Aerial Services Scotland Blog

Dear Mr McIver,

Join us for our Christmas Wishes Concert, proudly supported by Royal Canin – 2021’s most heart-warming celebration! – And this year we’re live and online, so you can attend in person or from the comfort of your own home.

Get into the festive spirit this December and help make Christmas Wishes come true.

Enjoy a wonderful night of yuletide cheer hosted by presenter and journalist Nicky Campbell, featuring performances from pop legend Heather Small, 2019 Britain’s Got Talent winner Colin Thackery, Brit nominated classical sensation Carly Paoli and CBBC’s Molly Rainford, who was one of Britain’s Got Talent’s youngest ever finalists as well as Christmas Wishes favourites, twin sopranos Hannah and Naomi Moxon who are Classical Reflection and more!

Dear R,

As we approach the Christmas season, we often reflect on the year that’s passed. Spending more time outdoors this year has brought my family and I so much joy and hope at a time of worry and uncertainty. I’m sure you too have felt the calming influence of nature.

As we all seek to redefine what’s important in our lives, we can – and must – hold on to that incredible feeling of joy we get from our natural world. And by spreading the message, ‘Be Kind’, we have a unique opportunity to raise our collective voices for animals like never before. Will you choose to be kind R?

For every kind, you will always find kindness
This is true of humankind and animal-kind. You can see it if you’re lucky enough to catch sight of foxes playing together in the snow, deer keeping each other close and warm on a winter’s evening or when your beloved companion affectionately rests their head on your lap by the fire.

But I don’t need to tell you this R. As an animal advocate you already understand our special bond with animal-kind. This is the time to share our message with a strong and clear voice, to inspire all those around us to stand together as one against cruel sports.

So, will you R, show your kindness this Christmas by making a donation to help us achieve our aim of protecting animals from cruel sports?

Your act of kindness could enable us to:

Create educational materials for school age children for teachers to access through our League of Animals.

Echo the compassion of our supporters by creating new supporter groups across the country to educate others in our communities.

Educate policy makers about the truth of cruel sports through our campaigning and research efforts.

I choose to be kind

Together, I know we can build a better world for us all. Let’s all show kindness this Christmas.

Wishing you the very best this festive season,

Andy

Andy Knott, CEO

This Christmas, give the gift of freedom with a Gift for Human Rights.

Share your passion for freedom by buying a Gift for Human Rights today and help give strength and hope back to the Tibetan people this Christmas.

Stand in solidarity and show them you care. As the perfect Christmas present for someone special, our unique range of Gifts for Human Rights brings Free Tibet’s work to life. Every Gift for Human Rights bought will support powerful campaigning, lobbying and the self-determination of the Tibetan people.

Together we stand for a brighter future for Tibet, free from oppression.

Dear Robert,

As a valued friend of Farm Africa, we are delighted to invite you to join some fantastic Farm Africa fundraisers over the next few months. Please read on to see what we have in store…

Attend our virtual carol concert on Wednesday 15 December for an evening filled with festive entertainment and cheer in the comfort of your home. Carols will be sung by the London African Gospel Choir, with special guests pictured below…

Date: Wednesday 15 December
Time: 7.00pm GMT
Location: Online, at home
Cost: Free

Special guests include:
Michael Palin
Farmer Will Evans (host)

NFU President Minette Batters
In keeping with the Christmas season, the concert is free of charge but should you wish to make a donation, you can choose to be entered into a prize draw to win some fantastic prizes! Every £10 donated counts as one entry. Any donations at the value of £50 or more, will be thanked by offering a special mention of your name during our virtual concert.

Dear R,

We all thought fox hunting was banned, but our courageous League Against Cruel Sports fieldworkers have filmed invaluable evidence revealing that sadly this is not the case.

While 87%* of Scottish people think fox hunting should be illegal, we ask why is this cruelty still taking place on our doorstep?

The truth? Because of gaps in the law. But together, we can change this and really ban fox hunting in Scotland.

How you can help:
Convincing the Government of the loopholes in the law through evidence, Scotland’s Parliament has started the legal process of closing these gaps. However, the process to really ban fox hunting will take time and with Scotland’s ten hunts now out there once more in pursuit, we cannot let needless time pass by.

Your help is vital during this time to ensure promises are upheld. The new law must meet the desires of the Scottish people who wish to end this cruelty. Your signature will communicate that the time to ‘really’ ban hunting is now.

Thank you for standing on the side of animals.

Robbie Marsland
Director, League Against Cruel Sports Scotland

Hi Robert,

If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to have a special pet in your life, you’ll know that their love for you goes on and on. That’s what’s so wonderful about pets, and it’s also what’s so wonderful about supporters like you – you’re helping pets get the care they need to recover and find loving new homes.

One of the pets who’s benefited from your support is Snowy – that’s her in the picture. When Snowy was just eight weeks old she found herself homeless. She had been bought by a family who had underestimated the time a young puppy demands and knew she needed far more than they could give. We’re so grateful that they did the best they could for Snowy by contacting Blue Cross for help, as many other puppies like her sadly end up advertised online and can fall into irresponsible hands.

