Over 100 ‘pink ladies’ drove decorated tractors through Norfolk in July 2011, raising a whopping £36,000 for Cancer Research UK. The annual Ladies’ Tractor Road Run was conceived by Annie and John Chapman to raise funds for the Join the Fight campaign, and thanks to this amazing event a special treat is now in store for Annie!

Annie won the Cancer Research 2008 award for Volunteer of the Year when the event broke the £100,000 barrier, and in the 3 years since the Tractor Run has now raised over £200,000 for the health charity! Annie has now been chosen out of thousands of nominees to light the way at the London 2012 Olympics as a torchbearer, though whether she’ll be driving her tractor with the flame I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

The Ladies’ Tractor Road Run first began in 2003 involving 50 tractors, and raised an amazing £16,500. Yet thanks to Annie’s hard work and connections, the event continues to go from strength to strength as more people join in this interesting and innovative charity event .

Annie, said -

This event has taken on a life of its own. It’s driven by the remarkable determination, generosity and courage of a lot of special people. Each year I say it, and each year I mean it; it’s about more than money.

Congratulations to Annie for all the charity work she has put in over the last 9 years, and we’ll definitely be keeping our eye out for her during the torchbearer’s challenge. You go girl!!

Help Cancer Research with a Charity Gift

You can also help by purchasing a charity gift from the Cancer Research gift shop. There is a great selection of gifts to choose from, plus they offer a great gift wrapping service and super fast delivery. Plus you have the piece of mind to know that all profits are going towards the fight to help beat cancer.

> > Click here to visit the Cancer Research gift shop

Other top charity gifts

International Alert will be celebrating International Women’s Day on Thursday 8th March 2012, with an evening of fantastic female singers getting together to recognise women’s critical role in building peace around the world.

Tickets are £25, with the event being held at The Pheasantry Jazz Club, 152 Kings Road, London SW3 4UT, featuring -

• Barb Jungr
• Carol Grimes
• Eve Ferret
• Tina May

who will be lending their voices to highlight women’s strength, compassion and forgiveness in some of the world’s worst violent conflicts. More names may well be added to the bill, so be sure to order your tickets as soon as possible for what promises to be an unforgettable night.

Doors open at 7pm, with show time planned for 8.30pm. Simply click on the link below to order your ticket today and help raise much needed funds for International Alert.

> > Click here to order tickets today

Amnesty International UK will be meeting at Trafalgar Square in London on Saturday 11th February 2012 in support of the Global Day of Action. This demonstration for a human rights revolution is a peaceful protest to demand an end to -

• Poverty
• Corruption
• Discrimination
• Repression

Last year millions of ordinary people across Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Libya fought with the courage of their convictions through people power against their repressive states.

Demonstrate for a human rights revolution from Amnesty International on Vimeo.

The rally will take place between 12-2pm, with speeches from the Director of Amnesty International UK, Kate Allen, as well as other prominent speakers. Amnesty hope that 2012 we see further solidarity as people peacefully demand change in pursuit of a human rights revolution.

Help Amnesty International Today

Amnesty International are the world’s largest and most influential human rights organisation. You can help support their amazing work on the front line from as little as £5 per month, for which you will receive :

• FREE 40 page magazine 6 times a year
• The opportunity to make your voice heard
• The peace of mind from knowing you are making a difference

>> You can help by registering your support with Amnesty today

The Journal has just voted the Merlin charity into their top 25 in the world! This amazing recognition saw the magazine assess different charities on their -

• Innovation
• Effectiveness
• Impact
• Efficiency
• Transparency
• Accountability
• Sustainability

alongside their financial and strategic management. To be voted into the top 25 charities in the world is some feat, something Merlin officials are over the moon about.

Merlin Chief Executive, Carolyn Miller, said -

I’ve been Chief Executive of Merlin for seven years and I’m immensely proud to see that Merlin has been named in the top 25 charities in the world by Global Journal. For a lesser known charity like Merlin to receive such recognition is high praise. Many of the other organisations on the list are far better-known or bigger, so for our achievements to be in the spotlight is great to see.

