Greetings dear readers, and congratulations on getting to the end of the first week of general election campaigning.
Charities have been ramping up their asks for the upcoming government. Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey seems to be taking the opportunity to try out several water sports (some with more success than others). Though he was launching the party’s campaign on children’s mental health yesterday, it looked more like he was just going down a water slide in a rubber ring – but what do we know?
Meanwhile, former civil society minister Rob Wilson has been appointed chair of the water watchdog and is now responsible for cleaning up poopy water.
Mushroom drinks
Soft drinks start-up Counter Culture Drinks has revealed its new share model which has committed to giving half of the business and 5% of total sales to support good causes.
With a target to raise £1m, Alcohol Change UK and BillyChip are the first charities set to benefit from the Bristol-based company.
Counter Culture Drinks sells kombuchas, a sparkling alcohol-free alternative. It is often referred to as a mushroom tea which Diary thinks sounds as if those from your English breakfast have gone AWOL.
Confusingly, though, the drink does not even have mushrooms in it. Anyway, Diary used to hate kombucha, but it is now growing on this columnist...
Chimps for charity
The wildlife conservation charity Jane Goodall Institute UK has raised £20,000 for the organisation after it commissioned artist Sophie Green to paint a portrait of one of its chimps.
The chimp Wounda was rescued from the illegal pet trade and is thought to be the first chimp in Africa to receive a chimp-to-chimp blood transfusion and survive.
Wounda then had a baby chimp called Hope, both of which are living in monkey retirement at Jane Goodall Sanctuaries.
Diary hopes they get all the bananas they desire and that no one has shown them the new Planet of the Apes film (just in case).
