Great Scott!

Bird ringing has been a fundamental element of ornithology for conservation purposes, since Danish teacher and Ornithologist Christian Cornelius Mortensen utilized it in 1899 for scientific purposes. Chris Davis Conservation Officer for the Sussex Ornithological Society explains what bird ringing does for the bird population here and abroad and the importance of it all in the scheme of things. “ The initial “driving factor behind the Ringing Scheme was the desire to find out about movements and migrations of birds". Many other countries have ringing schemes and recoveries of ringed birds were used to compile the BTO Migration Atlas. "The Scheme aims to promote research that contributes to conservation and to advancing scientific knowledge of birds,” he explained. Popularity of bird ringing As numbers of volunteers for bird ringing rose in the UK in 2006, the importance for bird ringing as an integral part of learning about bird migration patterns, and effects...

Helen Gilchrist is at the top of her game. At the impressive age of 23 she worked as a freelance journalist in central London, working for Time Out magazine and the Guardian amongst many other publications. At 26 she contemplated moving from London, to develop a magazine based in the small seaside town of Penryn. It would be centred on the Cornish lifestyle, including surfing, skating and the arts. She launched Stranger Magazine in September 2004 at 27 and successfully produced 16 issues, “We had at one point over 400 distribution outlets across the country, so you could buy it at Glasgow airport,” she said. At 28 she created the brand Stranger Collective a successful copywriting company that would work with international, national and local companies, creating a distinctive relationship and reputation in the media business. A bumpy road to success In 2007, the magazine stopped producing issues, just before the recession hit “...

F rom Charlie Chaplin to Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy to Harold Lloyd; silent comedies have always connected with audiences. Where one can marvel at the spectacle of slapstick pratfalls, acrobatics and the wonderments of the original films to be seen on a big theatre screen, with an accompaniment of live music. Bristol Silents do just this, formed by Chris Daniels and Norman Taylor in 2000 it is the most established group in the country to celebrate the classics of silent cinema. Bristol based Slapstick Festival has been running for seven years where the extent of the festival has been as far reaching as southern Europe: “We've had screening at festivals in Italy,” Chris said. My personal favourite Charlie Chaplin Paul Merton’s Silent Clowns I n 2007, Paul Merton’s Silent Clowns established his long time devotion for silent comedies and its inimitable stars. Chris Daniels director of the Slapstick Festival explains how Paul Merton became involved with the Brist...