Page 3 - Discover Simple Techniques For Naturally Radiant Skin
Page 4 & 5 - Sir John Akomfrahs Newest Fellow
Page 6 - Nails by Sarah
Page 7 - Budgeting Tips and Tricks
Page 8 & 9 -The Future Of Fashion
Page 10 - How To Kick Start Your Active Lifestyle
Page 11 - Megan Cosmetics
Page 12 & 13 -7 Ways You Can Achieve The Clean Girl Aesthetic
Page 14 & 15 - Mindful Techniques
Page 16 & 17 - Adopt Don’t Shop
Page 18 - Icelandic Airways
Page 19 - Next Issue
CeraVe Facial Cleanser - £13
Helps to gently exfoliate the surface layer without stripping the skin. Their facial cleanser includes no harsh fragrances or chemicals, so skin remains calm and unbothered whilst leaving it clean and refreshed.
Cold Water – £0
Surprisingly simple cold water can do the trick. Not only does it tighten your pores it also helps target acne prevention. The cool temperatures will help reduce swelling, inflation, and overall redness. And it will help you kickstart your day by leaving you feeling refreshed and awake.
The Ordinary - £5 & £8.80
The Ordinary is a fantastic brand to invest in, they specialize in chemistry and biochemistry to create beauty products that help prepare and support your skin. They offer a range of affordable treatments, but our key recommendation is their Hyaluronic Acid which hydrates, smooths and plumps your skin alongside their Niacinamide and Zinc, perfect for minimizing blemishes.
We have all been there looking at someone online and wondered how their skin is so flawless. Lucky for you we know their secrets and unlike them, we are happy to share.
Skincare is a necessary investment and can honestly change your life. Days of cakey makeup and dry cracked skin are about to disappear.
Jade Gua Sha Stone and Roller - £5.00 - £20.00
Another simple technique are gua sha stone and rollers. These stones help massage your face through a range of techniques which reduce inflammation, and wrinkle production while also improving skin complexion. For optimal results keep in the fridge and use when massaging serums into your skin. Target areas under your eyes around your forehead and along your jawline.
Liz Earle Balancing Botanical Drops - £26.00
Liz Earle is one of our more pricier suggestions, however, their gentle formulations make them suitable for all skin types. Their Balancing Botanical Drops reduce the appearance of imperfections and help skin appear healthy and alive.
Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic - £18.00
The skin tonic replenishes the skin and brightens your complexion. Unlike other cleansers, your skin is not left feeling dry and the brand is cruelty-free and ethically sourced.
©Olivia Beatty ©Olivia BeattyAnna Smith is the respected artist and filmmaker Sir John Akomfrah’s newest British fellow.
The 28-year-old PhD student from Manchester is one of two Liverpool John Moores students to have received the opportunity to take part in this year’s Venice Biennale.
The fellowship was set up between the Liverpool School of Art and Design and the British Council Venice Fellowship Programme to support future leaders in art and design.
Smith who has a background in working in museums said: “The Fellowship enables a group of students and creatives, myself included, to represent the UK at the British Pavilion.”
“This fellowship provides me with an incredible opportunity to spend a month contributing to one of the largest art exhibitions in the world. It will offer me the chance to create a research project in response to the work, meet with creatives from across the world and live in Venice which I am incredibly excited about, especially as I have never visited the city.”
This year’s theme is ‘Foreigners Everywhere’ where the exhibitions will include artists who identify themselves as foreigners whether as refugees or migrants.
Anna said: “The fellowship is an incredible opportunity to gain invaluable experience working with a well-regarded cultural institution in the Venice Biennale. It also offers the chance to meet with lots of industry leaders and gain training from the British Council.”
She added: “I hope to meet talented and inspiring people through my peer group and immerse myself in the atmosphere of the Biennale.”
While visiting Venice, Smith will have the opportunity to work on her own project at the Pavilion, one that closely links to her PhD research.
“I will be creating a visual ‘map’ which uncovers, connects, and celebrates the gifts and assets of collaborators of the artist John Akomfrah and their links to communities and works across the Biennale.”
Anna’s work is driven by her interest in democratising the arts sector so cultural institutions are less
hierarchical civic spaces which facilitate citizen-driven work.
Her academic journey hasn’t been easy, she has faced a number of challenges being the first person in her family to pursue a university education.
Anna said: “Unfortunately, the most challenging aspect for me has been the financial barriers which prohibit many people from undertaking further study. I am incredibly fortunate to have been able to get a scholarship from LJMU which allows me to undertake my research. Without this, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to progress to PhD studies.”
