, we will look after him”, and it was such a relief grows greater. It’s heart-breaking knowing they are on such because as the mother of a special needs child you often feel different paths but George is the most loving, giving child you very alone. could meet. He’s always smiling, he’s full of energy and he What’s more amazing is that they committed to having an surprises us every day! extra member of staff to give him one-on-one care before there When he was three and a half we were told that George was any funding in place. I know many children like George would never speak, live independently or work. But we proved who have been turned away from pre-schools because their that doctor wrong because he does speak. He often asks for child isn’t financially attractive. his sister and he turned to me the other day and asked “do you Busy Bees invested in George. He had a lovely lady called think this was the perfect day?” Claire dedicated to him and they sent her on autism Busy Bees is still based in the village hall and the six courses and brought in a speech and language ladies that work there have to set up and pack up therapist. Whatever he needed he got, so I every day. They aren’t highly paid but they are so knew he was 100% safe and loved. good at what they do that I’ve seen them move George lives in his own little world, an OFSTED inspector to tears!. Like many other although he’s the happiest boy going! pre-schools, Busy Bees is a charity which Early Years Alliance represents He has his interests – like Fireman Sam – relies on donations just to open its doors and 14,000 early years providers in the UK, which he’ll engage with but he can’t have Covid-19 has made fundraising even harder. including pre-schools, and helps them to deliver care and learning to over conversations and he thrives on a rigid George’s school is amazing but nothing will 800,000 families, as well as giving routine. At Busy Bees they say every child’s replace Busy Bees so they will always get my Covid-19 support.reyalliance.org.uk fascination should be met. George loved heartfelt gratitude and support.

Contribute to a good start

69% of early years

providers expect to operate at a loss over the next six months *

25% of early years

GEORGE & ISABELLA GRADUATING

providers say it’s likely they will be forced to close within the year *

CHARITABLE TRAVELLER Source: A report from the Early Years Alliance called The Forgotten Sector issued in June 2020

James Bond locations

I spy...

Do you watch James Bond for the locations as much as the man himself? Here are some 007 destinations for your eyes only...

Obi Onyeador/Unsplash

Jamaica, where it all began

At the start of new film, No Time to Die, Bond is trying to retire (again) in a lavish Jamaican villa. It’s a nod to Bond’s creator, the novelist Ian Fleming, who loved Jamaica and wrote all of the 007 books from his estate which he named Goldeneye. Fleming’s original villa is available for stays. It sleeps ten and is tucked inside a lush, tropical garden,

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with its own private beach and a team of staff to wait on you, including a butler, of course. But the ultimate Bond location on the island has to be where ‘that’ scene in Dr. No was filmed, when the tantalisingly-named Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) emerges from the sea in her white bikini. She’s not on Crab Key (which doesn’t exist) but in the turquoise waters of Ocho Rios. The explosive car chase where Bond is being pursued by Dr No’s assassins, the Three Blind Mice, is in the Blue Mountains. In the later film, Live and Let Die, voodoo-worshipping baddie Baron Samedi performs in a nightclub in the fictional nation of San Monique but he’s in Jamaica, in the lovers-only resort of Couples San Souci.

The Italian job Italy has been a firm favourite for Bond over the years. There was Roger Moore’s boat chase through the canals of Venice in Moonraker and Daniel Craig was filmed at two luxurious villas in Lake Como for Casino Royale. The latest film uses two locations new for Bond fans. The opening shot of

Evan Bollag/Unsplash

he 25th James Bond film is out in cinemas next April and promises the usual over-thetop action – fast and furious car chases and thrilling fights with deviant villains – but for many viewers the film locations are just as anticipated. Since the 1960s, Bond’s missions have inspired viewers to seek out exotic locations all over the world. Following in his footsteps usually makes for an exciting trip how about scuba diving with sharks in the Caribbean, hiking up a volcano in Japan or skiing down the French Alps? Or just glam up and enjoy a naughty weekend of martini-fuelled fun in an opulent European hotel. Here are some of Bond’s favourite destinations...

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James Bond locations

Far East fantasy

cards with the help of some high-powered binoculars and an earpiece. The white art deco curves of the Fontainebleau also hosted Elvis, Sinatra and the Rat Pack and still evoke retro American glamour today. Parts of License to Kill were set and filmed in the Florida Keys. Locations included the iconic Seven Mile Bridge and Ernest Hemingway’s home (also home to a colony of five-toed cats) on Key West. The island also stood in for Bimini in the Bahamas, where Timothy Dalton’s Bond first encounters psychotic henchman Dario, played by Benicio del Toro, in the Barrelhead Bar.

