Trekmates: where little things make a BIG difference

...and #walk1000miles’ accessories partner puts its money where its mouth is – supporting efforts to bring a tiny, beautiful spider back from the brink.

TREKMATES MAKE THE kind of accessories which can make a difference to your day totally disproportionate to their size or expense. Gaiters that block out every potential bog-soaking and hobbling bit of grit; gloves that keep your hands comfy and dextrous in even the coldest conditions; compasses that keep you on track and dryliners that keep your spare clothes toasty. And things don’t get smaller or more important than the bugs that play such a vital part in the planet’s ecosystem.

Take the Ladybird Spider – smaller than a 5p piece, and thought to be extinct in Britain until it was rediscovered on a Dorset heathland in 1980, where only a few individuals remained. Since then Trekmates-supported charity Buglife has been working to carefully manage the population, boosting their habitats to 19 locations and increasing their numbers to nearly 1000!

Velvety with white-striped legs, , the males have striking red abdomens with black spots designed to attract a mate. They’re re still critically endangered – but last year Trekmates mates doubled funding for the Ladybird Spider Project, and the signs are encouraging that its chances ances of survival are being turned around.

A nice thought, that every little bit of Trekmates kit that makes a big difference to you, is helping make an even bigger one to a precious, ious, beautiful bug who loves heaths.