Just for Families Issue 9

Issue 9

ust Families J for

Incorporating The UK Forces Education Guide

Positive

Being

BODY

Feed 4 for £20 a week

H

THE

ypnobirthing

EXPERIENCE

Giffords Circus 2018

Supporting the Unsung Hero’ business boom The University of Wolverhampton’s businessstart up programme, ‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’, is helping spouses and dependants’ of serving Armed Forces personnel, Veterans and Reservists realise their ambition to start-up and grow a successful business.

‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’ is a tailored business programme designed to meet the needs of Armed Forces families, and was one of the original bids to the £35 million LIBOR fund.

Since then, the course and mentoring programme has been in high demand having already been attended by 520 delegates with 740 expected to complete the programme by 2021. HSBC bank recently announced it will continue to sponsor the programme enabling the delivery team at the University of Wolverhampton and Black Country Chamber of Commerce to further expand on the already award winning programme.

The Johnson QuikDri Tracksuit is a Unique peach finish microfiber tracksuit, lined in Soft Toweling and with easy access zips on the arms and legs. It wicks away excess water, moisture, and is waterproof, windproof, and leak proof so if necessary can be put on straight over the swimsuit. (also wipes clean!)

Pockets in the Jacket are also waterproof, providing ideal storage for wet goggles, or swimsuit.

Who needs a towel!

Sarah Walker, ‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’ Project Manager and Lead Trainer, says: “We are proud to be leading this programme and are very grateful to HSBC for continuing to fund the venture which forms an integral part of our range of opportunities for those who are currently serving in the Armed Forces their families and Veterans. This programme has the potential to create in excess of 700 new business start-ups by the end of 2021, significantly boosting our economy on a local and national scale.”

If your kids love being around water, whether a lake, the sea or a pool, surfing, waterskiing or any other water sports, the JQ is here to make your life a little easier.

10% Discount Quote Tri service 18

For help with ordering, and sizing, or more information about the Johnson QuikDri Tracksuit, please contact us at info@quikdri.co.uk or call us on 01329 281220

www.quikdri.co.uk

Delegates are offered a dedicated four-day business start-up training course, where they will learn and develop the skills required to run a business and understand their legal, financial and tax obligations, basic record keeping, marketing and how to write that all important business plan.

Once enrolled on the course participants also benefit from a closed online forum to encourage peer support and interaction with other delegates.

Some members have started local business networking groups and have formed alliances to

Who can apply for the programme?

The programme is open to a spouse or dependant (over the age of 16) of a Service person, Veteran or Reservist.

We are also pleased to announce that we now accept applications from Armed Forces Veterans.

How long does the programme last?

Each Cohort will run for 10 months including 4 days of class based training with an experienced team of business advisers and dedicated one to one mentoring delivered either in person or virtually.

When does the programme start?

There are a range of start dates for each cohort to fit your requirements, contact the SUH team to find out the best course date and location to suit the individual.

Is there a fee to attend the programme?

There is no cost to participate in the programme as funding has been provided by the Armed Forces Covenant (LIBOR) Fund and the HSBC Bank (travel, accommodation and expenses incurred are not included).

What type of business can delegates set up?

The type of business set up is entirely up to the individual and could range from professional business consultancy, crafts and handmade gifts, bespoke art, catering services or personal fitness instructors. Participants may have a couple of business ideas and wish to use the course to explore each option or may not have a specific business in mind but wish to understand the basic principles of business start-up and gain inspiration from others.

Can delegates set up a joint business with a family member or friend?

Yes, delegates can set up a joint business with a family member or friend/s although only the eligible Spouse, Dependant or Veteran can attend the training course.

Can those already running a business apply?

Yes, delegates may still participate in the programme if already running a business in its infancy or need to develop their understanding of basic business management.

Courses are run throughout the UK at MOD bases from Scotland to Portsmouth and overseas in Cyprus, Belgium, Germany and Gibraltar.

Mentoring and seminars are also delivered on-line via Skype or Facebook to make the course as accessible as possible and to allow for service mobility and family commitments.

What a better way for the kids to get wet!

The Johnson QuikDri Tracksuit

work together and share their skills to develop new products and services.

‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’ FAQ’s

Sally Wagstaff, a former Nurse in the Royal Navy and military spouse, enrolled on the first programme in October 2013. Since completing the course she has opened a state-of-the-art laser hair removal clinic in Lichfield and has since built on her success, opening a further salon at Aston Wood Golf and Country Club.

She says: “I simply wouldn’t have started my business without the Supporting the Unsung Hero Business programme. The course has been so important, from giving me the confidence to launch to teaching me the skills to run and importantly grow my business. I recommend the programme highly.”

Sarah Walker, Project Manager, said, “There is no end to the talent and resources within the Armed Forces community. As we enter the fourth year of the programme we hope to deliver in new locations such as Gibraltar to enable as many service spouses to access the course as possible, especially those who are in remote locations or overseas. ”

Who will be mentoring programme delegates?

We are a team of friendly business experts from the University of Wolverhampton’s Business Solutions Centre.

Participants are assigned an individual mentor for the duration of the programme. Once enrolled delegates will also be able to access a closed Facebook page which has proven to be a great source of peer-to-peer support.

Are the training and mentoring sessions flexible?

The dates of the four-day courses and group mentoring sessions are fixed. Individual mentoring sessions are flexible and can be delivered via Skype, phone or face to face.

Are delegates obliged to set up a business by the end of the programme?

There is no obligation to set up a business by the end of the programme, but ideally those who have completed the course will have a business up and running, as this is the aim of the programme.

What will delegates achieve at the end of the programme?

Participants will have all the tools and information required to kick-start their business. A certificate will also be awarded to demonstrate successful completion of the course and will become members of a unique group of like-minded people from the military community.

If you have a business idea and need the skills and support to launch or you want to find out if running a business could be an opportunity for you contact the ‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’ team: Telephone: 01902 321 272 Email: suh@wlv.ac.uk Website: wlv.ac.uk/supportingtheunsunghero

Win Sunday Lunch at the Award Winning Magnolia Brasserie at Sudbury House Hotel

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JustFamilies for

Incorporating The UK Forces Education Guide

Feed 4 For £20 A Week

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Easy Ice-Cream Recipes

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Dolly Pegs

Welcome to Issue 9 of Just for Families…

Hopefully, by the time you’re reading this, the weather has perked up and thoughts are turning to summer!

If you’re already wondering what on earth you’re going to do with the kids for 6 weeks then check out our A to Z of Summer Boredom Busters.You’ll also find a great guide to some of the best Theme Parks around and if you’re thinking about activities to do at home, take a look at the Benefits of Messy Play!

Make!

12

Make!

A To Z Of Summer Holiday Boredom Busters

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National Trust Adventures

20

Theme Park Fun

26

Walking With Dinosaurs

28

Giffords Circus

30

Let’s Get Messy!

32

Sudbury House Hotel

Win Lunch!

34

Your Home Patch

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My Military Family

38

Little Troopers Treasures

39

Scotty’s Knock Out Boxing Events

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Medical Detection Dogs

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Style & Substance: Simple Slogans

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Being Body Positive

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Antenatal Depression

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The Hypnobirthing Experience

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You’ve got to be in it to win it! In this issue our lucky readers have the chance to win some fabulous books as well as Sunday lunch at the award winning Magnolia Brasserie at Sudbury House Hotel!

Nappy Cake

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Please continue to like and share our Facebook page and keep checking for competitions. If you would like to subscribe to Just for Families, or need to change the address details of your subscription, then please email us at jff@forcespublishing.co.uk.

Help! How Do I Answer That?!

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Your Fab Dads

60

Choosing The Right School

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We are always keen to receive editorial contributions from our readers and the deadline for submission, for the next issue, is 04/06/18.

The Importance Of Storytelling

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Books For Your Little Readers

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Children often ask difficult questions and being in a military family adds another dimension. We discuss some of the questions children ask and how to respond in Help! How Do I Answer That?! Being in the military can also create different dilemmas when it comes to your child’s education but we set out to help in our article on Choosing the Right School. Perhaps you’re not quite at that stage and instead, are navigating your way through pregnancy.

Whilst for most it is a joyous time, this isn’t always the case, as we find out in our article on Antenatal Depression. Maybe it’s the birth you’re most fearful of? Be sure to make time to read our guide to Hypnobirthing.

Until next time…

Make!

Style And Substance: Party Planning On A Budget 56

Giveaway!

Supporting The Unsung Hero

Enjoy!

Just For Families Military Mag *permission for images taken from our Facebook competition were received before going to print

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Many thanks to Kate Saines, Rebecca Smith and Carly Stevens for their editorial contributions Supporters of

Forces & Corporate Publishing Ltd, Hamblin House, Hamblin Court, Rushden, Northants NN10 0RU. Tel: 01933 419994

www.forcespublishing.co.uk

Editorial: Joanna Barnes

Design: Hayley Geddes

Articles and photographs reproduced by kind permission of the contributors © No responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in this magazine can be accepted by the publishers or printers. Advertisements are included in good faith.

The MOD or any Service Establishment is not responsible for the advertiser or its advertised product or service.

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Feed

20 for

a week

Here at Just for Families we love a challenge, and last month we challenged our friend Louise to feed her family of 4 for a whole month on just £20 a week!

Did you know a family of 4 spends an average of £230 a month on food shopping?

That’s roughly £53 a week, and not factoring in other luxuries like alcohol or necessities like toiletries! We are a family of four, there’s my partner and I and our two children aged 4 and 7. We have a pretty average income, and are always looking for ways to save money, but I’m almost ashamed to say our food expenditure is closer to £400 a month thanks to our love of takeaways, treats and lack of planning. Food prices are sky-high these days (remember when a Freddo used to be 10p?!) and supermarkets have reflected this by increasing their own-brand lower price ranges to meet the needs of shoppers.

In fact, according to research by Nielsen, supermarket own-brands now generate more than half of UK grocery sales. We aren’t usually the savviest shoppers, if I’m honest. We both work, my partner Gary works full time for a construction company and I work part time as an administrator in an office. By the time I’ve dropped the kids off, been to work and picked them up again, I’m often running around doing other errands and only have time to fly into the nearest supermarket and grab a few bits here and there for whatever I decide we’re having for tea in that moment. I’ll admit I’m guilty of just grabbing the first thing I see

instead of scanning the shelves or even comparing other supermarkets to make sure I’m getting the best price. It’s not the best way to shop, nor does it always end up being the healthiest tea either – we end up with frozen pizza or chicken nuggets and chips far more often than I’d care to admit!

So when my friends at Just for Families asked me to try this challenge I thought “Why not?!” I’ve got 30 days, which is roughly £20 a week or £80 for the whole month. Here’s how it went!

Week one:

I’ve done a bit a research and I’ve decided the key to success with this is planning!

So today I’ve written a meal plan for the four of us and I’m heading to the shops after work with the boys. Breakfasts are relatively easy – everyone is happy with toast or cereal and fruit. Lunchtimes aren’t so bad either, both the children are happy with sandwiches, crisps and yoghurts. The trickiest part is going to be dinners; our eldest son James will happily eat anything but the four year old, Sam, is a real fusspot!

Over the next 30 days I’m going to make sure nothing goes to waste – I put more food than I should on the compost heap at the bottom of the garden just because I didn’t think out our menu and shop carefully. I’m hoping this challenge will change those habits for good when I see how much money we could save! First

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Week one Asda

SP Baked beans x2 £0.23p each SP Mild Cheddar 830g - £3.69p Tuna Pasta Bake Sauce - £0.75p SP Porridge Oats 1kg - £0.75p SP Corn Flakes 500g - £0.45p SP Strawberry Jam - £0.28p Whole Chicken Medium - £2.89

Lidl Batts Tomato Ketchup 565g – £0.49p Nixe Tuna in brine 4 x 160g - £2.45p

I checked online for the best prices for certain staple ingredients – bread, milk, cheese, beans and then I headed to our local Lidl, and also nipped into Asda for a few bits too. Here’s what I brought on our first shop!

Hmm… not too bad for all that food! But not £20 for the week, I’m starting to think that this might not be possible, and maybe this is going to be harder than I thought!

For breakfast each day we have cornflakes, porridge or toast and jam. Lunchtimes we have cheese, jam or ham sandwiches, the children also had crisps and a chocolate bar or yoghurt and a piece of fruit. 3 days during the week my husband and I had ham salads and fruit, although I must admit it wasn’t as tasty as the usual more expensive ham that I buy and I did miss the mayo, but I couldn’t justify buying it as me and my husband are the only ones who eat it and can go without. On Monday we had tuna pasta bake, on Tuesday we had sausages, chips and beans and Wednesday was a stir fry (which Sam was not happy about at all, and I then had to cook him up some chicken breast and chips to make sure he had something!). On Thursday I roasted the chicken, and that night we ate chicken,

broccoli, carrots and roast potatoes with gravy. Friday night we had leftover chicken in the korma sauce and a naan bread each, I think this was the favourite meal for everyone. For Saturday’s dinner we had spag bol, although the garlic bread was sorely missed and will definitely be going on the shopping list for next week! We only used half the pack of mince, freezing the rest, and bulked the meal out with onions and peppers. Finally on Sunday we ate the last of the frozen chicken breasts, with chips and spaghetti hoops for the boys, beans for Gary and I. We’d made it a week without nipping up to the local Coop and spending extra cash on forgotten items for last minute dinners.

