Calling all Harry Potter fans who also love teddy bears!  Hamleys have got great gift ideas for you! 

Hamleys is world famous for its wonderful toy store on London's Regent Street, but if you can't get there, worry not - they have a new website with tons of toys to choose and buy online!

Amongst these toys are a fabulous collection of soft toys - and of course teddy bears - I do love a teddy bear!  

Now, if you're looking for a Harry Potter fan who also loves teddy bears, well, the great news is that Hamleys have four absolutely adorable Harry Potter Bears!  And needless to say, they are all attired in beautifully crafted scarves with the embroidered Hogwarts house crests.

So introducing the Hamleys' Harry Potter Bears:

This is Hamleys Harry Potter Gryffindor Bear

This is  Hamleys Harry Potter Slytherin Bear

This is Hamleys Harry Potter Hufflepuff Bear

and this is Hamleys Harry Potter Ravenclaw Bear

The bears are all on offer for £24.00 each instead of £30.00.   Surely the hardest bit will be deciding which bear to choose!  I think they would make for great touches around the house, too!

See all the Hamleys Harry Potter Bears here.

Visit Hamleys website here - they have LOTS of discounts on at the moment with their "up to 70% off" sale!

 The 7^th November is National Hug a Bear Day.

The idea is to help us all understand how important hugging is and how it can benefit us all.  This isn’t just about hugging each other – it’s about hugging teddy bears as well!

This day is about giving your lovely teddy bears and the people you love a hug!  Show them you care about them and love them.  We can give our pets a hug or a special cuddle on National Hug a Bear Day.

So it’s a good chance to raise awareness of the joys a bear can bring us and to raise awareness of bear charities helping bears, be they in the wild or captive.  Here’s a list of bear charities – many will have ways you can sort of envelop a wild bear with love and a hug by doing something to help them. Have a look at them and see if you can help.  Why not adopt a bear or become a bear carer with Free the Bears who rescue bears from captivity from bear bile farms?

Why not send a rescue bear at a Free the Bears sanctuary
a pot of honey for £12.00?  Find out more here

You could send a bear a gift – a pot of honey, for instance.  Bears love honey!  See the gifts you can send bears who've been rescued by charity Free the Bears here

Why not send or give someone a teddy bear?  When my aunt was in hospital, I bought her a tiny teddy bear (so it wouldn’t take up much room) to remind her that we all loved her and wanted to help and support her.  She could look at her bear and know that she wasn’t alone.  The bear represented all of us.

Just look at that face!
Don't you want to hug Hamleys® Bear With Bowtie?  So handsome! 
 Take a look at the teddy bears at Hamleys
and lots of bears - including Paddington, of course!

Or why not just give someone you love a big hug to celebrate National Hug a Bear Day!

Introducing Hamleys Harry Potter Gryffindor Bear
You can see more Harry Potter Bears from Hamleys here

Hugging is a very soothing action, if you like a hug – and some people don’t, so you need to bear that in mind.  The verb “to hug” comes from “hugga”, which is an Old Norse word meaning to soothe.  And it’s related to the German word “hegen” which translates into the verb “to cherish”.  So you can see why National Hug a Bear Day was created to show how good it is to hug and to be hugged.

Hello!  I'm little Brother Bear, so cute and cuddly!
I'm from English Heritage
(they've got other bears and soft toys too, but we won't mention them...)

Hugging someone means putting your arms around them and holding them tight.  But the word “hug” an also refer to something that hugs ground or water e.g. the road hugs the coast – so the road stays close to the coast.   

Bear hugs can be quite ferocious, overly enthusiatic and tight, so you may not want to give your loved one a bear hug, but this is a good chance to think about our loved ones and what they mean to us, and the great thing about hugging is that it’s free!

Can it really be that Halloween is only a couple of months off?  I cannot believe where this year is going - it is flying by and the nights are starting to draw in...

And Emma Bridgewater has produced a lovely range of goodies all ready to decorate your table with in time for Halloween! 

I love this Halloween Trick or Treat Bucket for £5.83.
You could put sweets and chocolates in it to distribute!

There's a Halloween Runners for the table, Wise Witches lunch napkins, a Halloween Tea Towel,  Trays, - plenty to choose from!    

This is the Halloween Toast Favourite Witch 1/2 Pint Mug for £26.00

This is the Wise Witches Black Cats 1/2 Pint Mug
for £26.00

(There's an offer on at the moment:  buy two half pint mugs and get 20% off, T&Cs apply.)