Smith emphasized her gratitude for the fellowship programme and highlighted the significance this opportunity has on her future career.
“It is an incredibly competitive programme and so I am really grateful to be given this opportunity. The fellowship is a fantastic opportunity to gain invaluable experience working with a well-regarded cultural institution in the Venice Biennale. It also offers the chance to meet lots of industry leaders and gain training from the British Council.”
Prior to her trip to Venice, Anna has undergone 7 weeks of training to invigilate in the British Pavilion. This included activities in story-telling to deep listening to ensure visitors feel welcome when visiting the exhibition.
Anna said: “I feel really fortunate to be chosen as part of a group of such incredibly talented, creative, and inspiring fellows.”
She emphasized that other young women in similar situations should not be deterred by their gender:
“Although your lived experiences may look different to those around you or to those in positions of power, have confidence that your voice is just as valuable.”
The two LJMU fellows will be heading to Venice at different periods across the summer months. The exhibition has been hosted annually in Venice since 1895, making it one of the oldest of its kind, attracting up to 600,000 international visitors each year.
It can be a challenge to keep track of your spending which is why we have collaborated with Qualified Financial Banker, Elaine Bailie, from NatWest, to help inform you of the best saving techniques.
Without a budget, you are practically spending in the dark with money streaming in and out of your bank account as if there is an infinite amount. Elaine advises you to begin saving by using budgeting tools you can find online to keep note of your payments and income, helping to highlight where you may be overspending.
She said: “Most banks offer free financial health checks where they will go through your account and see if there are any ways to make or save money. For instance, cancelling the gym membership you never use.”
“Setting up a standing order into a savings account is another great way to make sure you’re saving regularly. Some people will open savings accounts with a different bank other than their main bank as it can be less accessible - out of sight out of mind type thinking!”
To prioritize saving Elaine suggests setting goals such as monthly commitments to help motivate yourself as it takes discipline to not dip in and out of your savings.
“Mobile banking is a fantastic tool for helping you budget and keep track of spending. Many apps can provide a breakdown of your monthly spending in general categories such as supermarket, entertainment, and utility bills so you can see where your money is going. You can also set up text alerts to make sure you don’t overdraw or to inform you when your balance goes below a certain amount.”
For those looking to save for long-term goals such as mortgages, the financial advisor encourages you to consider setting up ISAs. In an ISA, you can save up to 20k a year with interest earned that is not taxed. For smaller sums such as 5k, Elaine recommends a fixed-rate savings account where it is possible to earn interest rates of 5.2% in one year.
Elaine warned: “Sometimes people will try to save too much and struggle with their other bills. Savings goals should be realistic relative to income. You should always have a separate savings account where not only will you earn interest but also have the motivation to see your balance grow. Be realistic about how much you can save and be disciplined, only withdraw from your savings when necessary and name your savings account car, holiday, or house to make it a real incentive.”
Elaine encourages people to do annual assessments of their finances to check the rates they are paying as by keeping on top of your bills it should always be possible to save for your future. She advises before investing in long-term saving commitments you should prioritize paying off debts.
“Customers can also look for ways to transfer the debt to a product with a lower rate. For example, if you have a credit card with a balance of £5000 at an interest rate of 19.9% you could transfer to a card with a 0% interest rate. It is important to be disciplined and pay off the debt during these interest-free periods. Likewise, you can transfer your mortgage to a new lender who may be offering a better deal.”
If you are eager to learn more about your finances you should check out Nat West, Thrive and MoneySense online for a simple and fun way to learn about budgeting and money-saving. Elaine also recommends checking out Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert for invaluable insights into securing the best market rates for insurance, savings, and mortgages.
From a young age, Natalia knew she wasn’t like her friends. Rather than spending time studying textbooks she preferred to spend her time doodling on sketchbooks. Fashion was in her blood, something her Barbies knew very well thanks to their wardrobe of handmade outfits and tinfoil dresses.
Natalia lay back on her sofa and joked: “I always knew I was never going to be an academic as I don’t think I have a fully functioning left side of the brain.”
The 18-year-olds inspiration stems from her mum as growing up Natalia would frequently take trips to her wardrobe.
She said: “The key to fashion is about elevating basic pieces into outfits you would wear, even though they are not stuff that is trending. Basic clothes make the best outfits. It is not what you wear but how you wear it.”