I think planning ahead has been brilliant, it’s been quite nice knowing exactly what we’re having and not worrying about having to go shopping to buy ingredients in a rush. I think the thing we have struggled with the most is how boring and repetitive the food for breakfast and lunch got. It doesn’t take long to go off porridge and fruit and the same crisps every day as snacks were wearing thin for the boys, but all in all they seem quite content with what we’ve been dishing up!

Baresa Bolognese Sauce 500g - £0.65 Kanpur Garden Korma Sauce 500g - £0.65 Plain Naan Bread 2 x 260g - £0.46p each Semi Skimmed Milk 4 pints - £1.09p Simply… Wholemeal bread 800g - £0.40 p Oaklands Iceburg Lettuce - £0.49p Oaklands Cher ry Tomatoes - £0.49p Lidl Cucumber - £0.44p Simply… Fromage Frais 12 x 55g - £0.84 p Oaklands Funsize Bananas - £0.88p Snacktastic Cheese Curls 10 x 12g - £0.99 p Harvest Basket Oven Chips - £0.66p White Potatoes 2.5kg - £1.14 Vita D’Or Sunflower Spread - £0.69p Warren & Sons Cumberland Sausages - £0.85 p Broccoli - £0.69p Simply… Spaghetti - £0.20p Combino Fusili Wholewheat Pasta - £0.45 Newgate Spaghetti Loops - £0.15p Frozen Chicken Breasts 1kg - £3.33p Oaklands Stir Fry Mixed Veg - £0.80p Batts Stir Fry Sauce - £0.33p Vitasia Egg Noodles 250g - £0.59p Simply.. Cooked Ham - £1.49p

Castello Jelly Cubes - £0.32p Mister Choc Caramel Minis - £0.89p Beef Mince 800g - £2.85p Oaklands carrots - £0.44p Fun size apples: £0.95p Onions: £0.39p Peppers: £0.59p

Total: £38.60p

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Week 2:

After the initial bulk buy for week one we still had some things left over – some cheese and 6 fromage frais were left in the fridge and still in date, we had lots of pasta and spaghetti, half a pack of mince in the freezer, along with some chips and chicken nuggets and I hadn’t used the jelly yet. The carrots were still good, and there were a few potatoes left in the cupboard, along with a few portions of cornflakes and half the bag of porridge. I headed off to the shops at about 3pm on Sunday this time and got very excited to find Asda selling off heaps of things at a high discount – apparently Sunday before closing is THE time to go shopping for a bargain! Here’s my spend for week two!

Week 2 Asda Whole Large Chicken: £2.10 Courgettes, loose: £0.29p New potatoes: £0.13p Tomatoes: £0.10p Cucumber: £0.15p Onions: £0.15p Broccoli: £0.16p Leeks: £0.10p Crunchy Salad 2 bags: £0.20p Salmon Fillets 240g: £2.09p Fish Pie Mix 340g: £2.00p Diced Pork 450g: £1.76p Minced Beef 500g: £1.76 Frozen fish nuggets: £0.79p Wafer Thin Smoked Ham: £1.79p Passata: £0.69p Wholemeal bread: £0.45p Rich Tea Biscuits: £0.30p Bananas: £0.90p Apples: £0.80p Pears: £0.70p Korma Sauce: £0.75p Pasta Sauce: £0.69p Wholemeal rolls: £0.69p Lentils 500g: £0.75p Vegetable Stock Cubes: £0.43p Garlic Bread: £0.40p Naan bread x 2: £0.55p each Fish Pie Sauce: £0.80p Penguin Choc Bars: £1.00p French Fries Crisps: £1.00p

Total: £25.02p

Hmm.. Better than last weeks shop but we are still way over budget to get to the end of the month with only around £16 left to cover the next two weeks’ worth of food. Something tells me this isn’t going to happen! I’m going to plod on with it though and see how far we can get. When I got home from my Sunday shop I shut myself away in the kitchen for a few hours and cooked up a few meals ready for the week – partly to be organised and partly to use up and preserve all the bargain meat I got that was nearing it’s sell by date! I made tomato & lentil soup – which was lovely and a hit with all the family served with wholemeal rolls. Fish pies were made in individual dishes – I got 5 out of the mix we bought. The chicken was cooked and stripped ready for use in salads and curry in the week. We ran out of butter halfway through the week and didn’t realise until Wednesday night when doing the lunches for the next day which did mean we went and paid £1.09 for a tub in the corner shop along our road, leaving us with just over £15 to last until the end of the month!

Our meals other than that were much the same as the week before – spag bol, packed out with veggies and split over two nights, one with pasta and the next with jacket spuds and cheese. We bulked up the korma with veggies this time too and managed to feed all four of us and then Gary and I for lunch the next day too. The fish pie was delicious, Sam had a friend over for tea on

Thursday and he was impressed with it too.

Salmon salads made a nice change for mine and Gary’s lunches over a few days. I’m not fussy about use-by dates with veg, if it looks and smells ok then I’m not going to throw it out just because it’s a few days past its prime, but my reduced 20p salad bags did look very sad and limp by Wednesday and although we got a couple of meals from one of them I did end up chucking the other one over the compost heap. We are all fed and thriving, but I have to admit I’m missing our Friday night take-aways and am feeling pretty bored of what we are eating.

I miss being able to pop into Tesco on the way home and just choose whatever I fancy and there have been more than a few huffs and eye rolls followed by ‘Ham sandwiches.. agaaain?’ from the kids!

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Week 3:

£15.07p is all we have left from our £80 budget. With this in mind I headed to Asda again at 3pm on Sunday evening, an hour before closing but was sad to see that their discounted fridge was nowhere near as packed as it was last week, looks like I can’t rely on that to see us through! I managed to get a couple of bits; another fish pie mix, and the boys were happy there were some strawberries in there for £1, although is it weird that I found myself feeling that £1 was an extravagant spend on strawberries?! I have found myself questioning everything we’ve been buying and eating, which isn’t a bad thing I suppose.

Our level of waste has gone down dramatically – I’m making everything stretch and appreciating what we have a lot more knowing that we are on such a tight budget. With my hopes of the discount fridge dashed I headed over to the freezer section to try and save some money there instead! We had aimed to get to Lidl too but spent so long in Asda umming and aahing over what we should buy it had shut by the time we’d finished! Here’s what we got for the last of our cash.

Week 3 Asda

Fish Pie Mix: £2.00 p Strawberries 400g: £1.00p Eggs: £1.00p Fish Pie Sauce: £0 .80p Frozen mixed veg: £0.82p Frozen chicken bre asts: £3.00p SP Frozen Pizza: £0 .82 SP Milk Chocolate: £0.30p SP Cornflakes: £0 .45p SP Orange squash: £0.42p Korma sauce: £0.75 p Tinned tomatoes x3 : £0.29p SP Sausages: £0.89 p SP Beans: £0.29p Wholemeal bread: £0.55p Milk UHT 1Ltr: £0 .57p

Total: £14.82p

And that’s £80! Well… £79.82p. I let the boys spend our last 18p on some penny sweets at the corner shop that evening, they were ecstatic! This haul was never going to see us through the next two weeks, but we did get some meals from it although they were nothing to write home about. Omelette and chips was a nice quick tea, and the fish pie was enjoyed by everyone. However, frozen veg and meat just doesn’t have the same quality and taste to it as fresh does in my opinion, and although some own brand cheap products are great they just don’t taste as good as the slightly more expensive brands.

The boys hated the smart price orange squash (we usually buy the high juice) and they turned their noses up completely at the UHT milk. They were so happy when we said it was pizza for tea but we had to use the last of the cheese on it as there was barely any when we got it out of the packet meaning there was no cheese left for sandwiches at lunchtime. Breakfasts became mundane with only one cereal to choose from, though the 30p chocolate was a good buy as we melted it and made cornflake cakes with the boys which they loved and they saved us buying chocolate bars for the week. By Wednesday I was back in the shops, but not quite back to my usual habits.

I’d written myself a list, which I stuck to, after spending half an hour that afternoon planning our meals for the coming week.

I’m disappointed that we didn’t make it the whole 30 days sticking to £20 a week but I’m so glad we tried. I’ve definitely learnt a few things on the way; how to make meals go a bit further and cutting our waste down has been brilliant. I am much more careful about what I’m picking up from the shelves, which helps even out the cost of some things. I learnt to make my own pasta sauce this week using tinned tomatoes and herbs, it was so much tastier than shop bought stuff and only a fraction of the price so I didn’t feel so bad spending a bit more on some quality meatballs and cheese to go with it. Even though we didn’t keep to our budget we saved a whopping £280 on our food bill this month which is crazy. Some things won’t change – we have gone back to having our Friday night takeaways and the boys are very happy that I’m not buying UHT milk anymore, but this experience has definitely given me the motivation to keep my shopping habits in check.

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Easy

m a e r c Ice

Recipes

What there better treat is ers day than on a hot summ m! e-made ice-crea m o H ? m a re -c e ic fun to make re a s e p ci re sy a These e eggs ’t require raw n o d y e th r, e th toge need an ice’t n o d u o y d n a being used ice creams will se e h T r! e k a m cream freezer for up all keep in the to two weeks.

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Easy-Peasy Chocolate Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream

You will need...

You will need...

2 cups heavy whipping cream 1 can condensed milk 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 a 397g can of condensed milk 600ml double cream 1tsp vanilla extract Place all the ingredients into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until the mixture thickens and forms stiff peaks. Scrape into a container and freeze overnight.

Stir together the condensed milk, cocoa powder and vanilla extract and set aside. In a mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, then fold the condensed milk mixture into the cream. Pour into a container and freeze overnight.

Dairy-Free Coconut Ice Cream You will need...

3 cans full-fat coconut milk 2tsp vanilla extract 2/3 cups of sugar Chill two cans of the coconut milk in the fridge for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Empty the contents of the other can into a saucepan. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer, stir and let it simmer for 30 minutes or until the milk is thick and has reduced by half turning a golden colour. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.

to use in something else such as a smoothie.

Whip the cream until it is light and fluffy, this should take around 3-4 minutes. Add the milk from the saucepan and whip for another 2-3 minutes.

Transfer into a lidded container and freeze for 4 hours or overnight. This ice-cream freezes quite hard so may need to be left at room temperature for a while to make it easier to scoop!

Open the two cans of chilled coconut milk.

The cream should have risen to the top of the cans, carefully scoop this off and put into a mixing bowl. The rest of the coconut water can be discarded or kept in the fridge

Passionfruit Ice Cream with Passionfruit Sauce

Whisk together the condensed milk and the passion fruit pulp and leave to one side.

In a mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form then add in your passionfruit mixture. Pour the mixture into a container and freeze overnight. To make the sauce, combine the passionfruit pulp, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Place over a medium-low heat and stir continuously until it starts to thicken slightly. Add in the corn starch dissolved in water and continue to cook until thick. Remove from the heat and leave it to cool to room temperature before drizzling on your ice cream. The sauce will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

You will need...

1 can condensed milk 2 cups passionfruit pulp 2 cups heavy whipping cream For the sauce: 1/3 cup passionfruit pulp, with seeds 2/3 cups sugar 1 teaspoon corn starch, dissolved in 1 cup of water Pinch of salt

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D

olly Pegs

If you’re searching for ways to keep the kids entertained then look no further! These cute dolly pegs are the perfect craft project to keep little hands busy and they are great to play with too when they’re finished!

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Dolly pegs are best for olde r childre n to make an d play w it h as making them ca n b e a bit fiddly an d there are lots of small pa rts that can fall off easil y.

Challenge yourself to a challenge event If you’re thinking of ways to kick-start a new fitness drive or what sort of challenge you would like to set yourself for 2018, the RAF Association is here to help. We have many events to choose from to keep fit and raise money for a worthwhile cause.

The Wolf Run combines a 10km race with natural and man-made obstacles set in the beautiful Midlands countryside. It is the ultimate test of teamwork, as you work together to get over, under and through each of the obstacles. Wolf Runs are held quarterly, so whether you want to run in the sunshine or prefer the freezing cold, there will be a run to suit you.

If you prefer to get your exercise on your bike, then the Rutland Border Epique for the RAF Centenary is for you. A classic bike ride around the beautiful Rutland Water, this is a fun, but challenging ride aiming to raise a total of ÂŁ10,000 for the RAF Association

in the RAF’s Centenary year.

The Snowdon Triple Challenge in August is an exciting multi-activity event and not for the faint-hearted.

You will take on the landscape of the national park by foot, bike and kayak.

With steep climbs and gruelling hills.

The sense of achievement you feel at the end will be worth the pain!

For a more gentle pursuit, but nonetheless challenging you could take part in the Charity Walk for Peace. The walk is five miles long and starts and ends at the Savill Court Hotel, Windsor.

So put on your walking shoes and raise some money with thousands of others with a trek through the picturesque Windsor Great Park.

To kick-start your 2018 go to rafa.org.uk/challenges to sign up. Or call 0800 018 2361, you can also email jules@rafa.org.uk.

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Mindfulness Colouring 14

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Beaches

ather Keep an eye on the we closest the to ad he forecast and sand! the on day fun beach for a

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Summer Holiday of

Boredom Busters The holidays will soon be here!

