Donate To...

The race to be this years Christmas No 1 single seems to be between two very different versions of Hallelujah written by the great Leonard Cohen. There is a contender coming up the final straight in the form of Geraldine, winner of Britain’s Got the Pop Factor… and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice with ‘Once Upon a Christmas Song’ in support of the NSPCC.

Released on Monday, the song is a yuletide spoof written by Peter Kaye and Gary Barlow, profits of which will be donated to the NSPCC. For every CD or DVD sold the NSPCC will receive a minimum of 30p, and 10p per download.

Help the NSPCC give vulnerable children a better Christmas. You can buy the single at all good retailers including Amazon, iTunes and Play.com.

As part of their Who Pays? campaign, Action Aid have launched Small Change Big Difference, with a cheeky take on the “Every little helps” Tesco adverts. Action Aid are campaigning for South African apple pickers working for Tesco to be paid an extra 5p per kilo.

How much is this 5p really worth?
It’s a life changing sum for the workers who will be able to feed their families properly; a drop in the ocean for a company who posted 6 monthly profits of £1.45 billion in September 2008.

Help farmers get a fair deal, sign up to take action on Tesco by using the form on the Action Aid website, then download a personalised postcard, tape 5p to it and hand it in at your local Tesco or put it in the post.

Let Action Aid know when you’ve done your action and they will put you on the 5p action virtual map!

One of the most iconic TV adverts of 2008 came from Cadbury to promote their Dairy Milk chocolate. The advert featured a gorilla playing the drums to Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. That advert has been spoofed many times since, but it’s now being used by the International Fund for Animal Welfare to highlight the plight of gorillas. It’s message is simple, yet effective.. “a world without gorillas is nearer than you think”.

The IFAW and WWF work hard to protect gorillas and their environment. However, the battle is ongoing and conservation projects worldwide still require support.

Tis the season to be jolly, decorate the tree, munch mince pies, write Christmas cards and revel in this years charity Christmas song releases! Here’s a good point for us to do a Top of The Pops style intro, so pop pickers, here’s the top charity songs for Christmas 2008! *Play TOTP theme tune*

The unlikely collaboration between Terry Wogan and Aled Jones singing Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth to raise money for BBC Children in Need came in at number 3 on Sunday! Visit the Bandaged website to find out where you can download copies of the single or buy copies in shops.

The One Show
Let’s Not Fight This Christmas by Chris Difford and the Decorations. The Decorations include the show’s presenters, Christine Bleakley, Adrian Chiles and the little dancer himself, John Sergeant. This song is available as a download-only single and Children in Need will receive a minimum of 20p for every download purchased.

Let them know on their blog whether you think it will be a hit or a miss! Unfortunately, the song did not make the Top 100 chart this week, so it is extremely unlikely to make it to number one for Christmas.

In recent years there seem to be less charity records at Christmas – could the dominance of the X Factor be to blame? Apart from Terry and Aled, there are no other charity records in the top 100. Will Christmas 2008 see the end of the charity single? Let’s hope not – buy Terry and Aled!

If you know someone who loves gardens then an RHS Membership would make a brilliant gift for them. You get all the privileges of RHS membership, including over 140 gardens to visit for free, 12 monthly editions of The Garden magazine, one-to-one gardening advice, plus reduced rates and privileged access to the world-famous RHS flower shows including Chelsea and Tatton Park.

All orders for Christmas delivery must be made by 16th December 2008!

The 2009 RHS Flower Show dates have already been announced and tickets can be bought online through Keith Browse. If you’re a RHS member then you can enjoy privileged entry and reduced rate tickets.

Dates for Your Diary – RHS Flower Shows 2009
Cardiff: 17th – 19th April – Ticket Price: £9,
Chelsea: 19th – 23rd May – Ticket Price: £44
Hampton Court: 7th – 12th July – Ticket Price: £30
Tatton Park: 22nd – 26th July – Ticket Price: £9

The RHS is the UK’s leading gardening charity who aim to advance horticulture and promote gardening across the UK. Their charitable purpose is the encouragement and improvement of the science, art and practice of horticulture in all its branches.

RHS Membership – The Complete Gift for Garden Lovers

Don’t forget that you can also enjoy gardens and other important National Treasures with The National Trust.