After leaving school at 16 and spending two years working in the hospitality industry, Natalia wanted to pursue her passion and decided to apply to Liverpool’s Rare Fashion College. It was here her sketches came to life and she designed her 80s glam and power dress outfit.
Sipping on a cup of tea Natalia said: “It was probably my favourite design; my mini skirt was inspired by the Ra Ra skirt whilst the star top was inspired by the fact the first woman who went to space accomplished this in the 80s. It also had a bit of influence from David Bowie. I used bikini tops and online platforms such as Pinterest and TikTok for creating mood boards to see how I could incorporate the idea of stars into tops.”
She suggested that those keen on getting involved in fashion should use social media to generate ideas as it is a great source for finding references. The New Zealander added: “I think social media is a good way for emerging designers to get their name out in the fashion world and to do that you have to follow trends to cater to what people like. The whole fashion industry is about recycling trends and making something new out of something old.”
Despite Natalia’s creative talents her journey wasn’t smooth sailing, upon arriving at Rare she learnt high expectations were put in place by her teachers.
“One of the biggest challenges was being expected to do a lot of things when you don’t know how to do it. You have to go into it and learn for yourself. The teachers at my college help a lot but in fashion design, you have to build up a skill and practice to get somewhat good at it. It is not something you get told once in class and write down a million times, it is something you have to do repeatedly.”
At Rare, Natalia felt her creativity blossom from meeting so many artistic individuals. Being surrounded in a room with so many other like-minded personalities, she found herself effortlessly exchanging ideas. Natalia quickly discovered that success in the fashion world wasn’t solely about competing but rather helping each other out. She stressed the importance of building connections:
“In fashion, it is about not what you know but who you know.”
With sketchbooks across the table, the designer revealed her newest project: “My current inspiration comes from Japanese gardens, koi fish, water lilies and lily pads. I also want to factor in the way water works, how it flows and its ripples. It is not completed but currently, it is a corset top with ruffle sleeves, and I plan to add pearls to it. It has a ribbon back, and I plan to make a wrap-around skirt that is flowy to represent water but make it in the colour of koi fish.”
In the corner of her room resting on a mannequin was a red halter-neck dress. Natalia proudly stated it was her own creation inspired by a Spanish New Year’s Eve tradition. According to the tale she discovered, the colour you wore on the day of New Year’s Eve attracted certain experiences, in this instance, red was believed to summon love.
Many individuals keen on getting into fashion gravitate towards fast fashion as an affordable technique for entering the industry. Natalia expressed:
“My advice for people wanting to get into design is to upthrift and upcycle existing pieces. Fast fashion is a disgrace; they steal from independent designers and contribute the most to climate change and mass waste. They also use child labour and profit off independent designers’ work without giving them any credit.”
©Olivia BeattyIt can be challenging getting motivated to go to the gym, especially with summer on its way and the brighter nights setting in, there is added pressure to do something with your evening. For those of you who may want to kick start your active lifestyle but are finding getting started a daunting process, Kevin MacTomais, a 21-year-old Personal Trainer from Belfast shares his advice.
“I’d recommend if any of your friends/family go to the gym regularly you should tag along and watch how they warm up and stretch. They could show you the basics of how some of the machines work and how to do certain exercises with the free weights. If no friends or family members attend the gym, I’d then recommend you get a personal trainer, there’s lots of gyms that recommend trainers and even on Instagram there are lots who advertise their programs.”
To avoid injury, stretching is key before taking part in any physical exercise.
“No matter how big or small a person is, it is essential to warm-up and stretch. This can be done with static or non-static exercises. Static warm-ups include using resistance bands while non-static warm-ups include lunges and squats.”
Kevin suggested when starting with equipment begin on low weights and use machines with instructions for step-by-step guidance to ensure efficient use.
He said: “Some simple exercises that can help tone your body include squats, runs on treadmills and push-ups. These are all exercises I’d do myself to help tone my body, especially running as it helps you decrease your body fat percentage and gives you a more toned physique. Squats are useful when toning yourself as your whole body is used, especially if you are using weights with a barbell or dumbbells.”
MacTomais stressed the necessity of incorporating rest days into your fitness routine, advising against pushing yourself too far, too soon as it could potentially delay your progress.
“Your muscles need rest to repair themselves and if you’re training hard every day of the week without resting, it could lead to poor form in the gym and poor form leads to more injuries. I’d recommend 2-3 rest days a week depending on how hard you train.”