If you’re dreading the 6 week stretch, check out our A-Z guide of Summer Holiday activities!

a

Start a summer project to discover your family’s roots!

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Drawing

e

Ancestry

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Cycling

If you don’t have your own bikes there are loads of beautiful places to hire them from and spend the day cycling around.

Rainy day fun!

Draw, paint, stick… get creative!

Exercise

Don’t be a couch potato all Summer long! Kick a ball around in the park, gather up friends for a game of rounders, hire a tennis court… get out and get active!

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Gardening Plant sunflowers, grow some veggies, water the flowers and play in the mud…

These warm summer days are great spent pottering around the garden!

Family Summer holidays are the perfect time to visit family and spend quality time together.

hi Homework

So it may not be a boredom buster, but it does need do ing! The holidays are a time to relax and the best way to be able to do that is to get homework out of the way so it doesn’t need to be worried about anymore!

g Kite Flyinr at the park, ch o On the bea ! is always fun flying a kite

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Ice Cream

Summer isn’t complete without enjoying an ice cream.. or 3! Have a go at making your own (see our recipes in this issue!)

j

Journal Keeping a summer journal is a wonderful way to remember all the fun things you get up to.

Keep any tickets or keepsakes to stick in it too!

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Letters

Take the time to write a letter to someone you care about. Much more fun than a text message or email!

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Movies Spend an afternoon at the cinema or watch some classics at home.

m

o q Open Days

Lots of open days happen over the summer. Check with your local fire and ambulance stations to see when their next one is and take the kids along!

Quack

If the kids are driving you quackers, take them to feed the ducks!

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p Nature Hunt

Nature hunts are brilliant fun! Write a list of ten things to find. Ladybirds, butterflies, a birds nest, etc. Then go out and look for them, ticking them off your list!

r

Picnic

Picnics make lunchtimes much more fun! Even if it’s raining, have one on a blanket on the floor in the living room!

Relax

Some days it’s good just to have no plans!

Kick back, stay at home & relax.

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u

Swim

Check with your local pool whether they have any events on over the summer holidays. Swim discos are great for going to with a bunch of friends!

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Underground There are loads of fun places to explore underground in the UK! Caves, tunnels and caverns are all waiting to be explored.

Tent You don’t need to go camping to enjoy the fun of a tent, pop one up in the garden and watch the kids have fun!

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ks Waterpar tted all over

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Vacation Camping, Glamping or a week in the Maldives, some time away no matter where you go, is perfect during the holidays.

Yum If the weather isn’t a nice as you’d like it to be and you find yourself stuck indoors a baking day is just what is needed!

Create some yummy treats with your little ones.

z Zzzz

After all that, you all deserve to enjoy a few lie-ins!

X-plore Locally or further afield, there’s loads for your little adventurers to explore!

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Go On A National Trust

dventure This May Half-Term

The days are warmer, evenings are longer, and May half-term is the perfect time to head outdoors and get closer to nature. From hunting for bugs to kayaking along the coast and building secret dens, you’ll never be short of exciting adventures.

National Trust gardens, parks, woodlands and coastlines are great places to let the little ones roam free, and every half-term adventure helps the National Trust care for special places for years to come.

Here are some great places to go wild this May half-term:

South West Lanhydrock, Cornwall Children’s activity trail 26 May - 3 Jun, 11am - 5pm With deep, ancient woodlands, winding riverside paths and wide open parkland, Lanhydrock is the perfect place to get out and about in the fresh air. Why not gather the whole family this half-term to try the special activity trail through the estate?

There’ll be plenty to see and do along the way from smelling fragranced flower blooms to seeking out fungi and tiny bugs on the woodland floor, or hearing birdsong filling the sky.

Price: Free event, normal admission applies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lanhydrock

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Knightshayes Court, Devon May half-term havoc 26 May – 3 June, 10am - 5pm With warmer weather and maybe even a bit of sunshine, half-term at Knightshayes is the perfect chance to give the kids a bit of wild time. As they explore the garden they’ll be able to try out some of the National Trust’s ’50 Things’ activities during the trail, like creating some wild art, enjoying outdoor play at Four Oaks or spotting spring birds.

And if it rains? Well, there’s always squelchy mud pies to be made.

Price: 50p per trail, normal admission applies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/knightshayes

Castle Drogo, Devon May half-term fun 26 May – 3 June, 11am – 4pm What do flowers need to grow and what do their seeds look like? All will be answered as you follow the trail around the garden identifying and learning about different flowers. On 29 May little ones can also get their hands dirty with some nature-themed craft activities.

Price: £1 per trail, £2 for craft activities.

Normal admission applies. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/castle-drogo

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Petworth, West Sussex Incredible Inventions trail 5 - 24 May, 10am – 5pm Elizabeth Iliffe was one of the most remarkable women to live at Petworth. She was both a painter and amateur scientist, and even set up her own laboratory a Petworth. Now you can tread in her footsteps by following the clues around the gardens, which will help you piece together an ingenious tool. Will you solve the puzzle and become an inventor extraordinaire?

Price: £3 per trail www.nationaltrust.org.uk/petworth-houseand-park

Uppark, Hampshire Barrington Court, Somerset Wildlife days 29 May - 1 Jun, 10.30am - 3.30pm There’s all sorts of weird and wonderful wildlife to be found at Barrington Court, and this May half-term the National Trust will be hosting some experts from local conservation groups to give you a crash course in all things nature. There will be crafts and hands-on activities to try so you can discover the buzz with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, get in a flap with Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust or seek out a whole host of other species with the Somerset Wildlife Trust – plus much more.

Price: Free event (normal admission applies) www.nationaltrust.org.uk/barrington-court

Studland Bay, Dorset Seashore explorers 26 May – 3 June, 10.30am – 4pm Ever wondered what’s hidden beneath the waves when you’re playing on the beach or paddling in the shallows? There are all sorts of secrets hidden along the seashore, so come along to unlock the mysteries of the coast and get crafty making a sand sculpture or shell mobile.

hear the buzzing of bees hard at work.

Afterwards, little ones can get stuck in to create their own bee-themed work of art back at the visitor centre.

Price: £3 per child, normal admission applies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ashridge-estate

Scotney Castle, Kent Children of Scotney guided walk 26 May – 3 Jun, 11.30am – 1pm or 2pm – 3.30pm Following the recent discovery of Edward ‘Edwy’ Windsor Hussey’s childhood diaries, young explorers will now be able to experience some of the wild adventures and experiences he and his sisters used to have at Scotney. Join one of the National Trust team for a wander and try to build the perfect den at the Wilderness Camp, run through the long grass in search of butterflies, or see how high you can go on the big tree swing.You’ll also hear about some of Edward’s more unusual childhood experiences, like firing the canons and climbing the clock tower.

Prices for activities vary, see website for details. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scotney-castle

Hares half-term trail 26 May – 3 June, 10am – 5pm It’s rare to spot wild hares as they’re very shy creatures, but if you’re very lucky you might catch a glimpse at Uppark. Quiet mornings are the best time to try, as they come out of hiding to feed on the grass. Even if you don’t spot one, you’ll still be able to discover fascinating facts about these beautiful animals with Uppark’s hare-themed halfterm trail, complete with drawing and word scramble challenges.

Price: suggested donation £1 per trail.

Normal admission applies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/uppark-houseand-garden

Midlands Attingham Park, Shropshire Deer Park Safari 29 May, 45 min sessions - see website for timings It might not be the Serengeti, but there are still plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife on a tractor and trailer Safari through Attingham Park. Keep a special eye out for the fallow deer herd - there are around 200 of them in the park, and it won’t be

Price: Free event www.nationaltrust.org.uk/studland-bay

London and South East Ashridge Estate, Hertfordshire Half-term trail and crafts 28 May - 1 Jun, 10am - 4pm The Ashridge Estate is brimming over with wildlife, but you might not always notice some of its most important residents. Bees might be small, but they do a mighty job by pollinating flowers and helping the plants and trees to grow. This special bee trail will lead you through the winding woods, where if you listen you might be able to 21

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to Hardwick this half-term to get stuck in and spend some quality time in the great outdoors. Have a go sitting in the estate vehicles, try and guess which tools are used to carry out jobs in the park, and let the rangers teach you some tricks to identify tree species.

Price: Free, normal admission applies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hardwick-hall

Calke Abbey, Derbyshire Minibeast Safari 30 May 11am – 12.15pm This half-term is all about nature at the National Trust’s Calke Abbey. Join the insect hunt and seek out the hidden creatures that live here: tucked away in burrows, hiding under logs or above your head among the tree branches.You might even have some of these mysterious animals living near your home, so once you’re done exploring why not head on over to Squirt’s Stable to make something special for your garden wildlife? long until this year’s fawns are born and join the herd. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Price: Adult £4.50, child £3.50 Book in advance. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/attingham-park

Lyveden, Northamptonshire Lyveden Alive 28 May –1 Jun, 11am – 4pm This May half-term Lyveden is springing into life with a whole host of naturethemed activities including bug-hunting, pond-dipping and a nature trail so little ones can unleash their wild side. The fun doesn’t stop there either, as there’ll be plenty of opportunities to try out some of the National Trust’s ‘50 things’ activities.

Why not grab the magnifying glass and hunker down among the meadow grass in search of bugs, or see the world spin as you roll down a really big hill?

Price: Free activity, normal admission applies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lyveden

Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire What’s a Ranger?

30 May, 11am – 4pm Have you ever fancied trying your hand at being a National Trust ranger? Head along

Price: Free event, normal admission applies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calke-abbey

East of England Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire 50 Things Extravaganza, 26 May – 3 June. Free event Cuckoos Calling, 31 May, 10.30am – 12.30pm or 2pm – 4pm. £5.50 per child.

Minibeast Safari, 30th May, timed slots from 10.30am. £3.50 per child Campfire Cooking, 1 June, 10am – 2.30pm. £50 per family Normal admission applies. Booking essential for all activities except 50 things.

As a National Nature Reserve, Wicken Fen is full to bursting with all sorts of wildlife.

You might see herds of Konik ponies and Highland cattle grazing among the high grass, or majestic birds of prey soaring overhead. May is also the best time to hear Cuckoos calling, so why not join come along to try your luck and join in with some Cuckoo-themed games and crafts?

You can also have a go at pond dipping and a mini beast safari, cook up a storm in the mud ovens with your family or have a go at some of the 50 things to do before you’re 11? activities. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wicken-fen-naturereserve

Dunwich Heath, Suffolk 50 Things-a-thon 27 May, 11am-3pm With a full day of special 50 Things events on offer this May half-term, there’s never been a better time to get stuck in to nature.

Delve into the depths with a spot of pond dipping to discover all the creatures that live under the water, or try your hand at skimming stones – how many bounces can you get?

Price: Free www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dunwich-heathand-beach

Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk Woodland Wednesday 30th May, 11.30am - 1.30pm If you go down to the woods today, you’ll meet one of Oxburgh’s team of nature lovers who will show you all the best ways to enjoy Britain’s woodlands. Have a go at building a den out of sticks, or go on the hunt for bugs hiding under tree bark and on the woodland floor. There’s plenty to discover at this drop-in event, so you can stay for as little or long as you like.

Price: Free event, garden entry applies.

Limited availability & children must be accompanied by an adult. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/oxburgh-hall

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Norfolk Coast 50 Things 29 - 31 May, 10am – 4pm Join the National Trust for some coastalthemed fun during Terrific Tuesdays at Blakeney Quay, or Wild Wednesdays and 50 Things Thursdays on Brancaster Beach.

You’ll be able to enjoy crabbing, fly one of the kites provided (or bring your own), try stone skimming, build an epic sandcastle or just sit back and watch the birdlife. Stay for as little or as long as you like, and breathe in the fresh sea air.

Price: Free www.nationaltrust.org.uk/days-out/ regioneastofengland/norfolk-coast

North Quarry Bank, Cheshire Journeys of the Imagination: survival story 28 May - 1 June, 11am – 4pm Life could be tough as a mill apprentice in the 1800s, with long working hours and low wages. Sometimes apprentices used to run away in search of something better – but they needed the skills to survive. Now you can take the challenge to see if you’d be able to survive as a runaway apprentice: creating a shelter and playing hide and seek as you try to stay out of the clutches of the mill manager.

Price: Normal admission charges apply. www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarry-bank

Cragside, Northumberland Ultimate STEM challenge 26 May - 3 June, 11am - 3pm Cragside has always been a place at the cutting edge of scientific innovation – its owner William Armstrong was a great scientist and inventor who made

Cragside the first house to be powered by hydroelectricity.

This May half-term you can follow in his footsteps and have some serious fun with STEM challenges (science, technology, engineering and maths). Get your brain cells ticking as you learn to generate your own electricity or try other experiments at the home where modern living began.

Price: Normal admission charges apply www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside

Yorkshire Coast, Robin Hood’s Bay Rock pool rummage 31 May, 11am - 1pm Have you ever peered into a rock pool on a trip to the beach? These small pools contain tiny watery worlds within them, which change with every tide as the sea washes in and out. During this event you’ll be able to search the rock pools with a National Trust ranger who’ll show you all the amazing anemones, crabs, fish and other strange creatures that live in the rock pools at Robin Hood’s Bay. Price: £4 per child. Booking essential www.nationaltrust.org.uk/yorkshire-coast

Claife Viewing Station, Cumbria Nature discovery trail 26 May –3 June, 10am - 2.30pm Nestled on the quiet west shore of Lake Windermere, Claife Viewing Station is a great place to start an adventure. Head up to the platform for a unique view of the lake framed by coloured window panels, or pause for a picnic in the courtyard. During May half-term this will also be the starting point for a new wildlife challenge. Find

creatures that crawl or fly and try out bark rubbing and animal tracking.

