RSPB & RSPCA Trading

...to my heart are the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). I belong to, and support, both and for many years have been receiving the trading catalogues they produce for Christmas shopping. My cards, wrapping paper, crackers, calendars and numerous gifts have been purchased from the RSPCA for the last five or six years and will be coming from the RSPB this year, so I thought ...
...– and the RSPCA and RSPB do a fantastic job of this, as I will briefly go on to explain.

*The work of the RSPCA* (see www.rspca.org.uk for further info)
The RSPCA operate primarily through teams of inspectors whose job it is to follow up complaints of animal and pet cruelty from concerned animal lovers. They can remove animals from situations of neglect or cruelty and also take the case further by prosecuting the perpetrators. ... more

Being an animal and bird lover, two charities which have always been close to my heart are the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). I belong to, and support, both and for many years have been receiving the trading catalogues they produce for Christmas shopping. My cards, wrapping paper, crackers, calendars and numerous gifts have been purchased from the RSPCA for the last five or six years and will be coming from the RSPB this year, so I thought I’d explain the reasons why.

RAISING MONEY FOR THE RSPCA AND RSPB

The primary reason that led me to buy from these catalogues in the first place was that it’s incredibly important to me to support the work of both these charities. They receive a percentage of the profits from items sold through their shop, and the RSPCA include a Gift Aid box on their order form which gives them an extra 28p per £1 spent. You can also opt to make a donation of £5, £10, £20 or of your own choice on the order form, which is quite simply added to the total of your purchases (very easy). I love animals and birds, find them fascinating and enjoy having them around, as well as the fact that all creatures have an importance within their ecosystem. I have always had pets – many beautiful and loving cats, friendly hamsters, tranquil and peaceful fish, a very cuddly rabbit, several companionable dogs and cheeky, vocal birds within the family, and our magnificent, tame iguana who was also a real friend. Having no pets now for the first time ever, I have turned my attentions to the happy gang of birds who live in and visit the garden – a bold and beautiful blackbird who has raised two families here, a pair of woodpigeons, great flock of starlings, cheeky sparrows and tits, and a new visitor, a tiny inquisitive robin who hops around hoovering up any food left on the ground! All these creatures have been interesting to watch and learn from, have lifted my spirits whenever I felt down, and have inspired me to love them. Consequently, I feel very strongly that they should have a voice, and someone who will protect and help them when in trouble or being mistreated – and the RSPCA and RSPB do a fantastic job of this, as I will briefly go on to explain.

*The work of the RSPCA* (see www.rspca.org.uk for further info)
The RSPCA operate primarily through teams of inspectors whose job it is to follow up complaints of animal and pet cruelty from concerned animal lovers. They can remove animals from situations of neglect or cruelty and also take the case further by prosecuting the perpetrators. They also rehome the majority of pets they take in, taking care to find people who are able to offer a great home for them. The RSPCA also run wildlife hospitals, to tend to injured or sick wild animals, and animal clinics, to provide affordable veterinary care for pets whose owners may be in financial difficulties. They run campaigns against animal cruelty such as keeping battery hens and cosmetic testing and have a team of school liaison officers who visit schools to educate children about animals’ needs and animal welfare.

*The work of the RSPB* (see www.rspb.org.uk for further info)
The function of the RSPB is slightly different – its concentration is really on the preservation of wild birds. They focus on maintaining a safe and healthy environment in the habitats of different birds and monitor the numbers of species which seem to be becoming rare, re-introducing them to the area if appropriate. They run nature reserves for birds in different areas in the U.K. which provide ideal habitats for many birds as well as a place to be educated about birds for the public.

QUALITY CHRISTMAS PRODUCTS

The main reason I have continued to buy Christmas trimmings and gifts from the RSPCA and RSPB is the quality of the products they sell.

*Cards* Both charities release a new range of Christmas cards each year with a mixture of humorous, cute and detailed drawings of popular wild and pet animals and birds, as well as a small selection of other designs. The cards are also available to buy as a pack of mixed designs and both the RSPCA and RSPB provide a ‘bargain pack’ including a mix of designs from their previous collections. As with most packs of Christmas cards I have bought before, there are odd ones included in these packs which area bit boring and bland, but the animal ones are full of ‘aah-factor’ and perfect for people who like animals. The cards are great quality, not at all thin or weak, and are stamped on the reverse with the logo of the charity.