Merlin is not one of the best known charities, but their life saving work across the globe is just as important as the tasks carried out by their more esteemed colleagues. Their medical teams work in some of the most poverty stricken countries in the world and treat around 9.5 million people each year.

Currently working in 15 countries, plans to increase this number will see Merlin’s front line workers treat up to 15 million people by 2015, quite an astounding figure! Congratulations to them and all their staff in receiving this amazing honour and long may their work continue in helping those most in need get back on their feet.

> > Click here to make a donation to Merlin

Figures just in from the NSPCC charity show that from Christmas Eve 2011 to January 4th 2012 there was a 19% rise in the number of calls made to Childline compared to the previous year. Over this period almost 50,000 calls were made by children looking for support over the festive season, with a quite staggering 50% increase on Christmas Day calls compared to the previous year!

14% of all of those calls were related to family problems, though there was a dramatic 103% increase in depression and mental health related counselling required this year! The one major plus of these number increases is that it shows more and more children feel comfortable contacting the NSPCC, particularly online, where the ChildLine website increased by 57% last year.

Let’s hope this number increase is a sign of more children feeling the freedom to discuss their feelings and problems with people who understand, and truly care.

Help the NSPCC Today

The NSPCC help thousands of children each year, and with your donations they can endeavour to answer more calls from children who struggle to get through on their busy phone lines.

The NSPCC children’s charity are eager to raise £50million to help expand their UK services and recruit nearly two thousand volunteers. By donating to the NSPCC you can help stop atrocities happening to children.

> > Click here to make a donation to the NSPCC

Read our NSPCC review

Action Aid charity officials are still working hard on the front line of the devastating flooding that still effects Thailand and Cambodia 5 months on. The flooding, the worst seen in both countries for decades, has affected nearly seven million residents as people are forced from their homes by overflowing water.

ActionAid officials have provided 36,900 people in Cambodia with -

• Food
• Shelter
• Water purification kits
• Seeds
• Livestock

Whilst in Thailand, the charity has reached over 10,000 with emergency packages. The main focus now is to help people to try and rebuild their lives by ensuring all health and sanitation needs are met. In Cambodia, the ruined rice harvest is causing continued problems through food shortages, malnutrition and of course lack of funds, as these crops were many people’s livelihoods.

ActionAid Head of Emergencies, Bijay Kumar, said -

Although the attention of the world’s media may have moved on, the misery continues, with hundreds of thousands of people still living in appalling conditions. One third of Thailand’s and two-thirds of Cambodia’s provinces have been devastated. The floods have killed hundreds of people, destroyed millions of homes and livelihoods, triggered some serious diseases and ruined the countries’ rice crops. Our work has only just begun. We are moving out of the emergency phase where we have helped people to survive the initial impact of the floods. Our next challenge is helping people rebuild their lives – this will involve long term support that will help people become more resilient to future disasters.

Help ActionAid with a Charity Gift

You can also help raise funds with the ActionAid Gifts in Action scheme, giving you the chance to buy an unusual and thoughtful charity gift whilst also helping poor communities.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving…

> > Click here to order a gift with Action Aid

The WSPA charity is asking for your help in their global campaign to help stop the needless killing of 20 million dogs each year whilst trying to control rabies. Charity officials are asking for ‘Collars Not Cruelty’, to help governments worldwide tackle rabies in a more humane manner.

Why not show your support to the WSPA and help send out the message that the mass killing of dogs doesn’t stop rabies and that only vaccination does? WSPA will be having a virtual Red Collar dog march across the internet TODAY, Tuesday 24th January 2012, so click on the link below to join in. I’ve just done this myself, so I and my virtual dog ‘Mr. Frisky’ shall be supporting WSPA in trying to stop dogs across the world from death where vaccination would suffice.

International Campaigns Director for WSPA, Ray Mitchell, said -

Rabies poses a serious threat to both human and animal populations in many parts of the world. When confronted with the problem of this fast-spreading disease, national governments sometimes turn to what they believe is the only way to wipe out rabies: wipe out the dog population. However, a world without rabies does not have to mean a world without dogs.