Price: £2 per trail www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hawksheadandclaife

Wales Bodnant Garden, Conwy The Lost Words trail 26 May – 3 June Nature writer Robert Macfarlane and illustrator Jackie Morris recently published ‘The Lost Words’, a book exploring the nature words now removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary. This half-term the books will be brought to life at Bodnant with a special family word search trail.

Can your little ones find ‘conkers’, ‘otters’, ‘kingfishers’ or ‘bluebells’ around the garden? There’ll also be opportunities to get hands-on with nature activities like willow weaving, exploring the underwater world with a spot of pond dipping, or turning their eyes (and binoculars) to the sky in search of birds.

Price: Free event www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bodnant-garden

Llanbedrog Beach, Gwynedd Shipwrecked!

27 May, 12 – 4pm Tucked away on the wild Ll?n Peninsula, the golden sweep of Llanbedrog beach is the perfect place to practise your survival skills. This May half-term you can join a crew of other shipwrecked souls to learn the basics, from building dens for shelter and rafts to surf the waves, to cooking over a crackling campfire.You might get wet and a bit muddy, but by the end you’ll be all set to survive on a desert island.

Price: Free event www.nationaltrust.org.uk/llanbedrog-beach

Plas Newydd House and Garden Hedgehog Thursdays 3, 10, 17 & 24 May, 11am – 3.30pm Have you ever been lucky enough to spot hedgehogs snuffling around in your garden?

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It can be tricky to spot these creatures as they’re very shy and only come out at night, but even if you’ve never seen one you can still learn all about them at Plas Newydd this half-term. Join the National Trust rangers to hear all about the places hedgehogs live and what they eat, and take a walk to see if you can spot any signs of these prickly friends in the woods. There’ll also be plenty of hedgehog activities on offer – including learning how to make a cosy home for the ‘hogs in your own garden.

Price: Free event (Admission price only) www.nationaltrust.org.uk/plas-newyddcountry-house-and-gardens

Abereiddi to Abermawr, Pembrokeshire Seabirds Coastal Discovery Tour See website for dates & times This half-term, why not try an adventure on the high seas? Join a National Trust ranger and Preseli Venture guide for an extra special tour of the North Pembrokeshire coast. Don a wetsuit for coasteering or take to the waves in a kayak to discover more about the rugged coastline, and get the best possible view of the swirling, squawking bird colonies that make their home on the sea cliffs.

Booking essential via 01348 837709 or email info@preseliventure.co.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk/abereiddi-toabermawr

Northern Ireland Florence Court, County Fermanagh Country Fair 27 May, 12pm – 5pm What better way to celebrate half-term and the early days of summer than a traditional country fair? Florence Court’s annual fair is a feast for all the senses with live music, crafts stalls, food and livestock show classes.

Why not spruce up your faithful family pooch to see if they can win the pet dog show? After all the fun, take a stroll along the pretty Yew Tree Trail or through over 8,000 acres of forest park.

If you just want to spend some quality time with the family this half-term, what better way than a picnic in the great outdoors?

Round up family and friends, bring along a hamper and settle down for a lazy afternoon in the gardens at Mount Stewart. There’ll be live jazz music, beautiful blooming flowers and hopefully a bit of sun – the perfect recipe for a relaxed holiday.

Price: Normal admission, members free www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mount-stewart

Price: Normal admission applies www.nationaltrust.org.uk/florence-court

Mount Stewart, County Down Jazz in the Gardens 27 May, 2pm – 4.30pm

Price: Adult £59, child £49.

Gordon’s School AWARDED in the Queen’s New Year Honours List, one of our parents commented “…it is tremendously helpful to have the support of a school that understands and is sympathe c to the demands of Service Life”.

Certainly Gordon’s proximity to a number of military bases as well as Heathrow Airport and major routes across the country have contributed to the current roll where over 50 per cent of our students are from military families. But an understanding of military life is something that has been running through the fabric of the school since its incep on over a century ago.

Originally built in 1885 by public subscrip on as a na onal memorial to General Charles Gordon, the school was opened as a home for ‘necessitous’ boys. The idea behind it being that the boys would be trained for civil and military life.

Today the military aspect very much remains. Each student is issued with ‘Blues’, their marching uniform. Marching on the parade square is compulsory every week and we are the only school in England permi ed to Parade along Whitehall, something done annually to commemorate the life of General Gordon.

CCF, whether Army, Navy or Air Force is compulsory for one year and students have an enviable record in comple ng their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

For many of the children from families in the services, Gordon’s has been their first ‘constant’ a er a life of moving schools and homes in line with their parent’s pos ngs around the world. It is also a haven from the worry of a parent involved in conflicts.

These students are given priority over others applying for a place at Gordon’s. The school also employs counsellors for them and tutors to plug any gaps in their educa on. The success of these measures is illustrated by the sta s cs which show Gordon’s as one of the highest value-added schools in the country with achievements at GCSE and A-Level earning it the reputa on as one of the top performing state secondary schools in England.

Tracey Phillips’ children had moved house 9 mes before coming to Gordon’s and a ended 5 different schools across the globe.

“The homely feel really stood out for us” recalled Tracey. “We felt a strong sense of family and the fact that the pastoral and teaching staff were used to working with military families so understood the special nature of where the kids are coming from and that they have had to move frequently.”

Marching had added benefits for her children too: “We could see how it ins ls discipline, a sense of pride and it added an extra element of making our children more independent and giving basic values.”

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T

heme Park Fun

For Everyone!

Just for Families has searched high and low to compile the ultimate list of UK Theme Parks for adrenaline junkies of all ages!

Legoland, Windsor

Theme parks for little kids

Diggerland, Cullumpton, Devon Diggerland is the ultimate place for a toddler who loves construction! Here they can live out their dreams and safely get behind the wheel of a JCB, dumper truck and tractor! All of the rides are themed around construction vehicles.

Diggerland promises exciting – and bumpy – memories!

Gulliver’s World, various locations This group of theme parks is aimed directly at toddlers and younger children. Each park has different zones packed with rides and attractions from the classics such as bumper cars, merry-go-rounds and tea cups, to gentle coasters and shows made specifically for toddlers. All the parks have free car parking and lots of family facilities dotted around.

Peppa Pig World, Hampshire Nestled inside Paulton’s Park is Peppa Pig World (entry included in the price of a ticket into Paulton’s Park). Here you can meet Peppa herself, take flight on Peppa’s Balloon Ride, splash around in the Muddy Puddle Water Park, ride on Grandpa’s Little Train and even go inside Peppa’s house!

Children under 1 meter can enter the park for free! Guaranteed to leave the kids grinning and the grown-ups with the Peppa Pig theme tune in their head for days!

Even if your child hasn’t quite discovered Lego yet they will be more than entertained by all that Legoland has to offer! Whilst is doesn’t boast extreme rides like some parks, it has two rollercoasters, one aimed at preschoolers and one for slightly older kids too. There are many different themed lands to explore including pirates, knights, Lego Friends and Duplo Valley. Throughout the day there are stunt shows, entertainers and the Splash park is great in the summer months so take your swimming costumes and a towel!

The Dinosaur Park, Tenby, Wales Heaven for any reptile-obsessed child! This park boasts family rides, adventure playgrounds, crazy golf and indoor play areas for when the weather turns. Oh, and lots and lots of dinosaurs! The Dino Trail and daily fossil hunts make it educational as well as fun, and there are plenty of nice spots to enjoy a picnic. Just make sure there are no Dino’s around to steal your sandwiches!

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Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey A zoo, an aquarium and over 40 rides make this a place where you will never be bored!

In fact, with so much to do you might want to book a night at one of the on-site hotels and stay an extra day to get round it all! New for 2018 is The Gruffalo Groove, where you can journey through the deep dark wood and encounter some familiar creatures along the way through song and dance.

Pleasurewood Hills, Great Yarmouth Pleasurewood Hills theme park, set in 50 acres of coastal parkland near Great Yarmouth, offers eight “thrill” rides (including the stomach-churning Wipeout rollercoaster), daily sea lion and parrot shows and a good selection of “family” and “kiddie” rides. It has attractions to suit younger and older visitors - and it is cheaper than some other theme parks, even if you do not buy tickets online in advance.

Theme parks for big kids Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool The park has been on Blackpool’s south shore since the 1890s and now has 125 rides and attractions, a dozen of them coasters (six of them wooden, topping anywhere else in Britain). The park is home to Britain’s tallest rollercoaster, The Big One, and was the first park in Britain to have a looping rollercoaster which you can still ride today, Revolution. Also home to Nickelodeon Land, fans of Spongebob and Paw Patrol won’t be disappointed here either!

Alton Towers, Staffordshire A little further down the road from Drayton Manor is Alton Towers. Surrounded by 800 acres of beautiful grounds, Alton Towers was once the Staffordshire seat of the Earl of Shrewsbury. Alton Towers is home to some of the UK’s top rollercoasters including Oblivion, the world’s first vertical drop rollercoaster, Rita, which powers you from 0-100kph in 2.5 seconds, and the new for 2018 Wicker Man, a traditional wooden coaster with a fiery twist! With CBeebies Land specifically designed for little ones too there’s something for everybody to enjoy.

Thorpe Park, Chertsey Thorpe Park is certainly not for the faint-hearted. It has some of the biggest rollercoasters in Europe, and with attractions themed around The Walking Dead, Saw and Derren Brown’s Ghost Train, the rides here are built to scare. Perfect for adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers, you are guaranteed a few screams at Thorpe Park!

Drayton Manor, Staffordshire A theme park resort and Zoo, Drayton Manor definitely has the perfect formula for a fun family day out. With its newlyexpanded Thomas Land keeping little Thomas the Tank Engine fans happy, a 4D cinema, daily shows and big-thrill rollercoasters the big kids will be kept happy too!

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Dinosaurs will once again roam international soil when the globallyacclaimed production, Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular, based on the award-winning BBC Television Series, returns in 2018, starring Michaela Strachan as ‘Huxley’ the paleontologist.

Watched by over 9 million people in more than 250 cities around the world, Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular, will open its new World Tour in Newcastle, UK on 20 July 2018 and then will embark on an international tour, taking over arenas across Europe. The $20 million production features new, state of the art technology, underlining its position as the biggest and best dinosaur show in the world.

This updated production will showcase spectacular and colourful changes to the dinosaurs based on the latest scientific research including the likely feathering of some species. Walking With Dinosaurs the Arena Spectacular is produced by Global Creatures headed by CEO Carmen Pavlovic. Pavlovic said, “I am thrilled that Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular is embarking on an international tour.

now featuring distinctive display feathers, head crests and tail fans, reflecting recent discoveries about the physical nature of these massive creatures. This show remains a must-see for audiences of all ages.”

The one-hour, 40-minute show depicts the dinosaurs’ evolution with almost cinematic realism. Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular has scenes of the interactions between dinosaurs, how carnivorous dinosaurs evolved to walk on two legs, and how the herbivores fended off their more agile predators. Nine species are represented from the entire 200 million year reign of the dinosaurs. The show includes the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the terror of the ancient terrain, as well as the Plateosaurus and Liliensternus from the Triassic period, the Stegosaurus and Allosaurus from the Jurassic period and Torosaurus and Utahraptor from the awesome Cretaceous period. The largest of them, the Brachiosaurus, is 11 metres tall and 17 metres from nose to tail. It took a team of 50 - including engineers, fabricators, skin makers, artists and painters, and animatronic experts - a year to build the production.

A new generation is ready to experience these life–size beasts in this awe-inspiring spectacle, which has still not been matched in terms of scale and quality. Many of our creatures have “evolved” since the last tour,

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Walking With Dinosaurs - The Arena Spectacular

International Tour Dates: Tickets for WALKING WITH DINOSAURS are now on sale 20–22 July • Newcastle • Metro Radio Arena • Metroradioarena.co.uk (Friday 20th at 7pm, Saturday 21st at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm, Sunday 22nd at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) 26-28 July • Birmingham • Arena • Arenabham.co.uk (Thursday 26th at 7pm, Friday 27th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm, Saturday 28th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) 31 July - 1 August • Liverpool • Echo Arena • Echoarena.com (Tuesday 31st at 7pm, Wednesday 1st at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) 3-4 August • Manchester • Arena • Manchester-arena.com (Friday 3rd at 7pm, Saturday 4th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) 7-8 August • Nottingham • Motorpoint Arena • Motorpointarenanottingham.com (Tuesday 7th at 7pm, Wednesday 8th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) 10-11 August • Sheffield • FlyDSA Arena • Flydsaarena.co.uk (Friday 10th at 7pm, Saturday 11th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) 14-19 August • London • The O2 Arena • Theo2.co.uk (Tuesday 14th at 7pm, Wednesday 15th at 3pm, Thursday 16th at 3pm, Friday 17th at 3pm & 7pm, Saturday 18th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm, Sunday 19th at 11am* & 3pm) 22-23 August • Leeds • First Direct Arena • Firstdirectarena.com (Wednesday 22nd at 7pm, Thursday 23rd at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) 25-26 August • Glasgow • The SSE Hydro • Thessehydro.com (Saturday 25th at 7pm, Sunday 26th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) 27-30 December • London • SSE Arena Wembley • Ssearena.co.uk (Thursday 27th at 7pm, Friday 28th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm, Saturday 29th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm, Sunday 30th at 11am*, 3pm & 7pm) * Michaela Strachan will not perform at this show

For online bookings visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk For more information visit: Dinosaurlive.com Ticket prices: from £29.00 Family Tickets (4 tickets) - 4th ticket is free and available on all 7pm performances.

