Digital transformation Rescue centre offers a lifeline to injured wildlife is the theme of the week
[CHARITY DIGITAL has designated the week beginning 12 March
as Digital Transformation Week: a week of free, live and on-demand content for charities. Over the course of five days, the third-sector digital promotional agency will be releasing a variety of content, including webinars, podcasts and articles inside its hub. Each day will follow a different theme and content will come in a wide array of formats, allowing virtual visitors to interact with the content as they prefer. In its preamble to the week, Charity Digital posted: “Over this week of content, we’ll be examining the challenges, trends and actions needed to achieve digital transformation in 2022. With a different theme each day those attending can pick and choose the parts of digital transformation that matches their needs most, engaging various content types and other like-minded charities along the way. “We’ve always believed that digital transformation is what drives charities forward. Digital transformation isn’t about huge overhauls or buying the most expensive software; it’s just about being more digital in every way you can, no matter where you are with digital or what your journey looks like. This will be different for every charity, and during this week we want to discuss the challenges charities may face, where they’ve found success and how they can set themselves up to excel with digital going forward.” Each day of Digital Transformation Week will focus on one of five key themes: Digital Strategy, Digital Challenges, Leadership and Culture, Digital Fundraising, and Small Charities. Digital Transformation Week provides a space where charities can access useful tools and resources and share their own stories and challenges – as well as learn from others. The Charity Digital preamble continued: “Digital Transformation Week has been tailored specifically with the sector’s most pressing concerns in mind. Each day caters to a different area of digital transformation and you can engage with whichever content suits your needs. “The week will offer content to suit all incomes, charity sizes and job functions, honing in on the most important digital areas for charities right now. A mix of live and on-demand content will be available to help you gain the knowledge and build the skills you need to move forward with digital confidence. By signing up, you’ll get access to all the activities happening throughout the week. And what’s more, you can dip in and out as you wish and engage with the content that’s most relevant to your organisation.” A detailed agenda is due to be released in the coming weeks, as well as more information on each theme. Interested parties can sign up at charitydigital.org.uk or follow proceeding at #DigitalTransformationWeek. q
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HESSILHEAD WILDLIFE RESCUE TRUST is situated near Beith, in North Ayrshire. It was set up as a charity in 1986, although its founders Andy and Gay had been caring for injured and orphaned wildlife since 1970, when they rescued a fox cub from a gamekeeper and his dogs. As the number of casualties increased year on year, Andy and Gay needed financial and practical help. Once the trust was set up, new aviaries and enclosures were built. A membership scheme proved popular and many volunteers were recruited. The centre now occupies a 20-acre site, including woodland, marsh and open water. That gives a variety of release sites for its patients. Approximately 3,500 wildlife casualties are now treated each year, with the aim of returning them to the wild. Among the many hedgehogs, foxes and familiar garden birds there are deer, otters, badgers and seals. All have been rescued and are rehabilitated. In addition, swans are treated regularly, along with buzzards, peregrines, herons and sea birds. The centre operates a 24-hour rescue service and there are more than 60 enclosures and aviaries, a hedgehog hospital, a seal/swan unit and intensive care facility. It also offers training courses on the handling, care and treatment of wildlife casualties. Spring and summer are especially busy, with hundreds of nestling birds being hand reared. Care is taken to rear all youngsters with minimum human contact. That prevents wild birds and mammals becoming too used to people, so giving them a good chance of survival in the wild. Hessilhead is primarily a voluntary organisation. Its volunteers help in many ways: fundraising, building and maintenance, driving patients to the centre and daily cleaning and feeding. q
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