I love this The Wise Witches Small Side Plate, 6.5 Inch!
for £18.00


How about the Halloween Toast Medium Straight Jug for £50.00?
Perfect for serving your potions! 

There's a Halloween Toast Large Enamel Cooking Pot for £45.83
Just the thing for a warming casserole on a dark night
for those family get-togethers! 

This is the Halloween Toast Small Tin Tray.  
It's 15.8cm wide, and 24cm long - 
and it would be great for bringing out to add an extra bit of magical tone to Halloween!
For £5.00.

Visit the Halloween range here - there's lots to see.....

Into the Blue list a wide range of gift experiences around the country, catering for all sorts of budgets.  And they cover a wide range of gifts and interests, with everything from flight simulators to water sports, days out to afternoon teas, short breaks to animal experiences.  They also have an incredible range of creative and craft gifts and outdoor gifts to choose from too. 

SPECIAL OFFER!!

What's more, they've got a fabulous 22% off for you!  It covers all experiences up to £250.00 - there's no minimum spend, although some products are excluded from this offer which lasts until midnight on Sunday 19th October 2025.  Just use the code...

ITB22OCT

You could give a dog lover
a Sheepdog experience in Yorkshire!

How about a Swinton Estate Lunch & Garden Tour (Ripon, Yorkshire)?
Enjoy talks, garden walks & lunch at Swinton Park
See other Gardening Workshops and Floristry courses here


There are a number of Rural Craft experiences
including this Traditional Basket Weaving Course in Surrey

 
Fly off to see the Falconry experiences -
give them the chance to meet, handle and fly a bird of prey!

Fly off to Into the Blue to see their full range of experiences! 
 
Don't forget, the code ITB22OCT for 22% off experiences up to £250.00, although some products are excluded from this offer which lasts until midnight on Sunday 19th October 2025

If you're one of those people who like to get organised well ahead, e.g. buying Christmas cards early, there's some great Christmas cards from the RSPB online shop - there are some delightful cards to choose from.  

 
The Midwinter dusk Barn Owl Christmas cards (pack of 10)
are designed by Jo Grundy - a beautiful twilight scene.
for £5.00

There are cards with barn owls, curlews, avocets and misty waters, robins, sleepy hedgehogs, hares, puffins, donkeys, blackbirds,wrens, mice, doves and of course the Three Kings.  

Just look at these donkeys snuggling up!  
It gives me a warm cosy feeling inside! 
The cards come in a pack of 10 and they have been illustrated by artist Ian Saxton.
£5.00

All the RSPB Christmas cards are glitter free, and can be recycled.  And the RSPB has ideas of what you can do with the cards you receive - including making bunting from them!  

I love this card - Four Candles, with the rabbit sitting in the snow and the Welly boots, too!
The artist is Kirsty Walker - and I'm sure her design
will bring back lots of memories of the Two Ronnies sketch,
Four Candles or Fork Handles!  
£5.00

I think it's lovely to send Christmas cards and show you're thinking of people and connect to them.   It's a great time to pop a little message in and say "how are you?"  

This Christmas Quackers card is very cheering to look at. 
Lynsey McLaughlin has designed this card, with the carol-singing ducks
and their robin friend, all having a merry time!  Quack, quack...
£5.00

Of course, we don't need to wait until Christmas to connect with people - I love to send Mum a card through the post, usually something funny to make her smile.  It's a small way to make a difference and make someone's day!

There are also cards for those wanting a more traditional scene.
This one designed by Caroline Armstrong depicts
the Christmas journey of the Three Wise Men. 
£5.00.

TVisit the RSPB Christmas card selection here and help nature whilst you shop! 

By the way, the little bird I mentioned at the start?  His friend hopped by to mention that you can get £2 off if you buy 2 calendars from the RSPB - a good time to start planning ahead and get things in the calendar!   The offer lasts until 10th December 2025!  

T&Cs for these offers

Cards

• 15% discount available on Christmas cards only. Add product to your basket to see the 15% saving.
• Not available in conjunction with any other offer
• Loyalty points can be collected/redeemed
• Offer subject to availability
• Offer ends 3rd September 2025

Calendars:

• Add any two 2026 calendars to your basket to save £2
• Offer is subject to availability
• Loyalty points can be collected/redeemed
• Offer not valid with other promotions (including promotion code discounts)
• Offer ends 10th December 2025