Must include one adult and one child under 16

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Images © Gem Hall 2017

G

iffords Circus, the much loved Cotswold based touring circus, beloved of stars from fashion, music, television and film such as Helena Bonham Carter, Kate Winslet, Kate Moss, Stella McCartney and Adele, has announced tour dates for 2018.

Their new show, directed by maverick comedy genius Cal McCrystal, is called My Beautiful Circus and is a celebration of 250 years since the birth of circus. Says Cal McCrystal of working with Giffords Circus.

s d r o f Gif 2018 s u c r i C

“Rehearsals at Giffords are what I most look forward to each year. It is exhilarating to work with Nell, designer takis, our design team, horses, dogs, geese -and world class circus artistes. Our shows are a mixture of love, mischief, courage and humour.

Directing at Giffords is, for me, the best job in the world.”

We caught up with the show’s producer Nell Gifford, who sat down with us to go through the inspiration and ideas behind My Beautiful Circus, and to reflect on the last eighteen years on the road with “the nation’s most glamorous troupe” (The Daily Telegraph). The company performs six shows at the weekend and up to 14 shows a week in total.

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When you first started Giffords Circus way back in 2000 did you imagine that 18 years later you would still be playing to packed houses?

My Dad was a TV and film director and I grew up with the idea that your boat comes in and it goes out again and that show business is a very precarious way to make a living – luck plays a big hand. So, whilst I think Giffords Circus is the best show in the world, I also think it is going to end today. I have a feeling of it falling apart as it comes together – it’s spinning plates! I love the way a family of sorts has grown around the idea of the circus, a community of people who have worked together on our show and who have made friends, fallen in love and even started their own shows. We don’t all see each other all the time but when we do there is usually a celebration of some sort! Last year the Ethiopian brothers Bibi and Bichu Tesfamariam brought their Ethiopian troupe to visit the circus in London.

It coincided with a visit from a Hungarian gymnast Kata, and a few other family members.

It was an epic Giffords Circus moment as fourteen African artistes arrived back stage and joyfully greeted the 40 or so people they had worked with the previous year, and posed for pictures with the eight strong Cuban troupe – it is truly a global village. Last year 14 nationalities were represented on the show.

What is it about the circus life that you love so much?

I love the global village thing and feel so lucky to have this chance to feel what it is like to actually live in a tiny interdependent community.

I love living in a 1940’s showman’s wagon and going to work in a tent every day – I love my job!

What is Circus250 and how are you celebrating it?

The art form that we know of as circus came into being at the end of the eighteenth

century. My view is that it was an evolving commercial art form but Phillip Astley who is credited with ‘inventing’ the circus was probably simply the loudest and most successful showman of his day. He roped off a piece of land at Half Penny Hatch in Lambeth and showed extraordinary and theatrical feats of military trick riding. He added ancient acts from the market place such as juggling and rope walking, and theatre clowns, and presented this ensemble in a circular performance space.

So, the content of the circus is ancient, and the form is modern. What is interesting is that this happened in London, on effectively the Southbank – Astley’s Amphitheatre was on the site of what is now St Thomas’s Hospital. I think we should be proud of circus in the same way as we are proud of say William Morris, or Brunel, or other innovations of design and artefact that came out of the industrial revolution.

We are celebrating at Giffords Circus with a new show, My Beautiful Circus. It is the most beautiful circus we can imagine, and we are proud to reveal a new velvet lined tent (our first refit since 2011), a new set designed by takis, scenographers and we have over hauled the whole Giffords Circus fleet so expect an army of wagons

and lorries, freshly painted and sign written in gold. It is very exciting.

Who will be performing in this new show?

Giffords Circus 2018 My Beautiful Circus has a new programme. I am excited to continue our work with the circus school in Havana and we are eagerly looking forward to the arrival of a Cuban circus troupe. I love their style of dancing – the music seems to inhabit their whole bodies and they love it. Cal always says that when a performer loves to perform you see that pleasure and that is a source of a great performance. I really believe that to be true. I am also looking forward to meeting the six performing Dachshunds that are coming with their trainer and assistant from Russia. The Portuguese Dias family are a great example of a proper touring family troupe – the family of nine all work together to create gymnastic and balance acts. New music, new costumes, new wagons, new tent – it is quite a year for us.

To find out more and book tickets online visit

www.giffordscircus.com or telephone 01242 691181 31

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Let’s Get Does the idea of messy play have you running for the craft cupboard or running for the hills? For a lot of parents it’s the latter, but research has shown that letting your kids get messy can really benefit their development in lots of ways!

Messy play can mean lots of different things. Jumping in puddles, making mud pies, splashing in the bath, finger painting, sand play, clay modelling and playing with play dough are all great examples of messy play. Right from the early months when babies are just beginning to become aware of the world around them, messy play can have advantages.

Babies and children learn and develop through play, it’s how they make sense of the world and build up their social skills.

Babies and toddlers can’t differentiate between “play

time” and the rest of their life.

For an infant every waking moment is dedicated to playing, exploring and learning. Babies and toddlers for instance often turn eating into a whole body experience, tasting, smelling, squashing and throwing their food. It can be inconvenient to clear up but food play is a normal and important part of development. If mess is always met with discouragement and negative emotions, a stressful relationship can develop between the parent and child and can lead to an avoidance of messy play even when it

is offered, which can lead to a diminished sense of touch and potentially limit cognitive development.

As a child grows, messy play is important for their understanding of language – how can a 10 year old grasp the concept of something being slimy if he has never touched anything slimy, for example. It can also aid in understanding of cause and effect, what happens when you press too hard on your play dough sculpture?

What happens when you mix together red and green paint?

Messy play materials should encompass a rich variety of texture, scents, appearances and temperatures for your children to get the most out of them.

Playing with toys can be educational and fun, but messy play focuses on exploring and experimenting with different materials without any end goal such as building or making something. During unstructured exploratory play there is no right or wrong. It gives children the opportunity to make their own discoveries using their senses, curiosity and knowledge.

During messy play any child of any ability can join in. Toddlers can play alongside school aged children. They can play together and share their discoveries without needing to explain things verbally. It can however also be a brilliant tool for encouraging speech, describing textures and sensations will help build your child’s vocabulary.

Whilst pretty much anything goes during messy play it’s important to plan activities to be as safe as possible. Playing with lentils or dried beans for example could present a

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messy play

choking hazard, and water play will always need supervision.

You can incorporate messy play into learning about other things too. Cornflour and water makes a great messy science experiment, and carving pumpkins and scooping out the insides with your hands is a brilliant sensory experience to enjoy together around Halloween.

Ideas for

Nurture your child’s curiosity by getting involved with the messy play too, and encourage their exploration of the activity.

If your child is at nursery they will probably already engage in various messy activities, and whilst the benefit of this is having someone else clean them and the activity up afterwards, they will get so much more from the experience if you do it at home and interact with them! Talk them through what you’re doing and ask open ended questions; “I wonder why that happened?” And who knows, you might just enjoy it!

Sand and Water

Finger painting

Great for a warm day in the garden, start by keeping the water and sand separate and let your kids mix it up!

Paint is a tactile substance to explore. Finger painting and handprints allow your child to feel the paint between their fingers and watch what happens when they leave their impressions on the paper.You could even let your child try body painting!

Bath Time

at home

Baths aren’t just great for getting clean, they’re also a wonderful opportunity to play with water! You don’t need expensive bath toys, yoghurt pots, plastic cups and empty shampoo bottles will be just as much, if not more fun!

to dig their hands into and taste!

Dry foodstuffs such as lentils or pasta are fun to scoop and feel between their fingers, but watch out for choking hazards.

Natural World Puddles are there to be splashed in, leaves to be jumped in, and mud to be dug in!

There are loads of messy play opportunities in every season.

Bubbles Shaving foam mixed paints, bubbles blown from a wand, washing up liquid in a tray of water, bubbles are fun in any form!

Food If you want something that tastes nice if it ends up in their mouth, try whipped cream and jelly in a large tray for your kids 33

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n i W Sunday Lunch at the Award Winning Magnolia Brasserie at Sudbury House Hotel

Situated on the edge of the Cotswolds with close proximity to Oxford, Burford and Hungerford, we are offering readers the chance to win a delicious Sunday lunch for two adults and two children at the award winning Sudbury House Hotel, Faringdon.

Your three course lunch will be served in our relaxing and informal 2 AA Rosette Magnolia Brasserie or on the terrace if the weather permits.

Recent MasterChef: The Professionals contestant, Head Chef Ben Bullen, together with his team cook in our open plan kitchen with its amazing wood oven, using the very best of seasonal local produce to serve you a mouth-watering Sunday lunch.

For your chance to win this fabulous prize simply send us your name, telephone number and address either via email to competitions@forcespublishing.co.uk or in the post to: Forces & Corporate Publishing Ltd, Hamblin House, Hamblin 31/05/18 Visit www.sudburyhouse.co.uk where you will find further information.

(The prize excludes all alcoholic beverages; it is for 3 courses from the Sunday lunch menu and is subject to availability.The prize is non-refundable, has no cash value and cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotional event. It will be valid until 31st October 2018).

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YourHomePatch is all about putting Forces Families, dependents and communities first. It’s your one-stop-shop for finding everything (and I mean, everything!) you need to make your move to your new patch smooth, easy and most importantly, happy, whilst building that important sense of community.

YourHomePatch is an online community information platform aimed at helping Forces Families settle into new postings by providing information on local businesses, camp information as well as information about the surrounding areas. It has forums and the ability to post questions, so you can speak directly to your patch.

Time and time again, as new families move into a patch, you hear the same tales of challenges faced, isolation and frustration.

When we get posted, we all need the same or similar information to make that process easier; how do I get a pass for camp? What time is the medical center open? Where can I go to get a delicious meal…to name just 3! Then add to the mix children’s centres, MOT garages, dog walking services and you can see there is a huge need that just isn’t currently being met. I wanted to provide people with a quick and easy way to find the information they need, irrespective of where they are posted. Once you know about YourHomePatch, you never need to feel like you don’t know about your patch again because you simply change your location and welcome in a treasure-trove of information. YourHomePatch travels with you from posting to posting, just like that unopened box of “really important extra military kit” that always gets shipped onto the removals truck, except YourHomePatch is much more useful!

might get to meet lots of amazing people, see different parts of the country or even travel and live abroad. I know I certainly have learnt to be more patient, less of a planner (which goes against everything I used to believe in!) and just generally go with the flow because in the Forces, nothing is certain except for change! It was this feature of life as a Forces wife that helped me to create YourHomePatch.

I wanted to create a resource which would help Forces Families cope with the perpetual change and upheaval of relocations by providing one constant, one go-to source of information about your new home patch. I attended the X-Forces Enterprise “Empowering through Enterprise” workshops and learnt a whole array of new skills that I so desperately needed to make the first step into setting up

the website. With the help of an X-Forces Enterprise appointed mentor, the journey began.

So far,YourHomePatch has launched in Sandhurst and Minley but we are working behind the scenes to get Aldershot Garrison up and running next. We will be covering all military postings in the UK and abroad to provide a truly comprehensive experience. Once you’re a member, the forums are still available, even if we haven’t quite got there yet, so you can still post questions and get the conversation in your area going. So login, become a member and tell us where you’re based so we can tell you everything you need to know about your home patch. If you follow us on social media, you’ll be kept up to date with the latest listings and events too.

.co.uk

www.yourhomepatch

tch.co.uk

natalie@yourhomepa

@YourHomePatch @yourhomepatch @yourhomepatch

When you fall in love with someone in the Armed Forces, you become part of an enormous Forces community! This can come with many wonderful blessings; you 37

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FAMILY NUTRITION AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Vitality and Nutrition Products for families who have always had an interest in health, in eating right and in hitting their peak performance. Families who were healthy all their lives and suddenly get diagnosed with a life threatening disease.

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Name Jazmine Age 7 Who is in the military in your family?

What do they do?

My Daddy is in the army and he is a Medic.

What’s the best thing about being part of a military family?

Getting to see my daddy on parades and see his base.

Is there anything you don’t like about it?

I don’t get to see my daddy all the time and I miss him.

When daddy is away and you miss him, what do you do to make yourself feel better?

Skype him and think of the happy things we do when he is here and I look at photos.

When he comes home and you see him again, what’s the first thing you do?

Run to the door and hug him as tight as I can.

What is your favourite thing that you do together as a family?

Go to see our granny and grandad.

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Little Troopers Treasures is an innovative app from the charity Little Troopers to help keep British Armed Forces connected with their families while they are away from home.