For those aiming to achieve a toned physique with a low body fat percentage, the PT insists beginners target muscles in their arms, legs, abdominals and back. However, those keen on developing large biceps and quadriceps should effectively aim to target these areas two to three times a week for optimal results.
To maximise performance and progress, maintaining a balanced diet is essential for both beginners and master gym enthusiasts as it is key to providing your body with all the correct nutrients. Protein is a crucial part of a healthy diet as the amino acids help to build and repair the muscles used at the gym.
Kevin said: “Foods that are amazing for adding protein into your diet include meats such as beef and chicken as well as Greek yoghurts. If you’re vegan or vegetarian it’s much harder to get protein into your diet but you can add foods like nuts, especially peanuts and almonds. You can also add protein powder into your diet to help supplement.”
Eating too many fast-food meals and junk items like chocolate and sweets can negatively impact your health and hinder development at the gym as sweetened foods only provide you with bursts of energy over short periods. The 21-year-old added: “Instead eat foods high in carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, and meat as it sustains energy over a longer period and will benefit you, not just in the gym, but throughout your whole day too. Foods high in fat will also cause you to gain unwanted weight which is not great if you want to lose weight and tone your body.”
Clean Girl Aesthetic is taking over social media and has been a prominent trend on TikTok that has had a firm grasp on us girlies.
For those of you who don’t know, clean girl makeup is all about simplicity, it focuses on embracing your natural beauty and highlighting your key features with minimalistic makeup and timeless fashion.
Here is WITH IT’s rundown for achieving that iconic clean look. Check out our socials with.itmagazine on Instagram and with.it.magazine on TikTok for helpful clean girl tutorials.
A clean girl prioritises wellness and self-care, which means it is essential to pamper yourself. The looks’ main aim is to achieve effortless beauty so you will want to ensure you are maintaining good hygiene habits to achieve glowing skin and healthy nails. These are just a few starting points to help you achieve this.
The Ordinary products are a girl’s best friend especially their Niacinamide 10% and Zinc 1% as their clinical formulas help to restore your skin to its fullest potential by evening out your skin tones.
Turmeric face masks are great at brightening dark spots and undereye circles as well as healing skin wounds and blemishes.
Even clean girls’ accessories are elegant and timeless. Their purpose is to help complete an outfit rather than take attention away from it. These are our top 3 recommendations you should invest in to successfully achieve the aesthetic.
Perfect for adding a pop of colour to your outfits
Comfort is a clean girl’s best friend plus Mini Ugg’s are just adorable.
The best tote bag you could ever buy, they look fantastic with every outfit, and they can hold almost anything.
A clean girl participates in relaxed workout sessions such as pilates or yoga instead of high-intensity workouts. This wouldn’t be complete without a nutritious diet consisting of acai bowls, fresh fruit, vegetables, and a variety of high-protein meal options.
The infused cherry oil helps moisturise your lips while also harmonising with your skin’s PH levels to help radiate a glossy tone perfect for your lips.
Got2B-Brow and Gel edges
The perfect product for shaping your brows, whether you like them thin or fluffy, Got2B has you sorted.
Starting with makeup you will want to achieve a glowy but natural finish almost as if you are not even wearing any products, so we have recommended a few items to help you get started. Remember there is no heavy contour or eyeshadows instead you are aiming to achieve a simplistic dewy look.
e.l.f Halo Glow Contour
Blends beautifully helping to outline your facial features without obvious suggestion of contour. For best results, focus on your jawline, forehead, and cheekbones as you blend with an upward motion.
Just like makeup, you want your jewellery to appear minimalistic. It is all about being comfortable in your own skin. The jewellery will help pull your look together while remaining effortless yet polished. Clean girls tend to prioritize gold over silver jewellery to accentuate their radiant skin.
Gold hoops or drop earrings are staples which can be assisted by a subtle gold chain and rings.
There is not a better compliment than someone telling you that you smell good. Clean girls have this down to the tea as they tend to gravitate towards smells that project clean fresh scents. Sol de Janeiro sells a range of fabulous body mists from jasmine and pink dragon fruit to pistachio and salted caramel.
Charlotte Tilbury –Flawless Filter Foundation
Fantastic base, light, and smooth helping to illuminate your skin.
When it comes to hairstyles it’s key to remember that less is more. The hairstyles are simple but effective and extremely easy to do.
Half up half down Slick back pony Slick back bun
Eco-gel is perfect for these styles and highly recommendable for those hair wash days. Perfect for keeping you looking fresh while also being practicable.