Latin lovers

Davi Costa/Unsplash

Sven Vahaja/Unsplash

the trailer is Matera (pictured left), but the car chase sequence jumps magically between this Basilicata town and Gravina in the neighbouring region of Puglia (when Bond jumps off its famous two-tier Roman bridge). Hewn from the rocky hillside it sits on, Matera was European Capital of Culture last year, and no wonder, since it’s one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Under the streets is a network of caves where people lived until the 1950s when it was declared ‘Italy’s shame’ due to extreme poverty. Now the caves are tourist attractions and boutique hotels welcome parttime troglodytes for sumptuous subterranean stays.

One of the Bond series’ Perhaps the most pitiable best-loved henchmen, bond villain of all time, the metal-mouthed Jaws, triple-nippled Scaramanga popped up for a second (played by a creepy but time in Moonraker as debonair Christopher assistant to the evil Drax Lee), did make up for his who plans to wipe out less-than-scary defect by human life on earth from having a pretty cool lair space. Rio’s Sugarloaf in the limestone peaks of Mountain is the setting Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay. for a fight, as Jaws bites through the cable car’s Accompanied by his diminutive assistant, Nick Nack, he wires, attempting to kill Roger Moore and the Bond Girl was The Man With the Golden Gun. du jour. Their implausible escape, zip-lining Some of the action from this film was also down the wire faster than the car, shows filmed in Bangkok, where Roger Moore spectacular views of the city. The action enjoys a high-speed boat chase through then jumps to the Amazon with a the capital’s waterways, known as klongs, sneaky cut to Iguazu Falls. The UK’s film and TV industry past floating markets and takes in a fight Panama doubled for Haiti and needs skilled, creative people at the kick boxing stadium. Bolivia in Quantum of Solace. The but it can be hard to break into Cat-stroking Blofeld’s volcano hideout harbour boat chase scenes where and tough to stay in. The Film in You Only Live Twice was filmed at Daniel Craig’s Bond first encounters + TV Charity offers financial and emotional support. Pinewood Studios, but the exterior, which the Billionaire villain Dominic Greene filmtvcharity.org.uk Connery and his accomplice Kissy Suzuki were supposed to be Port-au-Prince scale, is the still-smouldering Sakurajima but were actually filmed in Colon, a volcano, found just outside Kagoshima City. crumbling colonial Caribbean port which Other locations in this film include the tiny fishing sits at the entrance to the Panama Canal and has village of Akime and the hilltop castle, Himeji. The latter a rather disreputable atmosphere. was the setting for the ninja training school run by Tiger When Bond is in La Paz it’s actually Panama City Tanaka, where Bond trains for action and disguises and his posh hotel is the city’s National Institute of himself as a rather dubious Japanese chap. Culture. Later, Chile’s Atacama Desert is the star and an astronomy centre, the ESO Paranal Observatory, plays the stark eco hotel of Perla de las Dunas.

Screen test

Chase Baker/Unsplash

Fatal Florida

Although much of the action for Goldfinger was shot at Pinewood Studios in the UK or Switzerland, the opening scene where we meet the bullionobsesed Auric Goldfinger is set in the legendary Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel. It’s here that Bond breaks into his room to discover Goldfinger’s perky mistress, Jill Masterson, helping him cheat at

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Cat-stroking Blofeld’s volcano hideout in You Only Live Twice is the still-smouldering Sakurajima, found just outside Kagoshima city in Japan CHARITABLE TRAVELLER

Saskatchewan

Endless horizons

Alberta

Manitoba

Saskatchewan

Need some space? Follow in the footsteps of the pioneers and discover the vast skies and boundless expanse of the Canadian prairie in Saskatchewan, says Laura Gelder

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First Nations site of Wanuskewin, a heritage park in a grassy valley that’s been populated since mammoth stomped the earth 6,000 years ago. Proving that not everywhere here is flat, it’s famous for its bison jumps, where tribes of Northern Plains Indians drove herds of the beasts over a cliff to their death. A brutal way to die, but nothing went to waste, I’m told as I watch an energetic dance from a group of colourfully-dressed First Nations. The skin and fur was used for tipis; the ribs made into sleighs; the sinew became taut bow strings and the tail was used to swat flies. But when white men arrived, living on the plains changed forever. In the 1890s the government painted a glowing picture of the rich lands of Saskatchewan, naming it the ‘Last Best West’ and fuelling an