The app allows serving parents to record special stories on

tablet devices capturing video of their faces, audio of their voices and the book pages turning. This will make sure children never miss a bedtime story from their parents again; they can watch the recordings over and over when they miss their mummy or daddy.

To compliment the app there is also a specific area on www. littletroopers.net with lots of supporting resources that can be downloaded at home and used in conjunction with the app, keeping families connected even though separated by miles. Utilise the separation journal, time difference activity sheet and weekly planner to help those deployment days.

stories have been enjoyed

by Little Troopers who have a parent serving away from home. New book titles are often added, there are now 10 titles to choose from.

Harper Collins Children’s Books has donated a selection of fantastic children’s books.

With the kind permission of the authors, there are some real family favourites available.

Since the app launched in summer 2017 over 2500

Head to the app store on yo ur tablet device and search Little Troopers Tre asures and download fo r FREE if yo u are a Britis h Armed Fo rc e s family, regu lar or reserve.

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S T N E V E G N I X O B T U KNOCK O E H T R O F Y E N O M TO RAISE N E L L A F E H T F O CHILDREN White Collar charity boxing events, Heroes for 6 Minutes, are raising money this year for Armed Forces children’s charity, Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

Created by ex-navy officer Robbie Owen in 2015, Heroes for 6 Minutes are unique events aimed at people with no boxing experience. The fitness fundraising initiatives give individuals the opportunity to train with a professional boxing coach and then take part in a safe but competitive three round bout at a black tie event in front of their friends and family.

Since it began, over 25 events have taken place in cities across the UK with hundreds of participants all being sponsored to take to the ring. Events around the UK this year will see ordinary people take up the challenge and become boxing

heroes in front of friends and family following an 8-week training course where they’re shown the ropes.

All money raised from the events in cities around the UK will be donated to Scotty’s Little Soldiers.

Founded by war widow Nikki Scott in 2010, Scotty’s Little Soldiers supports children across the UK who have lost a parent while serving in the British Armed Forces. The charity was set up in memory of Nikki’s husband and father to her two children, Corporal Lee Scott, after he was killed in Afghanistan in 2009.

Robbie Owen, founder of Heroes for 6 Minutes, commented: “Heroes for 6 Minutes is for people who have never boxed before and from all walks of life. They’re given the chance to come out to their own music, do the big ring walk and then box in front of a live audience. This really is a once in a lifetime experience.”

“There is a great camaraderie between the boxers that take part and new friendships are

formed – there’s a lot more to this event than just throwing punches.”

Founder of Scotty’s Little Soldiers, Nikki Scott added: “We’re delighted that Robbie and his team have chosen Scotty’s Little Soldiers as the beneficiaries for these events. We can’t wait to see more and more people take up the challenge – it’s an opportunity to get fit and a fantastic way to raise money.”

For more information on Heroes for 6 Minutes visit: http://www.heroesfor6.com And to learn how you could support Scotty’s Little Soldiers visit: http://scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk/

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CONTRIBUTION

Medical Detection Dogs You’d be forgiven for thinking that this was just another happy, healthy child with his four-legged companion. But you’d be wrong because this little boy has diabetes and the dog is his lifesaver…

Jack had always been a poorly baby, in and out of the doctors since infancy, but without any clear diagnosis. It wasn’t until he was four years old that the cause was eventually identified - Type 1 Diabetes. To Jack’s Mum, Heather, and Dad Boo, this news came as a complete shock and for a few seconds it felt like her life had stopped before being turned completely upside down.

Post diagnosis life was extremely hard.

Unfortunately, their extended family were unable to offer support and so they were left to fend on their own, trying to teach themselves how to manage Jack’s condition.

Heather was up every hour in the night to check Jack’s sugar level and the fatigue she felt was indescribable. Looking after Jack was a full-time job, so also holding down a paid job would have been completely impossible.

Heather found herself unable to switch off at any time, her brain was always on alert, and she was unable to get any respite as she could not go out and leave Jack with anyone else.

Moreover, she constantly had horrible fears that the worst would happen, especially at night, when she worried that Jack wouldn’t wake up in the morning.

Life improved slightly after Jack was fitted 44

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with an insulin pump at the age of seven and it was also around this time that a family member mentioned that he had heard of assistance dogs for Diabetics. Jack immediately set about researching all he could on the subject and it was during one of his internet searches that he came across Medical Detection Dogs. At this stage Heather was sceptical, believing there was no point in pursuing it further as it was very unlikely anything would happen because of the long waiting lists and that both Jack and herself were very nervous of dogs.

Despite this Jack persevered and applied to the charity. After assessment Jack was accepted on to the waiting list and the formal process began. Initially the charity spent time working with Jack and Heather on their nervousness of dogs, spending time just playing and socialising with them. Then when their confidence had increased the charity started working on the matching process.

Shortly after Jack went to meet with two dogs, “Jack and Dottie struck up an immediate one of whom was Dottie, a Labrador cross Golden Retriever. Jack and Dottie struck up an bond, with Jack loving her character. immediate bond, with Jack loving her character.

Following training Dottie picked up on Following training Dottie picked up on Jack’s Jack’s captured odour, and alerted Jack captured odour, and alerted Jack to a hypo to a hypo within a few minutes within a few minutes of meeting him.

of meeting him.”

20/04/2018 12:28

Dottie has transformed the lives of Heather and Boo and, more importantly Jack. Heather, is more relaxed, reassured by Dottie’s superb sense of smell, warning the family when Jack’s blood sugar levels are too low and at last is managing to sleep more soundly. Before Dottie, Heather would have woken up at the sound of a pin dropping, but now Dottie paws at her to wake her up because she is so deeply asleep. Heather has seen a change in Jack too, he is gaining more independence and more confidence, or cheekiness as she calls it!

Jack is absolutely overjoyed with Dottie. “My life has changed.

Dottie is truly amazing and I couldn’t have done it without her. She was like a missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle. She is like a second Mum to me because she looks out for me just like my Mum does.”

Dottie is one of more than 100 dogs specially trained by experts at the Milton Keynes-based Medical Detection Dogs, a charity which is harnessing the canines’ highly acute sense of smell to help people manage conditions such as diabetes and provide a potentially lifesaving warning system.

To find out more about the work of Medical Detection Dogs please visit www.medicaldetectiondogs.org.uk

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STYLE & SUBSTANCE SIMPLE SLOGANS Sometimes it’s the simplest of things that make the biggest statement. I’ve spoken about outfit elevators before now and the slogan top is a fine example. On days when I want just a bit more from my usual mummy uniform of a sweatshirt and jeans sometimes all it takes is a slogan to make the difference...

There aren’t really any rules to wearing a slogan - if you like it, wear it. Personally, I favour the short and sweet statements, less is definitely more for me. Wearing them couldn’t be any easier, they work with everything, literally. Team them with trousers or a skirt and a blazer or cardigan and you’re good to go. Any item of clothing as effortless as this definitely warrants a place in my wardrobe these days - they’ve become my guilty pleasure and I have so many now they are almost, dare I say it, rivalling my Breton collection. Obviously

w w w. s t y l e a n d s u b s t a n c e . u k it certainly helps that red is still the popular colour choice for this trend too as my love for the colour stays strong for 2018.

1.Etoile, H&M 2. C’est Bon, New Look 3. La Femme, New Look 4. Voila, Next 5. Love, Hush 6. Hello, Oasis

Proof of this is the newest addition to my wardrobe, this jumper from Primark I was kindly sent last week. Featuring possibly the most coined phrase of the past few months, I was pretty obsessed with it along with everyone else at the SS18 Press day when we were given a sneak peek of it way back in November and the good news is it’s available in store this week so I expect we shall be seeing a lot of insta-love for it from far and wide.

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Positive

g n i e B

BODY During adolescence, young people often start to take notice of how their bodies look and begin to compare themselves with others.

Having a positive body image is an important part of healthy self-esteem, and there are many things we can do as parents to help our kids think and feel positive about how they look.

Having a healthy body image from a young age can set the foundations for good self-esteem and good physical and mental health later in life. An unhealthy bodyimage in childhood can have long-lasting consequences.

Children form opinions on their bodies at a very young age. Research has shown children as young as 3 can have body image issues. It’s difficult to escape the ‘ideal’ body message that is promoted seemingly everywhere and no matter how much you try to shield your children from it the message is likely to still come through.

Many things influence body image in children including family environment, ability or disability, attitudes of their peers, the media, advertising and cultural background. Social media has a huge impact on pre-teens and teenagers, especially when they are posting and viewing images of themselves and others online. Poor body image is most often associated with girls, but boys suffer from it, too. They can feel as though they aren’t muscular or tall enough. One research study found that underweight boys are more likely to suffer from depression than overweight girls, but any body issues can affect either gender.

Girls are, however, the most likely to suffer a negative outcome that involves eating disorders. Some of the most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. If you suspect any of these problems are affecting your child you should see a health professional.

As children reach puberty, fitting in becomes very important. Hormones are

responsible for big changes both inside and out, and it can cause teens to feel even more pressure to look a certain way or to change the way they look. Some children are more likely to feel unhappy about their bodies than others. For example, if they belong to a dance or sports group that emphasise a certain body type, if they have physical disabilities, or if they feel pressure or are teased by family members or peers about the way they look. It’s especially important to address any issues with bullying in these cases, and to speak to your child’s school about what can be done. The teen years come with many changes, some of which can be embarrassing or confusing. Let your chid know you are there without judgement for any question they might have.

The way you talk about your own body is what will have the most effect on how your child sees themselves and how they deal with the pressure and messages that they get about what their body “should” look like throughout their lives. If you talk negatively about yourself in front of your child, you are only reinforcing the message that bodies should look a certain way. The way you talk and look after your own body will encourage your child to do the same with theirs. The best way to create a healthy body

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image for your child is to lead by example, some advice includes:

shop for food and teach them about variety and nourishment.

• Don’t talk about dieting. Do talk about eating healthily.

• Don’t say you wish you looked like someone else in front of your children.

Find role models based on their attitudes, kindness or good works. Tell your child about them and why you like them.

• Don’t talk about exercising to lose weight. Do talk about exercising to stay healthy and become stronger.

• Don’t talk about wanting to improve your body to become more attractive. Do talk about improving your body to be ready to enjoy whatever life brings.

• Don’t shy away from being photographed. Take each opportunity to document your life with your child, and to show them you are confident in being in front of a camera.

• Don’t enforce a ‘clean plate’ system at meal times. Encourage your child to eat until he or she is full and satisfied. This will discourage over eating as they grow up.

• Don’t focus too much on outer appearance of yourself or others. Talk about what it means to be a good person. Praise your child on his or her ‘inner’ attributes.

• Don’t skip meals. Show your child it’s important to eat regularly and healthily. Try to make mealtimes a family time and enjoy eating together.

• Let your child make their own decisions on foods they want to eat as they get older. Let them help you to cook or

If you hear your child talking negatively about their body don’t just brush it off. If your teenage daughter tells you she’s too fat, ask her why she feels that way. This is a good opportunity to start a conversation that will focus on her good qualities and what makes her special. It also gives you a chance to explain how healthy bodies all look different and there is no one size fits all. Explain to your children that what we see on TV and in magazines is often photo shopped and airbrushed and isn’t really what real people look like.

For teens, being preoccupied with the way they look is perfectly normal to some extent. If you don’t see your child’s body image interfering with their normal activities, friendships or willingness to attend social gatherings then you probably don’t have anything to worry about.

Continue to encourage your child and build their self-esteem. However, if you see your child begin to withdraw from friends or activities they used to enjoy it could be a warning sign of a more serious response to their body image. If you recognise any of these symptoms of depression or eating disorders in your child then you should seek professional advice from your GP.

Symptoms of depression...

• Social withdrawal (from friends/ activities) • Lack of energy or low energy • Not able to control emotions (crying/yelling) • Irritability (gets mad easily) • Changes in sleep (sleeping more than usual or less than usual) • Changes in diet (not eating or eating more than usual) • Not talking as much at home • Wanting to spend time alone

Symptoms of eating disorders • Excessive weight loss • Eating very small portions or skipping meals entirely • Exercising excessively • Eating large amounts of food without gaining weight • Finding excuses to go to the bathroom right after eating • Using diuretic pills and laxatives • Being secretive about eating • Sneaking large quantities of food to eat alone

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l a t a n e t n A

To find out more about PANDAS Foundation go to www.pandasfoundation.org.uk

n o i s s e r Dep When Annie Belasco discovered she was pregnant she was overwhelmed with the usual flood of emotions experienced by most new mums-to-be.

A heady mixture of elation, shock, surprise and happiness swept across her. But mostly she felt sheer delight at being able to conceive so quickly when professionals had predicted she might struggle to ever have children due to her medical history.

But this euphoria was tinged with something else. Something darker. Something rarely mentioned by women when discussing their experiences of pregnancy.

“The symptoms started as soon as the pregnancy test flashed with ‘Pregnant 3+ weeks’,” explains Annie.

