Donation of DBA Oasis 8x21 binoculars as a raffle prize for the Ewaso Lions project.
"Ewaso Lions is a non-profit wildlife conservation organisation based in northern Kenya. We are dedicated to conserving Kenya’s lions and other large carnivores by promoting coexistence between people and wildlife. Ewaso Lions uses sound science, education, and capacity building to foster support for conservation and help guide the long-term conservation management of lions in protected areas and on private lands. More information at www.ewasolions.org."
Sponsorship of three prizes in the National Biodiversity Network annual biological awards with £800 of Opticron equipment provided - www.nbn.org.uk.
Donation of Savanna WP 6x30 bincoulars and 10x18 Folding Metal Loupes to Hengistbury Head Visitor Centre for their dragonfly survey. Letter from John Lloyd - Hengistbury Head Dragonfly Survey Update.
Donation of IS 70 R scope and T3 Trailfinder binoculars for GB archer Hollie Smith.
"Hollie has been part of the Great British compound archery team for the past 3 years. She has been selected for 4 international events to date representing, her country with great success.
- Cadet team Gold – European youth cup 2017 (Croatia)
- Cadet team European and World record holder (2017 Croatia)
- Cadet mixed team Silver – European Youth Cup 2017 (Greece)
- Cadet team Silver – European youth cup 2016 (Hungary)
- Cadet team Gold – European Youth cup 2015 (Austria)
Having recently broken the World and European team record, her sights are firmly set on a top 3 finish in the team event and top 10 individual at the World Youth Championships in October."
Donation of MM4 travel scope to Joe Harkness of Bird Therapy - birdtherapy.blog
Donation of binoculars to GB archer Layla Annison.
"I am a current member of the Great Britain compound Archery team. My most recent achievements of note are that I recently won the Individual Gold medal at the European cup in Croatia this month. We also won the gold medal in the team event."
Donation of two T3 Trailfinder 10z42 binoculars for a raffle at the Hallam ‘Peatland for Birds’ Conference 2017 -
Donation of IS 60 R scope to Welsh archer Thea Rogers.
"Thank you to Opticron for sponsoring me with an IS 60 R 15-45x60 spotting scope, 40918S IS eyepiece and waterproof case. The waterproof case fits nice and snug with plenty of zips, poppers and velcro for easy access, it's perfect as our British weather means I shoot a lot in the rain. I can relax knowing my scope is well protected from the elements. This scope delivers extremely crisp images with incredible brightness and clarity. I have been borrowing a friends scope which has an 80 objective lens and I have to say the Opticron IS 60 absolutely knocks spots off it, to be honest I was blown away! It was easy to use and focus and the beauty for me is that it is really quite compact and light, so I can fit it in my rucksack, this is especially good when I'm competing internationally with baggage restrictions. A massive thumbs up for this scope, a perfect addition to my archery equipment."
Donation of T3 Trailfinder 10x42 binoculars to Lancashire Badger Group for use as a raffle prize - www.lancashirebadgergroup.org.uk
Donation of IS 60 R scope to GB archer Philippa 'Pip' Taylor.
" I have held at least 10 national records, become Junior National Champion three times and recently Senior National Outdoor Champion in August this year. I have shot for Great Britain as a junior twice. On my debut shoot for Great Britain the womens recurve team obtained a silver medal at the European Cup. I have also recently started field archery and wish to shoot for GB in this discipline."
Donation of various optical equipment including binoculars and scopes to the National Coastwatch Institution, Torbay Station. The team at the Torbay station was awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2017.
Donation of Adventurer WP spotting scopes and other equipment to Louisa and Eleanor Piper.
"Louisa is 14 years old, the youngest member of the AGB Confirmation Academy, and debuted this year for GBR where she won a Team Bronze medal at the World Youth Championships in Argentina and a Team Gold & Individual Bronze at the European Youth Cup in Croatia.
At the World Youth Championships, out of a field of ninety-three U17 archers from forty-four countries, she finished Qualification in 19th position and as the highest ranked U15, technically, in the world.
Louisa has an older sister Eleanor who is also a member of the GBR U21 team which competed in both Argentina and Croatia in 2017. Eleanor has previously won International medals in Hungary and Romania and has also represented GBR U21 in Field Archery at the World Field Archery Championships in Ireland in 2016."
Donation of Savanna R 10x33 binoculars to archer Holly Hunter.
"I took up the sport in 2015 and I am ranked 5th for U16's nationally. I am currently part of the Archery GB National Talent Development Programme and I have ambitions to be selected for the Archery GB junior development squad next year and then to represent my country on an international level, and your support would really help me in achieving my goals."
Donation of various used full size and compact binoculars to Hibaldstow Astronomical Society for use in outreach work in its local community.
Donation of MM4 travel scope and tripod for GB archer Alex Wise to help in preparations for trip to Tokyo in 2018.
"Alex has been doing the sport for nearly 3 years and is now on the Senior and Youth GB Archery Team. After his success in Croatia winning 2 gold medals he is just about to embark on a month long trip to Mexico and Argentina where he will be shooting for GB in the youth and Senior world Championships."
Donation of two Wildlife Trust branded Oregon 4 LE WP 8x42 binoculars to Alderney Wildlife Trust for use by the local bird observatory group and guests on Naturetrek tours - www.alderneywildlife.org
Donation of T3 Trailfinder binoculars for the Wensum Valley Bird Watching Society to raise funds for their work.
"We raise funds to help us undertake projects such as building and maintaining a Tern raft (to protect breeding birds from predators), installing and monitoring nest boxes and funding new nesting sites for Sand Martins - wvbs.co.uk"
Donation of various used binoculars to Ravinder Kaur and colleagues for use in studying endangered hornbill species such as Helmeted Hornbill in Borneo.
Sponsorship of Bird Count Golfito, Costa Rica. Funding supplied to cover some travel, accomodation and subsistence cost for the 2017 count.
"The Northeast region of Golfo Dulce in the South Pacific of Costa Rica, is among one of the Important Bird Areas (IBAs) listed by BirdLife International. The IBA 014 holds 54% of the birds of the country (including endemic and endangered species) in habitats of biological importance as mangroves, estuaries, rocky and sandy beaches, and tropical lowland rainforest, the only remaining of this type of forest in the Pacific slope of Mesoamerica. Despite their importance, some of these areas are threatened by ocean pollution, unsustainable touristic development, overfishing and expansion of the agricultural border."
Donation of raffle prize for the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust annual dinner 2017 - www.arc-trust.org
Donation of various used binoculars for Project Biodiversity study of Osprey in Cape Verde.
"As the need for conservation is growing a team of international and local people have taken on the island of Sal, Cape Verde in order to protect its natural habitat and threatened animal population. Currently Project Biodiversity has been running for two years working to protect nesting sea turtles from the threat of illegal poaching and habitat destruction. It is now our goal to expand our effort to survey the current population of endemic bird species with particular focus on the Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and its state of conservation. The project aims to gain a greater understanding of the population numbers and distribution, in order for us to better protect their breeding sites on the island. With a growing tourism industry, habitat destruction is rife, with the building of hotels on the dune ecosystems and removal of sand for building material. With greater knowledge and data on these endemic bird species we will be able to provide the government with a stronger argument as to the areas we need to better protect."
Donation of raffle prize to Flamborough Bird Observatory.
Donation of various used binoculars to Conservation of Velvet Scoter on Tabatskuri Lake in Georgia project.
Donation of various used binoculars to ACTIO Birding, Valencia for use on their guided walks.
Donation of T3 Trailfinder binocular for fund raising for the World Land Trust to help save 50 acres of rain forest in Brazil.