Oxfam UK needs your help in asking the Government to stand up for small scale farmers at next month’s UN Conference of Sustainable Development. The summit, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, will see officials from across the globe to discuss how to deal with climate change and the effect it has in the world’s people.

Oxfam is asking for discussions on -

• Fair and sustainable methods of increasing global food production
• The crucial role of small-scale farmers
• Increased investment in sustainable small-scale agriculture
• How to lift many farmers out of poverty

With up to one in seven people going to bed hungry across the globe, now is the time for the world’s governments to act. The Rio+20 conference is the perfect platform for our Government to make a stand and help small-scale farmers to grow more and help everyone to eat.

Simply click on the link below to sign the online petition. I just did, along with over 3,500 other people, and it literally takes 20 seconds. Oxfam are looking for 10,000 signatures to try and make a difference and help make sure there’s enough food for everyone.

> > Click here to sign online

Help Oxfam UK with a Charity Gift

You can help raise funds with Oxfam Unwrapped, where you can purchase virtual charity presents which make ideal and unusual gift for a loved one.

From as little as £18 you could provide safe water for 10 people, or for £95 you can purchase a camel for a village in the Sudan! A charity gift is a great way to put something back into the world whilst also giving your friends and family a real conversation starter.

> > Click here purchase a gift from Oxfam Unwrapped

Greenpeace UK is asking for your help to save the Arctic, by asking Shell to stop it’s drilling for oil in this unique habitat. The Arctic is one of the few untouched natural areas left on the planet, and a home to some of the world’s most amazing creatures.

Climate change has allowed oil companies an ‘in’ to search for more resources due to the Arctic sea ice melting, and Shell have wasted no time in sending a Finnish icebreaker to Alaska to help drill for oil. We all need take action now and try and make Shell see sense that an oil spill could destroy the whole Arctic eco system.

Simply click on the link at the bottom of this post to tell Shell that the Arctic is not a place to exploit for financial gain. Greenpeace are looking for half a million signatures in 3 months, and already have 416,289, so not far off the target. It’s take 20 seconds to add your name to the cause to try and stop one of the most powerful and dangerous companies that has ever existed.

Together we can stop Shell and other oil companies destroying the Arctic before it’s too late.

> > Click here to sign online

Help Greenpeace with a Charity Gift

Greenpeace Giving virtual gifts are a great way to show someone you care for them and the environment. Each gift idea is unique and purveys a positive message and provides much needed funds to aid Greenpeace’s worldwide campaigning.

The recipient will receive -

• a cool animated e-card that can be scheduled for a specific date
• an exciting new way to support Greenpeace

> > Click here to order with Greenpeace Giving

Yes, I know the weather is dreadful, but here’s something that can cheer you up on this horrible grey day! For a limited time, you can enjoy 15% off everything at the Cancer Research Gift Shop with our exclusive voucher code.

There’s a great range of interesting and innovative charity gift ideas to choose from, with a great selection of fashion, accessories, and some fantastic memorabilia to celebrate the Queen’s diamond jubilee.

Simply add the voucher code -

STBC15

for 15% off everything at the Cancer Research Gift Shop to help provide funds to fight this killer disease. With 100% of all profit going towards beating cancer, there’s never been a better time to grab a bargain and help the battle to contain and stop this deadly disease.

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

Cancer Research UK‘s R UV UGLY campaign asked young people to face up to the invisible deterioration being caused by the use of sunbeds. These not only damage your appearance, but also your health. The initiative was set up to target those aged between 16-18, as research shows that young people’s attitudes towards using sunbeds can be influenced by their parents or older siblings.

The health charity teamed up with ‘Sk:n’, the UK’s No.1 skin clinic, and offered two free UV skin scans to those people who use sunbeds to see the results. This allowed them to see the damage they are doing beneath the skins surface, including -

• Wrinkles
• Dehydration
• Sunspots
• UV Damage

Open days were also organised in Sk:n clinics across the UK, plus a special ‘UV Photobooth’ was set in Manchester and Newcastle shopping centres. Watch the video below of Made In Chelsea star Binky Felstead visit her local beauty salon, and give her tips on applying fake tan instead of using sunbeds.

