Television presenter and adventurer Ben Fogle has become patron of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, the charity co-founded by his father 35 years ago.

The announcement comes at the start of Deaf Awareness Week (15-21 May), as the broadcaster launches the Charity's 'Deafness doesn't have to be lonely' campaign.

The campaign aims to highlight the profound positive affect that hearing dogs have on the wellbeing of their deaf recipients, such as reducing loneliness, isolation, anxiety and stress.

The British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) is calling on McVitie's, Millie's Cookies and Mr Kipling to start using solely free range eggs in their products.

Through the #BHWTFreeRange campaign, BHWT is also encouraging members of the public to avoid other products which don't use free range eggs, and to check labels to ensure that 'free range' is clearly stated on the packet.

"We know the public support high welfare for hens and we work tirelessly to ensure more hens enjoy a free range lifestyle," said charity founder Jane Howarth MBE. "We want consumers to write to McVitie's and Mr Kipling asking them to adopt a free range policy today, so Jaffa Cakes and French Fancies can be eaten guilt-free."

International Cat Care's (iCatCare) photography competition has returned for 2017 with a brand new theme.

This year the charity is looking for images of street cats (also thought of as stray cats, feral cats or community cats) to feature in their 2018 calendar and other merchandise.

Winners will be invited to attend iCatCare's annual awards event in London, where the overall winner, who will receive 500 in prize money, will be announced.

To enter, visit the iCatCare website, fill in your details and upload your photo!

A new DNA testing scheme for juvenile laryngeal paralysis and polyneuropathy (JLPP) in the Russian black terrier has been approved by The Kennel Club.

JLPP is a genetic disease that affects the nerves. In affected dogs, it starts with the nerve that supplies the muscles of the larynx leading to muscle weakness and laryngeal paralysis.

To find out which laboratories the Kennel Club is able to record results from, and which labs will send results direct to the Kennel Club, visit thekennelclub.org.uk.

Conservations are calling on nature lovers to help the nation's bees by creating pollinator-friendly gardens, schools and neighbourhoods, ahead of this year's Great British Bee Count (19 May - 30 June 2017).

Now in its fourth year, the Great British Bee Count encourages members of the public to download a free app to identify and find out more about Britain's 260+ bee species.

The bee sightings will be mapped on greatbritishbeecount.co.uk and shared on the National Biodiversity Network, where researchers, experts and local authorities can access the data.

A student studying for his PhD at the Pirbright Institute has been honoured for his research on egg anti-viral proteins which could lead to a major step forward in vaccine production rates.

Tom Whitehead was named Young Innovator of the Year at the Guildford Innovation Awards on Wednesday (22nd February).

Working with scientists at The Pirbright Institute, Tom identified the family of antiviral proteins which generate the embryo's anti-viral immune response. His research demonstrated that restricting the activity of these proteins enables the levels of virus to increase.