Happy Friday, readers. This week, Society Diary has a host of April Fools pranks to share from various mischievous charities earlier this week.
But first, PETA began this week by announcing Welsh hen Henniepops as the winner of its inaugural, and unusually wholesome, Best Chicken award. Spare a thought for the other finalists pipped to the post after thousands of votes were tallied – Autumn, Bellatrix, Doreen, Henrietta, Hopper, Lucille, and Sky.
In a return to the charity’s more familiar edgy style, it also posted a music video featuring an army of poos singing about the benefits of a vegan diet on one’s digestive system. The video caught the attention of Ricky Gervais, who responded with a cry-laughing emoji.
And spare a thought for JustGiving, whose boss pledged to dye his hair purple if the platform’s social post received 25,000 likes, only for it to get 100 or so. The platform, which suggested the stunt in celebration of its 25th birthday, later admitted that it “should’ve aimed for 250”. Happy birthday, guys, but maybe 25 likes would have been even more realistic. At least the boss’s hair is safe.
If birds could talk
To kick off the 1 April pranks, the RSPB announced “ground-breaking research” on Tuesday that had translated UK bird noises into the human language.
The charity really put some work into this, giving 18 examples including a robin in Derbyshire saying: “Touch my hedge. Go on. I dare you.”
Others included a Suffolk rook warning that “the humans are watching”, a St Albans swift saying “landing is for pigeons” and Dartmoor buzzard crying “wheeeeeeeeee!”
But Diary’s favourite has to be the chiffchaff, whose song was translated as: “Chiff. Chaff. Chiff. Chaff. Chiffchaffchiffchaffchiffchaff.”
In other bird-related charity pranks, the British Trust for Ornithology duped some followers when it posted about satellite-tagged Tom the cuckoo, who it said had “hitched a ride on a cruise ship”.
Props to the charity for inventing a series of characters for its jape, including scientist Dr Kirk Hooson and Mr Otis from Reading, who spotted Tom “sitting on the dock of a bay”.
Authentic Viking scent
The JORVIK Viking Centre arguably went even further by filming a video advertising a new perfume.
The York-based museum claimed its “bold new fragrance” called Eau de Bogar was “crafted from the authentic scents of the Viking Age”.
“Sourced straight from the earthy bogs of Coppergate, this scent will transport you to 10th-century York,” it said.
The Blue Cross, meanwhile, fooled nobody when it advertised for a chief baker.
It claimed that the charity’s cats were always working hard making biscuits, but a recent increase in orders meant it was looking to expand the team.
Applicants were required to have a year’s baking experience and be able to “speak fluent cat”, with claws “optional”.