“I instantly felt really scared, like someone had turned a tap on of dread, fear and vulnerability.

most expectant and exciting time for Pregnancy is a happy joy the e for the arrival and en ar ep pr ey th as rs he ot m ood. But, for th impending motherh ‘bloom’ that comes wi a darker e to being pregnant… sid r he ot an is ere th y, man can create feelings of set of emotions, which eak to a military wife doom or despair.We sp of antenatal anxiety about her experiences s others and how she now help experiencing the soldier “I was in the condition. so happy to be pregnant but terrified that I would lose my baby as my medical history was so bad.”

Annie, you see, had been through something of a rollercoaster before falling pregnant. After leaving university she began working in a City of London recruitment agency, living what she describes as a ‘partying’ lifestyle.

She socialised with friends, drank, smoked and had no time for self-care. Annie admits she had no life plans.

Then, at the age of 25, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The shock prompted her into setting up an internet dating profile and she met Sam, a

Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment based in London.

Sam helped Annie through a tumultuous time – together they went through medical appointments, scares and then the fear they may never have children.

Yet despite all these challenges they fell in love and married two-and-a-half years after meeting. They moved to married quarters and Annie had her eggs frozen while also going through chemotherapy.

Amid all this the couple decided to try for a baby naturally, too. And to their delight, Annie fell pregnant.

But the joy at being able to conceive without having to go through IVF was overshadowed by deep anxiety.

“I became very protective,” she explains, “I didn’t go on public transport, I took all the natural and recommended remedies and supplements and made constant midwife and doctors’ appointments to get checked, even when it was too early.

“At six weeks I had phantom pains and convinced myself I was losing my baby. I went to

the doctors and asked to have an early scan which, given my high risk, they allowed.”

What Annie was experiencing was antenatal anxiety. And while it might not be something you have heard many people diagnosed with, it’s very common.

According to PANDAS Foundation, a charity which provides pre and post-natal depression advice and support, one in ten women may experience antenatal depression.

Indeed, one in three women who have antenatal depression are likely to develop post-natal depression.

Annie described antenatal depression as an unhappy pregnancy with any joy removed and replaced, most often, by doom, despair or anxiety.

Signs and symptoms might include chronic anxiety, guilt, incessant crying, lack of energy and relationship worries – such as fear of the partner leaving.

Other signals are isolation, fear of asking for help, dark and intrusive thoughts and obsessive worrying.

Annie explains that while she felt like any other mother – protective and in love with the feeling of being pregnant – she also became obsessed with looking out for the worst.

She would constantly be checking for pain or strange movements and would Google at the slightest hint of a symptom.

She adds: “If I heard or saw any bad examples of unsuccessful pregnancies, I became very obsessional over things going wrong.”

Annie also developed Hyperemesis Gravidum – an

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extreme form of sickness. On one occasion this became so severe Annie became dehydrated and had to be admitted to the early pregnancy unit and put on an IV drip.

“I never wanted to leave the hospital,” she says, “because I felt like the medicine and care had its arms around me and our baby and I didn’t want to be on my own.”

To make matters worse, Sam’s army commitments and long working hours caused tension within the relationship and worsened how Annie felt.

She said he was a strong husband who minimised her anxiety, but his strength meant she wanted him to be closer and to tell her that everything was okay – but that was not always possible when his work got in the way.

Eventually Annie had to leave her job because of the sickness but also because her anxiety drove her closer to her home, where she felt safe and could create a nest for her baby.

Soon her medication for anxiety was increased – a decision which Annie did not take lightly. She explains: “There is little research and evidence to show that anti-depressants can affect foetal development.

However my mental health was paramount to the well-being of my child so I accepted the unknown risk as a benefit to my baby and me.”

Fortunately for Annie, as well as having a supportive husband, she also had help from her family and a midwife who would check in regularly.

Crucially, Annie says, she was confident enough to admit to feeling worried, scared and not being able to cope.

It was this emotional honesty which led to her receiving help. One day she sobbed into the lap of an obstetrician who put her on the waiting list for

the mental health maternity pregnancy support services.

Although the long waiting times meant she only received support just before the birth of her baby, Annie also came across PANDAS. It’s the only organisation which supports parents and their families struggling with perinatal mental health. It has over 45 support groups nationwide plus a 24/7 email messaging service and support phone lines.

It is run by volunteers and cannot provide medical advice but its mere existence meant Annie was finally heard. “They were there to listen, empathise and signpost,” she said. “It finally felt like I had somebody who I could open up to who would understand.”

Fast forward a few years and not only does Annie have a healthy four-year old son but she now works as the media and PR manager for PANDAS. What’s more, she is also a soonto-be-published author having written a book about her experiences which is available to pre-order now on Amazon.

who thinks they might have a friend or family member with antenatal depression or anxiety?

“Listen,” she says emphatically.

“Don’t brush anything that is said under the carpet.

Pregnancy changes hormones and at times can create the most terrifying experiences.

“Listen, hold their hand and help with getting them the right support so they can have at least one good memory of their pregnancy other than the fear of something going wrong.”

“Go with your gut instinct and, if you have to, ring the midwife every week for peace of mind.

“You should allow yourself to be able to enjoy your pregnancy without the burden of intrusive and upsetting thoughts and anxiety, which can be crippling.”

Equally, Annie’s advice to anyone actually experiencing any of the symptoms themselves is to talk about how you feel, and don’t hold in your feelings.

Annie Belasco is a ther, military wife, mo and is er ak spe wr iter and ry sto r he re sha keen to l nta me of ts ec asp and all h ntal healt with and perinatal me book Annie organisations. To out more to speak or to find te bsi we visit her . sco ela ieb www.ann co.uk

Annie says writing, ‘Love and Remission’ was incredibly therapeutic. “I started to write a book about cancer but it ended up being a support or ‘go to’ for all [those] suffering with mental health and those around them who are suffering with their partners’ trauma and grief.

“I only ever speak about the positives and had to get my book out there to show the world that no matter what is going on, and how bad it gets – like me being told it was likely I would die – you can still live and be in some control.”

In Annie’s role working for PANDAS she is heavily involved with supporting women, and their loved ones, going through similar experiences as her.

So what’s her advice to anyone 51

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H

THE

ypnobirthing

E

EXPERIENCE

xpectant mothers are often regaled with harrowing tales and horror stories by those who have already been through the experience of birthing a baby into the world, whether it’s their first child or their third. One of the most natural things in the world has somehow become alien and scary over the last few decades. Some experts say that the reason women are needing more and more intervention during the birth process – induction, epidural, caesarean and forceps assisted births for example – even when the mother is healthy and the pregnancy has been low risk, is because they are so rushed and frightened during labour it slows the whole natural process down.

Taking a look at the animal kingdom gives us a clue as to why. When animals go into labour they hide away, the need for somewhere quiet, safe, private and dark to do their thing and deliver their babies safely is paramount. Going into labour and its progression relies on a very specific chain of chemical reactions within the body, and the stress hormone cortisol can hinder all of them, thus making us fall into a cascade of medical intervention to speed it all back up. When women go into labour, we are often already frightened at the prospect of the unprecedented pain we’ve all been told about, all the complications, all the things that could go wrong or we

are scared because of a previous traumatic birth. In part, I think this is totally natural.

Apprehension of the unknown is normal, and being aware of risks and being well informed of what would happen in an emergency can be worrying but helpful, but what we shouldn’t be is terrified.

Something that has been growing in popularity over the last few years is a way to take control of all of that anxiety, stay calm, collected and give our bodies the best chance of doing exactly what they are made to do, delivering our babies safely and without so much intervention. I’ve had two children, my first labour was long, arduous and traumatic. It involved hours of going backwards and forwards to the hospital, eventually begging for an epidural that didn’t work and finally having my daughter pulled from me with forceps. My recovery, both physically and mentally was long and painful. When I fell pregnant with my second child 5 years later, as much as I was overjoyed I was also terrified of a repeat experience. A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of a colleague of hers who had had a hypnobirth for her third child.

She told me how she’d experienced next to no pain delivering her baby all thanks to hypnobirthing, that she had ‘breathed’ her baby out instead of actively pushing. I inwardly rolled my eyes but took her details anyway, and we connected over Facebook

where she passed on the number of a lady called Kayla, a registered hypnobirthing practitioner who had taught her classes at a village hall a few miles away from where I live. A little research on hypnobirthing began to change my mind about it. There is no swaying pendulum to watch before falling asleep, no one is going to ask you to cluck like a chicken and there are no safe words to snap you back to reality.

What it is essentially is deep relaxation, it borrows from principles of meditation to get expectant mothers into a relaxed state so they can easily and calmly birth their babies. I booked myself and my husband onto the course for £175, figuring it was a relatively small price to pay if it did work and wouldn’t break the bank if it didn’t.

It’s recommended that you take your birth partner with you as they will actually play an active role in the whole process, bringing them closer into the birth experience and enabling them to fully support you in the best way they can. The course was over 4 sessions, and included a CD of relaxing music and positive birth affirmations, and a book ‘Hypnobirthing’ by Marie Mongan.

At home I read the book and listened to the CD each day, which as an added bonus often helped me to fall asleep peacefully.

The courses involved were wonderful and filled both my husband and I with confidence and even excitement for the actual birth process. They were educational, Kayla showed us videos of hypnobirths with women labouring almost silently, and she coached us in breathing exercises and triggers to send me into a deeply relaxed and meditative state. She showed my husband ways to help me, taught him phrases such as ‘go deeper’ (which did make us both giggle) which were effective and when used on the big day they made him feel as though he was an important part of the birth process and not just a helpless bystander watching someone he loved be in pain. Kayla encouraged us to use the word ‘surges’ instead of ‘contractions’. Its less medical, less scary and a much more accurate way to describe how they really feel.

A

s my pregnancy progressed I realised I was no longer afraid.

Hypnobirthing had given me the confidence to completely trust my body and instincts, I wasn’t entirely convinced it would diminish the pain as I remembered it from my previous labour but I felt confident that even with the pain, I could get through it without fear and panic. Our son arrived a week late. Instead of spending that overdue week fretting and wishing it away I continued as normal, listening

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“

“

hospital to be examined and told I’d barely to my CD and practicing my breathing started and sent home in tears and agony to techniques. I confidently declined my wait it out for another 6 long hours with midwifes offer of a stretch and sweep, as just paracetamol and a warm bath to get me there was no medical evidence that my by. This time, as my waters had gone before baby was in distress and needed to be my surges had started they wanted me to forced to arrive when he wasn’t ready. I head in to check all was ok, I knew that was happy in the knowledge that when my the advice would be to induce my labour baby and my body were ready it would all if my contractions didn’t start within 24 happen on its own, although I kept an open hours due to the risk of mind and was sensible in from my waters monitoring movements I was happy in the infection breaking but I was ok and weighing up the risks knowledge that with that. I was happy between waiting and to let whatever happens induction. 7 days overdue I when my baby happen. I was slightly woke up with dull tummy and my body relieved when my surges ache, and when I stood up began in the car, bearable from bed my waters went were ready it at first but soon picking with a gush. I excitedly would all happen up in intensity. We popped woke my husband up and the CD into the car stereo told him “It’s time!” He on its own, and those first tinkly grinned, and we called although I kept an bars of music bought his parents to come and me immediate relief. My collect our daughter giving open mind... confidence soared and her a kiss and promising reminded myself that I was literally made to that when we came home we’d have her do this. By the time we reached the hospital little brother with us. The journey to the things had progressed quickly. My surges hospital was very different to the one I had were now a couple of minutes apart and experienced with my first pregnancy. That were on the verge of overwhelming me. I one was spent gripping tightly to the car breathed down into my belly the way Kayla door, screaming in standstill traffic with had taught me and recited my positive birth my husband sheepishly mouthing ‘She’s in affirmations over in my head. We finally got labour!’ to the concerned looking couple into the labour room, my husband placed in the next car, only to finally get into the

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his hand on my shoulder and used the phrases and techniques Kayla had shown him to support me. I felt totally and utterly calm. The pain was there, but it was entirely different to my first birth. Hypnobirthing put me in a better place to be able to deal with the pain and it was bearable, I was not afraid of it and I felt I was in control of the pain rather than it controlling me. I welcomed each surge knowing that it was bringing me closer to meeting our baby.

When the midwife entered our room, which was dark and hushed, I laid down for her to examine me and she was astonished to find I was already 10cm dilated. We had decided beforehand that we wanted as little intervention as possible for this birth, we even asked the midwife to please keep quiet unless she really needed to speak or intervene. I spent an hour and a half during my first birth being told over and over to “PUSH!” by the midwife and my husband, but this time I simply trusted in myself and let my body take over. Within 15 minutes the urge to bear down was overwhelming and I changed my breathing exercises to the ones Kayla had taught me for when I got to this stage. I finally understood what my friend of a friend had meant when she said she’d ‘breathed’ her baby out. There was still pushing of course, but instead of it being forced out by me it came in waves, my body did all the work and I went with it, breathing down alongside it to aid and help my body along with it, allowing our son to be born gently and slowly.

F

or my husband, he felt involved, needed and calm. I had no need for pain relief, intervention or even stitches after giving birth the second time, and I do believe that most if not all of that was thanks to hypnobirthing.

More and more hospitals are now funding hypnobirthing courses for their patients, and I truly believe it is something that should be offered to all. Research has shown that hypnobirthing can shorten the labour process, reduce the need for pain relief and dramatically reduce the need for medical intervention. As well as the benefits during labour and birth itself, some studies have shown that hypnobirth and the positive experience it creates nurtures positivity for future pregnancies, aids in the ease of establishing breastfeeding thanks to the quicker recovery time and less trauma for both mother and baby, and can even help reduce the chances of developing post-natal depression. For me, it was a 100% positive experience and I would recommend all expectant parents take a look into it and give it a go.