*Wrapping paper* There is also a good range of wrapping paper, in both shiny and normal papers. With the wrapping paper, I have tended to find you get what you pay for. If you buy the cheaper papers, they can be a little thin and easily ripped when wrapping awkwardly-shaped presents, but on the other hand are good value for money. There are some beautiful animal and bird designs to choose from, which tend to be the more expensive ones, as well as many other printed designs such as stars, trees, snowflakes, holly, checks, stripes and script, so there should be something to suit most tastes even if you’re not particularly a great animal lover. Some of the papers come in a roll and some in sheets – my personal preference is sheets because of ease of use. I did find in the RSPB catalogue this year there were not so many designs to choose from in the sheets but luckily, some of my favourites were on sheets. Another slightly annoying thing is that the RSPCA have this year, and have always, offered a bargain pack of mixed wrapping paper but the RSPB have not.

*Crackers* Both catalogues offer tree and table crackers which are all attractively packaged with shiny papers in Christmassy colours that match with many decoration schemes – the traditional green, gold, red and white. I have bought the 12 days of Christmas crackers for years, as this is the cheapest option, and the novelties were quite amusing or useful including tiny screwdrivers, paperclips, toys, keyrings and jigsaw puzzles, particularly nice for older children (choking hazard for very young ones). However I have become bored of these over the years, as the gifts never seem to change, and have opted for a slightly dearer pack for a change. A nice touch is that wildlife crackers are also offered, with resin figurines to collect inside. However, to me, these would not be as much fun over Christmas dinner when you really need the stupid joke and party hat that comes with the traditional choices!

*Other bits & bobs* Other trimmings you can buy from the RSPCA and RSPB include calendars, one or two animal-themed decorations (you’d have to get decorations from elsewhere if starting from scratch as it’s a paltry selection), advent calendars and card holders. Apart from the specific bird and pet-themed stuff, both catalogues offer almost the same items, with maybe a few odd different things, so I tend to buy from one or the other each year but donate to both.

GOOD PRICES

I have always found that the RSPCA and RSPB Christmas catalogue prices are comparable with similar items from major stores such as Asda, Tesco and Woolworths. The new design card packs range from around £3.50 and £4.99 for 10, but money-saving prices are also offered for a pack of 30. A really strong point for buying your cards from the catalogue is that both charities offer a special selection pack for £5.99 which includes 40 cards from previous years. I have always gone for this as the cards are no less good quality, and still have great designs, just not the latest ones. Wrapping paper, I have felt, is not quite so much value as the cards but is nevertheless reasonable. Most designs cost between £3 and £5 for a 4m roll, and prices become better value the longer a roll you buy, for example there is one design that costs £3 for 4m, but if you buy 8m it’s £5 (saving £1), or 20m it’s £9 (saving £6). Matching tags are available in most designs for around £1.50 for a pack of 10. Some designs are also offered with deals where if you are buying a lot of paper you can get some tags for free. Crackers range from £13 for 12, the cheapest package, to £9.99 for 6 or £19.99 for 12, to the luxury pack at £15.99 for 6, which to me seems overpriced although the pictures of the gifts do look as if they are both more adult and better quality – perhaps a good choice for a more sophisticated Christmas dinner party. Other items are really quite mixed and varied – calendars range from £3 to £7.99 depending on which one you want, which I can’t quite understand.

OTHER ITEMS TO BUY

Both charities, but particularly the RSPB, offer a range of other items that can be bought the whole year round.

*Gifts* A range of gifts can be purchased from either catalogue. The bulk of these are animal or bird-related, including items such as notelets and stationery, ornaments, tea towels, draught excluders, bags, slippers, book ends and dress jewellery. Both also offer T-shirts and sweatshirts, and the RSPCA offer nightwear, with animal and bird prints and motifs. While these look warm and cosy they are definitely not for fashion fanatics. Other gifts are also available which are not necessarily related to animals, such as sweets and chocolate treats, beer gift sets, toiletries, pictures and kitchen paraphernalia. The RSPCA also offer a small but interesting range of board games some of which I have never seen in the shops. Many are nostalgia games based on the idea of Trivial Pursuit, like Reminiscing which is kind of a quiz game about the last four decades and Spot the Intro which is a music game akin to Name That Tune, both of which we bought from the RSPCA. They also sell chunky wooden versions of traditional games such as quoits, and some beautiful-looking jigsaws. The RSPB offer a small range of gifts for gardeners instead including ornaments and garden wear. I have bought odd things from the gift range before but I don’t think it would be possible to do all your Christmas gift shopping form here, as a lot of the things are only appealing to animal lovers, or fancy goods and bits and pieces. However you may find something that’s perfect for someone you know which is also unusual.

