Jay Ashworth, one of the Institute's members, travelled to the rainforest last year.

Many were surprised to hear of a rainforest in Canada but the Great Bear Rainforest is in fact the largest intact, coastal temperate rainforest left in the world.

Staying in a waterside lodge as part of a small group, Jay had the opportunity to observe grizzly bears and black bears in their natural habitat, and she had some fabulous photographs to prove it!

Jay also told of the issues threatening this special and unique part of the world, in particular widespread logging which destroys the natural habitat of the bears and the many, many other species of wildlife that make their home in the rainforest.

Salmon farms are also a threat to the ecosystem, as the farmers breed a variety of salmon that is incompatible with the region's own salmon, spreading illness amongst the resident salmon population.

Although most will never have the opportunity to travel to this beautiful part of the world, Jay's talk - and her amazing photographs - brought us close to this special region, and it was an educational as well as entertaining evening.