When Snowy came into our care, she had also started to suffer with an infection which had left her wheezing and needing urgent vet treatment to avoid any complications. We noticed she was very snuffly and a vet check showed that she had an upper respiratory infection. She was then put on meds to help her get better.

It’s so important that we’re able to keep making a commitment to pets like Snowy, that we’ll give them the love, care and time they need to recover and find a new home. But to do this, we rely on supporters like you.

Will you show your lasting love for pets, by making a commitment to be there for them in the long term? Will you give £3 a month to help pets like Snowy find their own lasting love?

We are so grateful for everything you’ve already done to help pets and having your committed regular support would make a huge difference, allowing us to be there for pets who – like Snowy – depend on us to be there for them when they need us most.

Despite her breathing difficulty, Snowy was a happy pup who was soon able to start her search for a new home. She’s an absolute sweetheart and we all loved her to bits straightaway, so we knew she wouldn’t have to wait too long to find a loving family. And after a month in our care, during which time Snowy went from strength to strength, she found a loving home where she is now thriving.

A love for pets really is a love that lasts throughout our lives –from a family dog we might have had while growing up, to a feline friend who could keep us company as we get older. That’s why it would be so wonderful if you could support us each month – because it shows the lasting love you have for pets.

Thank you so much for all you do,

From all the pets and people here at Blue Cross

Dear R,

On Saturday, another significant blow was struck against the hunts as we won an historic victory in the fight to end fox hunting for good.

At the National Trust AGM, members voted to ban ‘trail’ hunting on its land. This is a major victory and one the National Trust Board must take notice of.

In the past few weeks, the hunts have suffered two huge blows. First, as Mark Hankinson was found guilty, we heard trail hunting described as a sham and a fiction in court, and now National Trust members have voted to deny them access to the land of the UK’s biggest private landowner. The tide is turning in our favour.

None of this would be possible without you and your fellow League supporters standing up for animals.

Hundreds of thousands of emails have been sent, tens of thousands of leaflets have been handed to National Trust members, and countless conversations had with friends and family.

It is your efforts that have delivered this victory.

But the campaign does not end here.

Where the National Trust leads, others will follow. Many major landowners have already paused trail hunting on their land, but we need them to go further and ban it permanently.

Use your voice to help protect our wildlife and tell them that enough is enough.

Best wishes,

Chris Luffingham

Dear Mr McIver,

Your generous support for our Water Well appeal earlier in the year has helped us to begin construction of the new well at our Girls’ school in Guatemala, Zona 13.

With your help, we will be able to provide the girls with access to clean water for drinking and sanitation.

The well also provides a long-term cost saving as we no longer need to buy water for the girls during the dry season. This means more of your vital donations can go towards educating even more children.

On behalf of our girls in Guatemala, thank you for making this sustainable solution a reality.

Dear Robert,

I’m delighted to share with you our new edition of SPANA News. Inside, you can read the latest stories about our ongoing efforts to help working animals in times of crisis. We are also very excited to introduce our new Chief Executive, Linda Edwards, who shares her ambition to help even more animals in need.

Our special appeal in this issue, found on page six, focuses on the devastating impact of ocular conditions on working animals. Across the world, thousands of animals are suffering from preventable eye problems due to the harsh climates and hazardous environments in which they live and work.

A scratch from a low-hanging branch or a small piece of dirt from a dusty road can escalate into a serious infection and even lead to permanent sight loss.

Donate now to help save animals from devastating sight loss

By supporting our sight loss appeal, you can enable our vet teams to act quickly and prevent minor and easily treatable eye problems from developing into debilitating illnesses. Your support can help equip SPANA centres and mobile clinics with vital sight-saving medication. With your help, our dedicated vet teams can prevent suffering and save the sight of working animals.
While you are reading SPANA News, please remember that our work is only made possible thanks to compassionate people like you. Every story of a suffering working animal who was treated by SPANA vets and is now fully recovered can only be told because of our generous supporters. To you and every one of our supporters, I offer my heartfelt thanks.

With warmest wishes,

David Bassom
Director of Fundraising and Marketing

Dear Mr McIver,

If you’ve been reading the news recently, you might have heard that the £20 universal credit top up has ended despite the continuing need. We did all we could to convince the Government not to go ahead with the cut while at the same time we made preparations to ensure that we could meet the increased need from people already struggling. We currently are and will continue to provide food parcels, employment advice and debt advice from many of our centres across the UK.

Anti-slavery Day took place earlier this month and at The Salvation Army, supporting the survivors of modern slavery is one of our key areas of work. I wanted to share just one story of someone we helped out of modern slavery. Watch the video below to hear Dan’s story and see how we were able to help him.

Dan said: ‘They saved my life completely. With everything from being housed, clothed, sometimes even at first, fed. Everything The Salvation Army did for me was amazing.’

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for your ongoing support over the past year, your support has been invaluable.

With warm regards,