Tandem-X/U

fly into Saskatoon from Calgary, across a vast, rumpled patchwork quilt of beige and teal, dotted with the odd toy farmhouse, marooned in a vast grass ocean. I’ve never been to Canada and Saskatchewan is far from the obvious place to start. Even most Canadians know it for just two things: farming and being flat. Just as I think the flat will never end, or we’ll fall off the end of it, the city rises suddenly from the prairie, grid-patterned evidence of humanity with a tiny cluster of shiny high-rises straddling the South Saskatchewan River. Checking into the Sheraton, it’s hard to believe this was once a wild west town, but to understand the history of Saskatchewan you need to go further back. Up-river is the

The prairie is slightly undulating and we pass royal blue lakes where flocks of white birds perch to feed and countless farms with red Dutch barns

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Saskatchewan

Ottawa

LA REATA RANCH - GEORGE IN THE MIDDLE

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Saskatchewan

I find out that the boom was followed by a bust and here in Saskatchewan the 1930s depression catastrophically coincided with a 10-year drought which reduced the bountiful land to a virtual desert. Weeds and giant thistles whistled across the plains, replacing crops which were unable to seed in the barren earth. Harsh winds drove drifts of dust into houses, covering people’s belongings in a filthy film hence the term ‘dirty 30s’. The bread basket became the dust bowl. Two thirds of the populaton were declared destitute but those

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immigration drive which grew the population from 91,000 to 492,000 in 10 years. Saskatoon’s Western Development Museum recreates the boom time of 1910, when people from across Europe arrived daily to receive the co-ordinates of a square of land which was to become their homestead. Though you can still sense the enourmous opportunity, you can also appreciate the bravery of these pioneers, starting from scratch thousands of miles from home in the lonely prairielands

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who stayed have descendants still working the land today, and the museum concludes with a snapshot of this world. Nature is helped by 500-horsepower combine harvesters, 90-feet wide GPS precision seed drills and environmentally-controlled barns. Hitting the road, I get an insight into this Saskatchewan from my host and a book I discover in a petrol station called You Know You’re From Saskatchewan When...For instance, ‘You know you’re from Saskatchewan when your bumper sticker reads ‘My other vehicle is a John Deere’. This, I learn from my

George Gaber is a German Malborough man, permanently dressed in denim and leather with a chiselled Disney hero jaw SASKATOON

guide Janelle, is a brand of tractor which she can recognise a mile off across the endless haze of wheat. The land is undeniably flat in Saskatchewan, but it’s not boring. The prairie is slightly undulating and we pass royal-blue lakes where flocks of white birds perch to feed, vast shimmering salt lakes and countless farms with red Dutch barns, metal grain silos glinting in the sun and combine harvesters throwing up clouds of chaff like smoke signals. No matter where you turn, the sky is the star - vast and never-ending whether its topped with golden wheat or waving grass. After passing through the small town of Kyle, past a clapped out rusty Cadillac sporting a bullhorn on the bonnet, we get to the entrance for working cattle ranch La Reata and as we drive, gradually rolling hills replace yellow flats. It’s not dramatic scenery, more on a par with Tellytubby Land, but its beautiful in its own gentle way.

The hills are alive

Nestled in a valley, a series of rustic guest rooms are housed in roundroofed red shacks that look out over the hills and Lake Diefenbaker. Owner George Gaber is a German Marlborough Man, permanently dressed in denim and leather and with a chiseled Disney hero jaw shaded under his cowboy hat. There is no wifi, TV or other modern

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Saskatchewan

SUNSET RETREAT CEREMONY, THE DEPOT

trappings at his ranch. Meals – hearty home-cooked fare like chili – are eaten at long communal tables and the entertainment is riding, swimming, playing with the dogs and a tin shack saloon with tractor seat bar stools. I could stay forever. After getting us kitted out in leather chaps and wide-brimmed hats, George leads a group of us out on horseback. We ride Western-style, of course, fancying ourselves true cowgirls and boys as we stand on a promontory surveying George’s rolling and tranquil land. After the hills come the trees, which have been conspicuous by their absense. I arrive at Treeosix Adventure Park, which offers a thrilling canopy tour in Cypress Hills Provincial Park, and get kitted out for some zip-lining. Through the poker-straight lodgepole pines is an aeriel path via a series of wooden platforms 40 feet above the forest floor. The smell of fresh pine is intoxicating as I soar from tree to tree and the last line is done flying fox-style - head-first and belly down. Afterwards I learn another local phrase in the gift shop which sells t-shirts, caps and… bunny hugs? Apparently, ‘You know you’re from

Saskatchewan when you call it a bunny hug instead of a hoodie’.