> > Click here to join Collars Not Cruelty campaign

With 20 million dogs killed each year at a rate of 38 a minute, now is the time to make a stand and show these senseless deaths will not stop rabies, vaccination will.

WSPA celebrity supporter Leona Lewis, said -

I think it’s absolutely horrific that 20 million dogs are killed every year because of the fear of rabies, when there is an alternative solution. I really want to help WSPA spread the word worldwide and end the cruelty that is happening at the moment. By educating people and getting vaccinations out there, we’re not only helping dogs, but entire communities.

Become an Animal Protector with WSPA

• Set up a WSPA regular gift for as little as £3 a month and become an Animal Protector.
• Get access to your own personalised website with access to original content and regular posts regarding the animals being helped to protect and the projects being supported
• Choose a FREE gift after logging onto the site for the first time and show the world you are an Animal Protector with WSPA and just how much you care.

Your regular gift will help protect animals around the world from cruelty and suffering. Show how much you care about animals – make a regular gift to WSPA today and help save animals’ lives and protect them from cruelty.

>> Click Here To Sign Up For WSPA Animal Protector Scheme Today

If you’re up for a challenge and like to raise money for great causes, why not take on the WSPA charity Bear Adventure? This amazing trip is a fantastic way to visit the stunning Carpathian Mountains on your way to the WSPA bear sanctuary in Zarnesti, Romania.

The Bear Adventure has been running since 2007, and features a 50 mile trek over 4 days. This year is also possibly the last one that will be organised, so do try and take part if it is something you are interested in, there may not be one next year.

Gillian Dailly, who took part in the trek 2 years ago, said -

My trek over the Carpathian Mountains in Romania to raise money for the World Society for the protection of Animals was a great opportunity to see spectacular scenery, meet new friends but most importantly to see the WSPA’s work in action at the bear sanctuary. When I first saw a bear, so close in it’s natural habitat it made me so happy. Before going I learnt some of the history of the bear’s trauma and how unhappy they must have been living in small rusting cages outside of restaurants and in zoos from the WSPA’s website. Seeing them lying in the sun, playing in the pools and just doing what bears do, was an opportunity too good miss they just looked so content. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone in the future.

Here’s a quick look around the sanctuary, where you will spend your last day after the trek -

You only need £395 to sign up, then you can collect your sponsorship online with a simple ‘Just Giving’ page. This is a once in a lifetime trip to one of the world’s only bear sanctuaries, so if you like the sound of this amazing adventure, click on the link below for more information.

> > Click her for more info on the Bear Adventure

Semi Finalists in Britain’s Got Talent, Out of the Blue, will be performing in aid of the UCARE health charity on Saturday 3rd March 2012 at the Holywell Music Room in Oxford. The local a cappella group, will be delivering a sumptuous vocal spectacle combining irrepressible energy with infectious musicality for one night only.

All profits from the show will be in aid of UCARE (Urology Cancer and Research Education), who’s aim is to improve the treatment of cancer patients not just through research, but also education.

Out of the Blue, who have recently toured the States and Spain, are one of UK’s premier acts after their show stopping performances on Britain’s Got Talent. To ensure your tickets, please call 01865 767777 or email ucare@ucare-oxford.org.uk for what promises to be an amazing evening.

> > Click here for more information in UCARE

Football hard man turned actor Vinnie Jones has found the time between Hollywood blockbusters to star in this hilarious advert for heath charity The British Heart Foundation. Known for his no nonsense attitude both on and off the screen, Vinny uses his tough guy persona to perfection here as he explains the best way to help revive someone with hands only CPR.

Believe me, you have to see this to believe it!

Vinnie said -

There really shouldn’t be any messing about when it comes to CPR. If you’re worried about the kiss of life just forget it and push hard and fast in the centre of the chest to Stayin’ Alive. Hands-only CPR should give have-a-go heroes the confidence to step in and help when somebody is in cardiac arrest.

Brilliant eh?! What a fantastic way to advertise a simple method of possibly saving someone’s life. Nice to see Errol from ‘Snatch’ getting his groove on in the background, looks like he’s been at the pies a bit though!

> > Click here for more info on The British Heart Foundation