*Prices* The prices of the gifts are comparable to Argos, ranging between around £2.99 for some stationery items and card sets up to £50 which would buy you an Edwardian-style garden light or a large artist’s set. I particularly think two things are overpriced : the food items and the clothes. £7.99 for a box of 24 milk chocolate bars seems a bit much as does £16.50 for a filled cookie barrel, however nice the biscuits may be! Many sweatshirts are around the £30 mark; I’m sure they are good quality but these are not high fashion items yet priced over what you might pay in Next for a similar, more stylish item.

*Pet products* The items that might be more in demand on a year-round basis are the pet products. The RSPCA offers a small range in the Christmas catalogue including pet beds and feeding dishes but is really aimed at cat and dog owners, although more of this type of product is offered in the online shop. The RSPB however issues a separate booklet with their catalogue selling feeders, bird tables, bird boxes, books and various types of feed for your garden birds. The fact that their products are RSPB-endorsed assures you that they are safe for the birds and that the food will be nutritional for them. The food particularly is reasonably priced starting from £2.25 for 2 litres of the basic garden bird mix, and again more value for money can be achieved by bulk-buying, which is an advantage over small pet shops. The bird tables look sturdy and high quality – they do have prices to match, £40 for a basic sheltered wooden table, but if you’re after something strong and lasting, probably a good buy.

EASE OF USE AND SERVICE

Both catalogues are easy to use. Each item has a product code that is entered along with the description into the spaces on the order form to avoid any confusion over what you have ordered. Personalised items have a separate section with space for you to enter the name required. Postage and packing price (£4.95 – don’t forget it’s a charity, so they can’t afford to do this for free) are entered for you and there is also a space for you to enter a donation. On the RSPCA form the Gift Aid section is large and easy to spot, so you won’t forget to tick the box. The only thing to look out for is that if you don’t want to generate junk mail from related companies you need to tick the boxes at the bottom of the form. You can pay by Switch, Delta, Mastercard or Visa or, if you prefer not to disclose these details, by cheque or postal order. Alternatively, if using a credit or debit card, you can order over the phone, which helps your order be processed quicker, or visit the online shop for either charity to browse the full range of products and place your order:
www.rspcashop.co.uk or www.rspbshop.co.uk
Both catalogues state that goods should be delivered within 14 days, or 21 days for personalised items, and since the catalogues come out in August or September, this gives plenty of time for it to arrive safely with you before Christmas. I have never had a problem with delivery, in fact it has often arrived before the 14 days, complete and with no mistakes, so I think they’re pretty reliable. The goods are always well-packaged and protected. Both companies give a 14-day guarantee so if for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchases, they promise to give you a complete refund if returned within 14 days. I have never needed to use this option but it seems important with mail-order goods as you cannot inspect them before buying.

MYSTERY PARCELS

Both the RSPCA and RSPB also offer the choice of a mystery parcel for £20 and £35 (RSPB) or £25 and £37.50 (RSPCA). These claim to contain ‘a variety of quality gifts’ from previous catalogues at knockdown prices. I took the chance of buying the cheaper one from the RSPCA a few years ago and I have to say I was a little disappointed. There didn’t seem a lot there, maybe about 10 gifts, for my £25 and only a few of them could be matched to the people I was buying for. While the gifts were varied, notelets, an umbrella, garden ornaments and toy soldiers included, and certainly good quality, I didn’t find the parcel useful enough for my Christmas shopping to buy one again. However, the mystery aspect was appealing!

HOW TO GET THE CATALOGUE

You will probably receive this catalogue as a matter of course if you are a member or supporter of either/or the RSPCA or RSPB or if you are a member of a mail-order book club. You can also usually order a catalogue from the websites of each of the charities. If all else fails, ring up or write off for one. RSPB : 0870 606 6383 (Customer Services) RSPB Sales Ltd (33), PO Box 54, Burton-upon-Trent, DE14 3XS. RSPCA : 0870 606 6355 (Customer Services) RSPCA Trading Ltd (68), PO Box 40, Burton-upon-Trent, DE14 3YE.

SUMMING UP

I only meant this to be a short op and as usual I’ve gone on and on about it but I do think it’s important to support the work of the RSPB and RSPCA! This to me is the perfect way to do it, buying something that you will probably need to buy anyway, at good prices and with good quality guaranteed. This year, why not give a little in the season of goodwill and buy your Christmas essentials from one of these worthwhile causes? After all, without the goodwill of animal lovers across the country, they wouldn’t be able to help so many animals and birds in distress.

 

...less