Cops & robbers

It’s time to head back to urban Saskatchewan and the next stop is the tiny city of Moosejaw which I discover has a Chicago connection. In the days of Prohibition it allegedly hosted Al Capone. Implausible as this sounds, underneath the city is a labyrinth of tunnels which were genuinely used to smuggle alcohol and hide those flouting America’s puritanical laws. I take the entertaining Tunnels of Moosejaw tour, following period-dressed actors with excellent gangster accents through a series of re-created boozy stockrooms before I’m chased into the gift shop with gun shots on my tail! I end my trip in the leafy capital of Regina and its Depot, where every Canadian Mountie does their training. If you watched the 90s TV show Due South this is very exciting, if you didn’t it’s still fascinating. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have trained here since 1885 and while horses are mostly used for ceremonial purposes

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now, the red uniform and brimmed hats are unchanged. I take a tour of the shooting gallery and driving range before watching the crimson recruits march proudly at the daily Sunset Retreat ceremony. As the sun sets on my trip, I’ve barely scratched the surface of this sprawling province, which yields boreal forest, sand dunes and lakes further north and badlands to the south. It might not have the grandeur of the Rockies but if you want to experience rural Canada and you value space and nature, it’s perfect. You know you’re from Saskatchewan when social distancing comes as standard.

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COMBATTING LONELINESS The UK is facing a loneliness epidemic and as winter approaches and the threat of Covid-19 still looms large, it only looks set to increase. Here are some charities that are helping to change that

AGE UK Age UK offers a befriending service at many local branches, aimed at those living alone without regular social contact. Before the pandemic, befrienders visited people in their homes once a week for a cup of tea and a chat or sometimes a trip to a café or the cinema. Since the pandemic this has been done via phone and there’s also a Call, Chat, Care service, which simply rings elderly people to check that they are okay and listen to any concerns they have. ageuk.org.uk

THE MARMALADE TRUST This charity’s mission is: “to create a society where people freely acknowledge that loneliness can exist, and will actively support those experiencing it to increase their social contact and make new friendships.” As well as launching the UK’s first Loneliness Awareness Week in 2017 it identifies lonely people through an established referral network and raises awareness of loneliness to reduce the stigma surrounding it. marmaladetrust.org

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THE WOLFPACK PROJECT “We’re increasingly being lost to a world of noise cancelling headphones, iPhones and social media,” says the founder of this Nottinghambased charity, Damien Reynolds. The Wolfpack Project points out that loneliness isn’t just a problem for the elderly - those aged 16-24 are three times more likely to feel lonely than those over 65. The charity’s Buddy Scheme helps socially isolated people by pairing them up with others who have similar interests to build meaningful relationships. thewolfpackproject.org.uk

THE RED CROSS Partnering with Co-op to combat loneliness and social isolation in communities across the UK, the Red Cross launched the Connecting Communities scheme. A friendly team is dedicated to offering support to people experiencing loneliness. Over three months, they help individuals to explore and rediscover their interests, meet new friends, build confidence and start doing the things they like doing again. When the time’s up, the team makes sure there are steps in place for each person to continue the progress they’ve made. redcross.org.uk

WAY – WIDOWED AND YOUNG WAY is the only charity in the UK dedicated to people who are 50 or under when their partner dies. Its peer-to-peer support group is operated by a network of volunteers who have all been bereaved at a young age themselves and local groups meet up for drinks, meals, walks and picnics as well as weekends away for adults and families - offering a social life that doesn’t revolve around couples. A secure website also offers a place for members to meet and chat online to combat loneliness. widowedandyoung.org.uk

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UPGRADE TO ALL INCLUSIVE! D E L U X E D R I N K S PA C K A G E

£35 PER DAY PP

2021 SAILINGS OFFER ENDS 2ND NOVEMBER 2020 For more information visit Charitable.travel/royal-caribbean

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY Applicable to new eligible bookings confirmed between 22/09/20 and 02/11/20 for selected sailings. Terms & conditions apply. Package excludes all beverages served inside licensed Starbucks ® stores/cafes.

CHARITABLE SHOPPING We are Charitable Shopping where you shop online and give to charity effortlessly and at no extra cost Shopping & Giving is Simple as 1-2-3 REGISTER to open a FREE account at charitable. shopping

START SHOPPING on our website to find what you’re looking to buy

RAISE MONEY for your chosen charity once the vendor has verified your purchase

For more information, visit www.charitable.shopping or help@charitable.shopping Charitable Shopping are a registered social enterprise and our mission is to help you find what you’re looking to buy and at the same time support the great work that UK-based charities deliver at home and around the world. When you buy through us our amazing array of shops and service providers pay a ‘thank you’ fee to us for bringing you to shop with them, which doesn’t mean you pay more. As a social enterprise we don’t have private shareholders to pay so more of that fee is made to your choice of registered charity.

Charitable Traveller Magazine - October/November 2020 - Issue 2

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Charitable Traveller Magazine - October/November 2020 - Issue 2