Volume is back, bigger than ever. If you aren’t a fan of those sleek looks don’t worry, we have you sorted. All you need are a pair of straighteners and rollers to achieve this look.
Volume is key at the roots, but you will want to curl in the ends of your hair with either straighteners or rollers.
©Olivia Beatty ©Olivia Beatty ©Olivia Beatty ©Olivia Beatty ©Olivia BeattyAfter her own journey of self-discovery, Paula Madden, a Life & Wellbeing Coach from Crosby is dedicating her life to helping women who are experiencing feelings of anxiety, stress, and low moods.
Madden also specializes in energy healing which she uses to help women find their way after feeling burned out and lost due to overwhelming levels of stress. She is determined to help them rediscover themselves and find inner peace.
“I want other women not to struggle and find life hard as I believe everyone can live a happy life and I want to be part of that.”
The energy healer uses traditional coaching methods such as the emotional freedom technique, Tapping, to guide women in achieving their goals.
She said: “Tapping suggests we are all energy and so anything that happens to us, our problems mental or emotional are all down to what is happening in our energy and nervous system. EFT works by focusing on the different meridians in the body. You tap around on different parts of the body, and it starts to move the energy. Emotions are energy in motion, and they get stuck in the body. They can be from past traumas or current events and as they get stuck, they weigh you down. You often hear people saying I feel stuck, I feel lost, because their emotions are trapped in the body and EFT helps to release that.”
Madden encourages those who are struggling with stress and general well-being to incorporate mindful techniques into their lives.
“The first suggestion I recommend is that you just start to slow down if you can, do things 30% slower than you usually would. Put a little reminder on your watch that goes off every hour to just stand up and look around you. When we stand up, we see things from a different perspective and people don’t often realize clouds are floating around in the sky because they get so stuck looking at their laptops. You could go outside for five minutes every couple of hours just to breathe and to feel your feet on the ground.”
Paula also advised breathing exercises as another key meditation technique. Contrary to popular belief, Madden stressed meditation is still possible even when your brain is busy as these feelings will not hinder the growth of your frontal cortex as your body relaxes.
©Olivia Beatty
©Olivia Beatty
Manifestation is a significant attribute of the life & wellbeing coach’s practice. Paula believes there are five essential steps to unlocking manifestation to its fullest potential.
1.Gaining clarity – Figuring out what you really want.
2.Raising your own energies – Incorporating the vibrations you want to attract in your life through movement, meditations, gratitude, and affirmations.
3.Decluttering – Physically decluttering your home as well as your mental and emotional thoughts and feelings for these new energies to move in.
4.Taking inspired and aligned action – ensuring your actions align with your values.
5.Faith – having faith is key as whatever you manifest will happen just not always when you desire it.
Paula added: “Having a certain mindset does affect your day-to-day life. If someone has a negative mindset, they are just going to feel more weighted, and things are going to feel more difficult. If you have a positive mindset, you will feel lighter and find it easier to talk to others.”
Practising self-love is key to a mindful lifestyle, Madden recognises it may be difficult for some but encourages those struggling to create a list of things they are good at and repeat them to themselves in the mirror in the morning.
“It is like building a muscle. Spirituality is about putting your faith in the universe, higher power, and the divine so it is about beginning with the little things. If something is really bothering you, just keep saying let go and try and bring yourself into the present moment. Go out to the park or just sit down outside, breathe, and let everything go. Trust that everything will work out. Start with the little things as it is harder to let go of the more weighted problems.”
©Olivia Beatty
Adopt don’t shop is a growing message trending online thanks to animal welfare organisations. Especially during the holiday periods, these organisations noticed a trend evolving on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram where people were beginning to buy animals as monumental gifts. This began raising alarms of many welfare agencies as people were jumping into pet ownership before fully thinking the decisions through leading to high rates of abandonment and returns.
The RSPCA is a leading animal welfare charity established in 1824 working to prevent cruelty and promote kindness towards suffering animals. They care for a wide range of species from cats and dogs to rabbits and guinea pigs to mice and rats as well as horses and exotic animals.
Dominika Jagoda works for the Companion Animal Department as a Policy and Scientific Officer, she said: “There are some patterns with certain species, for example with rabbits there is a huge problem over Easter. People see Easter bunnies everywhere and they think how cute, how soft, and they come to us to adopt. We have stopped rabbit adoptions over Easter at the moment, for maybe two or three weeks, surrounding the holiday to prevent people from making these rash decisions and then when Easter passes and they still want to adopt they can come to us then.”
