Love our Landscape - how you can help!

It’s safe to say that a Virgin Balloon Flight is the perfect way to appreciate the beautiful scenery and views that Britain has to offer, but whilst we are able to appreciate the British landscape whilst high in the sky, do we do the same in our everyday lives?

With Love our Landscape, we hope to inspire our passengers to explore more of the British countryside at ground level and make a difference themselves, but if you need any ideas on how you can do this, we’ve come up with a few for you with the help of the Prince’s Countryside Fund and the Wildlife Trusts.

Learn about our Landscape

To love it, you need to learn about it! There are plenty of fascinating facts about Britain and it’s countryside that you may not already know. For example, did you know that the UK countryside is home to 31 million moles and 38 million wood mice? Seems like a pretty popular place to live!

There’s no better way to both learn about our landscape and learn to love it than to get out and explore it. Whether it’s a walk in the countryside, a visit to your local nature reserve, or even a trek up a mountain, you will really be able to appreciate the views, terrains and wildlife to which Britain is home (who knows, you may even bump into a few Otters, Deer or Beavers along the way!)

Create a Landscape in your own back garden

Some of us aren’t lucky enough to be able to step outside and explore the British countryside, so why not create your own wildlife & nature haven in your back garden?! There are many ways which you will be able to encourage nature and wildlife to flourish in your own space such as digging a pond, having a bird bath and bird box, or even introducing plants which will provide nectar for insects! Hedgehogs and sparrows are just two species which are declining in the UK, so why not allow your back garden to provide them with a home.

Love British food!

Our landscape isn’t just beautiful to look at, it tastes pretty good too! Whether it’s cattle producing British beef, or tasty fruit and veg growing, the British countryside and its farmers are busy come rain or shine supplying home-grown produce, and in our opinion, nothing tastes better! So, try look out for food that is supplied in Britain, or even take a trip to your nearest farm shop.

Adopt!

The Wildlife Trusts give you the opportunity to adopt a species. There are a range of species on offer to adopt, including dolphins, squirrels, cows and even water buffalos! Money raised from these adoptions will go towards protecting these species and their natural habitats, and even makes a great gift (especially for youngsters!).

Volunteer

If you’re the type of person who’d like to get your hands dirty (literally!) and give your time to help the British landscape, then there are plenty of opportunities available to do your bit. There are over 30,000 volunteers across The Wildlife Trusts in the UK and you could be one of them, helping with a range of tasks from habitat management to species surveying. If you’d like to get involved, head over to http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/get-involved Here are some of our team doing their bit!

The good thing about Loving our Landscape is that the whole family can have fun doing it. We’d love to hear about your experiences, so head to over to our Facebook or Twitter pages and share your stories or photos!