Remember that young people are particularly at risk to the negative side effects of using a snubbed, with people who use a sunbed before 35 have a 75% increased risk of developing melanoma. Even using a sunbed once a month can increase the risk of melanoma by more than 50%! More than 250,000 children aged 11-17 are risking their health by using sunbeds in the UK alone!

Let’s hope that these statistics prove that if you want a tan, then fake is by far the safest way to a healthy looking skin.

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

Greenpeace UK is asking for your help in asking the tech industry to quit their coal habit. Led by a few very large companies, including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, their ‘cloud’ technology is powered by climate destroying coal. These giant data centres mayvbe the latest thing to store all your information, but it’s also the fastest growing source of electricity demand in the world.

You can help get the internet off coal by signing the Greenpeace petition. The coal power plants that power these giant data centres are one of the world’s top sources of airborne carcinogens and greenhouse gases. If Microsoft, Amazon and Apple want to live up to their claims to be some of the world’s most cutting edge companies, they need to stop poisoning the air.

Greenpeace has already started work with multi media giants Facebook to switch to clean energy sources like the sun and the wind, and are now ready to work alongside these other major companies to make the change.

You can help Greenpeace get the attention of these massive companies by being one of 100,000 people to write a message in the next 48 hours. All you need to do is click on the link below and fill in the form to the CEO’s of Microsoft, Amazon and Apple, asking them to clean up the cloud. I just did it myself and it takes less than 20 seconds.

Together, we can help make data centres powered by dirty coal a thing of the past.

> > Click here to sign petition

Help Greenpeace with a Charity Gift

Greenpeace Giving virtual gifts are a great way to show someone you care for them and the environment. Each gift idea is unique and purveys a positive message and provides much needed funds to aid Greenpeace’s worldwide campaigning.

The recipient will receive -

• a cool animated e-card that can be scheduled for a specific date
• an exciting new way to support Greenpeace

> > Click here to order with Greenpeace Giving

Check out this hilarious charity spoof by Action Aid UK, where they ask people on the street to support their latest campaign ‘Drive Aid’. I won’t go into too many details here, just watch the video and see what you think!

The British Government biofuel targets plan to encourage industrial-sized biofuel production. With crops going into cars, food prices are being pushed ever higher. An area in Africa that is bigger than GERMANY has already been taken for bio fuel production, forcing millions to go hungry.

It is always the poorest people who are pushed off their land for the biofuel demand, so now is the time to stop growing crops to make fuel for cars and instead grow food to feed people. With up to 1 billion people going hungry across the globe, we need to ask the UK government to stop supporting bio fuels and start supporting people.

Simply click on the link below to sign the petition to urge the UK government and European Commission to end their support for bio fuels. Action Aid is looking for 10,000 signatures and already have over 5,000, so your support will be gratefully received. I’ve just signed and it literally take 20 seconds. Thanks for your help.

> > Click here to sign petition

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

British boxing sensation Amir Khan has helped build five schools in Pakistan with the help of Oxfam UK. Amir held a fundraising event in his hometown of Bolton last February and managed to raise an amazing £102,139 to help build the five schools.

The schools have now opened in Pakistan, with children attending the newly constructed buildings. Amir first visited Sindh in Pakistan two years ago after the country had being mostly destroyed by devastating flooding that affected up to 20 million people.

Amir said -

I wanted to do more. In Pakistan I met so many children. I asked them what they missed the most. They said they all missed their schools. So I decided that the next step was rebuilding schools in Pakistan with Oxfam.

This amazing show of generosity has the the local children reach for a better life thanks to the new schools Amir and Oxfam have provided. But still up to 2.5million people are still having to survive day to day without the simple basics in life such as food, water, shelter and healthcare. More still needs to be done to help the people of Pakistan back onto their feet towards a brighter future.