According to the charity, adoptions have slowed down in comparison to previous years. In 2023, 453 rabbits were rehomed from RSPCA national animal centres compared to 603 in 2019, a fall of 25% in four years. They believe the cost-of-living crisis has had a huge influence on these statistics due to many people viewing their pets as disposable expenses.
Dominika said: “When Christmas is coming up and people realise it’s going to be expensive, naturally the first thing that goes is the pet. But then during this period, a different part of society comes up with the idea that it would be good for their child to have an animal. Many come to us then and adopt. After Christmas, not in all cases but many realised it wasn’t such a great idea.”
“Kids go back to school; they go back to work and then animals are either coming back to us or people are just giving them up. It is not always necessarily the case that an animal would be taken from our national centres before Christmas and then it comes
back to us. People source animals from all sorts of places. When the summer holidays are approaching many people try to give up their pets because they don’t know what to do with them when they are away. They don’t want to pay for pet care, so animals are given up, but they are just being abandoned in all sorts of places.”
From April 2023 to March 2024 the RSPCA reported out of 1041 adopted dogs, 77 were returned while out of the 2675 adopted cats, 69 returned.
The welfare charity has also reported a rise in the number of cruelty and neglected cases. In 2021 they received 1,081,018 calls from members of the public which is the equivalent of 123 calls an hour.
Dominika said: “Dogs are the biggest problem, nationally the number of reports made to RSPCA about dogs including intentional harm, neglect, and abandonment in 2022 was 9776 reports compared to 8176 in 2021 and then 7691 in 2020 resulting in a 27% increase over three years. There is a huge growth in cruelty and neglect cases, but we also see more reported over the summer as people see it more. More people go out with dogs, more people have the doors and balconies open so neighbours can hear what’s going on.”
For those considering looking to adopt Dominika stressed the importance of doing your research.
She said: “If you know someone who would like a small pet just do some reading around the topic. Maybe also speak to a friend or family member who has those animals and ask them how their expectations of having these pets compare to reality. There’s also plenty of volunteering that people can do before they take an animal, there are city farms and shelters where I would personally recommend people go and spend some time with the species they are interested in before taking them on. Once they are certain they have the facilities, time, and money to have the animal, go for it.”
Dominika warns people should be careful of non-legitimate breeders and rather opt to adopt from rescue centres. She has spent her time at the RSPCA dedicated to removing the prejudice surrounding animals that are seeking residence at shelters. Dominika said:
“There are already so many amazing animals out there whether it’s in our national centres or other shelters. Every single city in every county has so many of those places so why would we create more animals if there are so many already existing that need homes? I think many people believe it’s going to have behavioural problems and it is not going to settle well in the home. Many of the animals that come into our care did have a difficult past but there are also many of those abandoned because someone couldn’t care for them but when they could care the animal had the best life possible.”
The charity states there has been a 37% increase in guinea pigs, a 193% increase in rats and 191% in mice, and a 48 % increase in the number of rabbits arriving at RSPCA animal centres in 2022 compared to 2021.
The charity believes one of the main reasons for rabbit abandonment is due to their underestimated care requirements. In June, the RSPCA plans to launch a Rabbit Awareness Week to help educate the public on the essential needs for rabbits.
Dominika said: “The top problem is people feeding muesli-based diets which we now know are not very good for rabbits as they can destroy their teeth. Rabbits need regular health checks, they are not quite as cheap to keep as people think because regardless of whether you have them outside in a shed or indoors, you always have to buy your hay, and you will always need some fresh green vegetables.”
The Policy and Scientific Officer added: “Small animals have become a rising problem; we are trying to tackle the misunderstanding that those animals are really good starter pets. You have definitely heard ‘We got a rabbit because it’s a great first pet for a child.’ They are good animals, and they can bring a lot into a family, but they are never the child’s pet, they need to be the adult’s pet first. We love to see the children involved and learn how to look after them properly but when people hear this, they become put off. A lot of our work is just making people aware that maybe what they think about a certain animal isn’t necessarily true. We are trying to fix the whole stigma around certain species so that people don’t take an animal on and give them up because that creates more work for us.”
“Rabbits can run into huge dental problems so they should ideally see a vet every couple of months. They don’t like being picked up and they don’t like being handled. You can have a rabbit where they get used to your presence and then you can train them to do little tricks but that’s not every single one of them. Also, people don’t realise that they should have at least two of them or three, not just one because they aren’t solitary animals.”
©RSPCA
©Gracie Hill
©Natalia Matt