Help Oxfam UK with a Charity Gift

You can help raise funds with Oxfam Unwrapped, where you can purchase virtual charity presents which make ideal and unusual gift for a loved one.

From as little as £18 you could provide safe water for 10 people, or for £95 you can purchase a camel for a village in the Sudan! A charity gift is a great way to put something back into the world whilst also giving your friends and family a real conversation starter.

> > Click here purchase a gift from Oxfam Unwrapped

Cancer Research UK has teamed up with TK Maxx to launch the UK’s biggest charity clothes collection. Running from 1st-30th April 2012, the ‘Give up Clothes for Good’ campaign will see the nation clear out their wardrobes, aiming to raise a whopping £2.5million to fund vital research into beating children’s cancer.

All you need to do is -

• Bag up unwanted clothes
• Drop them at your local TK Maxx
• Each back could raise £30 for Cancer Research

All clothes and accessories are welcome, plus CDs, books, DVDs and homeward such as cushions, ornaments and linens. Once you have donated you will also be entered into a prize draw, when you can win £1000!

First started in 2004, the Give Up Clothes for Good campaign has raised an amazing £10million in funds for research into children’s cancers. So if you are thinking of having a Spring clean, why not fill up a bag with your unwanted clothes and drop it off at any TK Maxx store to help Cancer Research continue their amazing work to try and stop this killer decease.

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

Yes, you did read that right! Oxfam UK are on the lookout for old bras of all shapes and sizes to send to Senegal, where they will be sold on to help raise raise money that will go towards more poverty busting work around the globe.

Here’s how it works -

• Find your bras that don’t fit
• Donate them to your local Oxfam
• Recycling facility send them to Senegal
• They are then sold via Frip Ethique (see below)

Clothes sorter at Frip Ethique, Dieynaba Coly, said -

Now I work for here, not only am I able to take care of more people but also my parents and my sister who are in the village.

What an amazing project, and you can be part of it. So why not have a dig around and find those bras that looked better in the shop than actually on, and help raise much needed funds for the woman of Senegal with Oxfam UK.

> > Find your local Oxfam store

Help Oxfam UK with a Charity Gift

You can help raise funds with Oxfam Unwrapped, where you can purchase virtual charity presents which make ideal and unusual gift for a loved one.

From as little as £18 you could provide safe water for 10 people, or for £95 you can purchase a camel for a village in the Sudan! A charity gift is a great way to put something back into the world whilst also giving your friends and family a real conversation starter.

> > Click here purchase a gift from Oxfam Unwrapped

Lewis Hamilton recently spent two days in the Philippines with the UNICEF charity to make a short film about street children. The clip will be played during Soccer Aid, on Sunday 27th May 2012, to be shown on ITV1. Lewis took the time to met some of street children in Manila, the countries capital, to find out more about their lives.

It is estimated that up to 85,000 children live and work on the streets of the Philippines. Many of these will never see a days schooling, and there life expectancy is very short.

During his trip, Lewis met Reynold (pictured), a ten year-old boy called who even at this tender age already has to look after both his two younger brothers. They live in an old wooden cart near the local market, with Reynold having to work and beg to try and feed his family.

Lewis said -

The young boys and girls who I have met today are really fantastic children, but they are living without the simple things that most people take for granted, like food, clean water and a safe place to sleep at night. It shouldn’t be like this.

UNICEF and their partners in the Philippines are working tirelessly to provide essential street children such as Reynold with -

• mobile education services
• regular health clinics
• nutritious food
• counselling
• support

in an effort to help get them off the streets and into a safer community environment. Let’s hope that one day Reynold will be able to live a better life, as how can a 10 year old child become the family bread winner. Truly astounding.

Help Support UNICEF UK with a Charity Gift

You can help raise funds with UNICEF Inspired Gifts. Presents start at just £8, and for a little as £16 you could buy a virtual charity gift like five footballs for children in refugee camps.

There are so many to choose from, and these thoughtful gifts would make an ideal present for a loved one…

it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

> > Click here to purchase a UNICEF UK Inspired Gift