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Nappy Cake HOW TO MAKE A

Whilst I believe it’s perfectly acceptable to aimlessly while away hours on sites like Pinterest and YouTube, they’re actually pretty useful and you can make almost anything by following a tutorial. A good job as I’ve been challenged to make a Nappy Cake! After the jokes about my baking skills, or lack of, had subsided, it turned out most people had no idea what one was.

nappies; yes, all 72! Roll them with the open side in so the lines are smooth and place a band around each nappy to stop it from unravelling. Some suggest elastic bands, others say cotton bands, which if I could have sourced at short notice I would have preferred to use, but loom bands are perfect and hold the nappy tight.

It appears that odd numbers work best and so the bottom tier was made out of 47 nappies and the middle tier had 23. I popped the remaining 2 in the middle of the top tier of vests so you could see all 7 vests clearly. I think the best method is to decide how many you want on the bottom tier, making sure it’s an odd number, divide by two to get the number for your middle tier and round down to give you the next odd number (47 / 2 = 23.5 round down to 23).

After looking on Pinterest and watching a few tutorials, I realised there were many different designs I could use and plenty of different ways to make them. I opted for the traditional rolled nappies, choosing not to follow a set design and just ‘wing it’, or as I like to call it, use my creative flair!

It was decided we’d make it for a colleague who was due to have her baby any day and as she hadn’t found out whether it was a boy or a girl yet, I stuck with traditional, neutral colours.

I was actually surprised at how cost effective it is. With a budget of £40, I had plenty of change. I purchased: My first task was to roll up the

 1 box of ASDA Little Angels nappies. I bought size 2 (which is 6-13lbs (3-6kgs) and used the whole box of 72!)

    

£6.00

7 short sleeved bodysuits (Monday - Sunday pattern) 0-3 months

£7.50

2 hats

£2.00

A comforter (bear holding a blanket)

£4.00

Red ribbon from Dunelm - make sure it’s thick enough to cover all bands (1.5/2”)

£3.00

2 bags of loom bands in the sale from ASDA which were 50p a bag

£1.00 TOTAL £23.50

You also need cellophane for wrapping, which I had already, but you can buy it really cheaply from eBay.

Originally I had decided on 31 for the bottom tier and 15 for the middle tier but the top tier of vests was too tall and it looked a little odd. I then made the tiers bigger and it worked out perfectly, number wise, for the amount of nappies I had *phew!*. As I said before, winging it!

Here’s the (not so) technical bit.

The tutorials say to place the number of nappies decided upon (47) together in a circle, and place an elastic band around them to hold them in place. Unfortunately I didn’t have an elastic band to

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I later added a ‘contents included’ tag where I highlighted the need to dispose of the little bands appropriately.

The thought of a ‘little person’ getting their hands on the loom bands does worry me which is why I would prefer to use a cotton band. I do wonder if they would hold them in place well enough though and this is perhaps something to experiment with.

hand so opted for the next best thing, my silicone cake mould; round and the perfect size. I’d like to add it was clean - probably as I never bake and you could use anything round... that empty tin of chocolates you demolished at Christmas perhaps?! Having placed all the nappies in the mould, I then tied my ribbon around and removed the mould; cue round of applause! Obviously there are more professional ways to do this but let’s face it, most of us can ‘make do’ and find various implements to help us along the way. I found it best to tie the tiers together with a thinner ribbon first to make sure they were secure. The thicker ribbon comes later to hide all the bands on the nappies and generally make it look pretty.

Finished! It did take me quite a while as I am new to this and was working out how to do it as I went. If I was to make another, which I will definitely be doing, I know I will be a lot quicker. Obviously you can change the items you include to suit your budget and could use branded nappies if you preferred but it shows what a beautiful present you can make at home for very little cost. If you are really trying to stick to a tight budget, as long as the ribbon you use is beautiful and bright, you could just use nappies. What a great gift for less than £10.

For the middle tier, repeat the steps above but use 23 nappies.

Now for the top tier. The vests were wrapped around cardboard to make sure you could see the design in the packaging. I ummed and arred about taking this out, opting to leave it in in the end to give stability. I popped the two remaining nappies in the centre to avoid mis-shaping and tied the ribbon.

Some say to place a cardboard circle under the bottom tier of nappies for stability and although I didn’t, if I did it again I would consider it as transportation would be much easier!

Next I wrapped around the thicker ribbon which hid all the bands and finished off the tiers.

There are so many different types of beautiful ribbon out there, especially if you know whether it’s for a boy or a girl.

I really fancied doing it in lime green but as it was a December baby, I opted for traditional red.

I placed the two hats between the bottom and middle tiers and placed the teddy bear comforter on top.

We hope this inspires you to create your own Nappy Cakes.

Please send us your pictures to admire!

The most difficult job of this whole process was wrapping it in cellophane! It definitely brought out an obsessive side to me and kept looking too scruffy for my liking!

Although I prefer clean lines, I was pleased with the final product. Having covered it with clear cellophane, I added red heart cellophane at the bottom to bring some colour.

I placed a band around the top to hold the cellophane in place and finished it with a ribbon bow.

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STYLE & SUBSTANCE PARTY PLANNING ON A BUDGET

Daisy is two!!! How did this happen?! Two weeks later and I still cannot fathom this fact. While it’s indeed amazing to think we have had this wonderful little lady with us for two whole years and watched her grow it’s so true what everyone says, they do grow up too fast (wahhhhhhh!).

In the lead up to the big day and when I wasn’t hunched over my phone pouring/ sobbing at approximately 8000 (I kid you not) photos I have taken of her in her little life, I was organising a little party with family to celebrate her big day. I did not have an extortionate budget to work with and even if I did she’s only 2 and not really going to appreciate/remember it yet so I would be kind of wasting my time. From what I hear the days of big parties with 100 school friends etc are to come (Lord help me) so the brief was cheap but cheerful. So I thought I would share with you the three brands that made her day beautiful on a budget - in my opinion of course.

Meri-Meri Oh. My. Gosh. If you haven’t heard of this brand before you need to get to know it. Now. It is the prettiest brand for gifts, stationary and accessories that is totally affordable and perfect for decorating little people’s parties. As Daisy is still 56

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unfortunately very much allergic to dairy I planned to make her a cake again like I did last year but I was feeling totally uninspired and by no means creative enough to make a CBeebies character cake as she would have liked so I took myself off to John Lewis and hit the baking section to find the MeriMeri pieces. I snapped up this shooting star with rainbow cake topper and literally an idea was born...

Disclaimer: don’t be fooled by this picture, the stars were strategically placed to hide the cracks in the icing and there was jam everywhere where it leaked!

Flying Tiger By no means a new find but I love this shop and I’m totally guilty of being there for no reason other than to see what’s new. Like the market place of Ikea, Flying Tiger is an Aladdin’s cave of cheap treasures and I’ve bagged myself a few homeware treats in the past too. I’ve also learned that going there with a toddler and buying them something that costs a couple of quid buys you a bit of peace and quiet every time we go shopping.

It was an obvious destination for Daisy’s

birthday and I wasn’t disappointed - these coloured flame candles were an all out hit on the day with the kids and the adults too and cost just £2.

Poundland A failsafe destination for the ultimate bargain. During a last minute dash on New Year’s Eve I spied these air filled letter and number balloons so grabbed 2018 and made a mental note to return for Daisy’s birthday.

Unfortunately I was missing an I so couldn’t spell out her name but I snapped up a couple of 2’s to bolster my decoration game and they came in at a fraction of the cost compared the large helium filled one.

A total bargain because, let’s face it, they are only going to get popped on the day... *It’s also worth noting TK Maxx and Dotcomgiftshop are also favourites of mine that are equally as affordable and ideal for their gorgeous party pieces*

So there you have it, my now two year old’s (sob sob) birthday party on a budget. I hope it helps if you are planning something too. I’d love to know your suggestions for hidden party gems...

w w w. s t y l e a n d s u b s t a n c e . u k

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07858812745 Memory Bears mojo120457@hotmail.com m

by Maureen

M Memory Bears by Maureen

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Help!

How Do I Answer That?!

When your children start asking questions about your job in the armed forces, it can be tricky finding the right balance between being honest and trying not to scare your child.

RAF Family 2: “Yep we probably will, but it won’t happen for two more years and you, me and your brother will stay till the end of the school year.

Who better than to help you navigate you through this parenting minefield than other armed forces mums and dads themselves.

“You can choose whether you keep moving schools or whether you’d prefer to go to boarding school, that way you won’t lose your friends but you will need to stay away from home during the week.

SSAFA, the armed forces charity, and some of the families they support have come up with a list of the most frequently asked questions that children have asked and explained how they would answer them.

What Does Mummy/Daddy Do For A Living?

RAF Family 1: “Daddy flies aeroplanes and works for the Queen.”

Army Family 1: “Daddy is an officer in the Army and Mummy is a stay at home mum of three children.”

RAF Family 2: “Daddy flies helicopters.

He generally flies the Army around when they are practising, that’s why he goes to Norway every year to practise flying in snow as it flies around with the downdraft from the blades.

“Daddy says snow and sand fly about in the same way so when he practises on snow it’s good for flying on sand too.”

Navy Family 1: “Daddy is in the Royal Navy and Mummy looks after you and your sisters.

“Daddy goes away on his ship to make sure that we are safe and sometimes he has to help people out in other countries when they are in trouble, like after a hurricane.

“He has a big ship and looks after all the people who are on it.”

Are We Going To Move To A New House Again And Leave My Friends?

RAF Family 1: “Yes, unfortunately, due to Daddy’s work. The only way to avoid having to leave your friends each time we have to move is to go away to boarding school.”

“It is a difficult choice, but we can visit some boarding schools and you can decide what you’d prefer.

“You won’t need to board if you don’t want to, but if you don’t you will have to keep moving.

“Just because you move doesn’t mean you will lose your friends, we can keep in touch with them like we keep in touch with your childhood friends.You’re still good friends with them even though you don’t see them every day.

Navy Family 1: “No – we will live in the same house for a very long time, so that we can stay close to our friends when Daddy is away.

“Lots of our friends are the same as us – mummies and daddies being away for a bit, so it’s nice to be with them.

“When someone is away, all the other families help them out - when Daddy is away, his friends come and cut the grass every week for mummy and when his friend is away, he goes to do theirs.

“We might have to move to a new house if we get too many brothers and sisters and need more bedrooms.”

Why Is Mummy/Daddy Being Sent Away (On Deployment)?

Army Family 1: Explaining to a young child ‘why daddy has to go away’ is not always easy but they do adapt especially in 58

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environments where their friends are going through the same experience on the base.

RAF Family 1: “It is Daddy’s job - he doesn’t want to leave us but has to. We must make sure we email/write to him as much as we can and send lots of photos of what we’ve been doing so that he doesn’t miss us too much.”

RAF Family 2: “Daddy is going away to help people, he’s going to be really busy so he won’t be able to phone us as often he usually does as there aren’t many phones where he’s going.

“However, he should be able to phone occasionally and he’ll send emails which we can read and we can send emails to him.

“It’ll be a bit difficult as we don’t know where he’s going to be living and when he’ll come back but we’ve got lots to do whilst he’s away – like going to see Grandma at the beach, we’re going to go to the park, and the cinema!”

Will They Be Hurt?

Army Family 1: Honesty is the best policy in most cases but extra care and sensitivity is needed with young children as you do not want to make a child unnecessarily anxious.

RAF Family 1: “Daddy is an excellent pilot and he’ll fly as safely as he can because he loves his family and wants to return home safely to us.”

RAF Family 2: “Sometimes helicopters crash and this gets reported on the TV and sometimes other people see the TV and hear about what’s happened before we do.”

Navy Family 1: “It’s unlikely, but everyone could get hurt.You could get run over by a bus tomorrow or fall over and break your leg. We don’t worry about that too much because anyone could get hurt at their work.”

SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity runs an independent adoption agency that works with local authorities to provide support for anyone who is currently serving who wishes to create a family through adoption.

The service has approved 328 military adopters since 1964 and offers lifelong support to families following their adoption. If you or someone you know is “If this happens people might currently serving and would like to adopt, encourage ask you if your Daddy is OK? You them to get in touch with SSAFA, the Armed can always tell them he’s fine, as if Forces charity.To find out more, visit he isn’t we would know before it’s on www.ssafa.org.uk/adoption TV.”

Navy Family 1: “To make sure we are always safe. Daddy’s ship is really big and he protects us and our country. Sometimes he has to go away and do practices and training on his ship – he says those are really good fun.”

What Will Happen If Mummy/ Daddy Have To Go To War? Army Family 1: If there is a possibility of daddy going to war, I think you need careful judgement when preparing a child for such an event. Usually they understand that ‘war’ is a bad thing where many people can be hurt or killed. A child needs a lot of reassurance but without making promises about what could be the outcome of such a war.

RAF Family 1: “Again we’ll need to write as often as we can and be aware that he may not be able to contact us as often as he’d like. He’ll come to us as soon as he can.”

Navy Family 1: “Most of the time there isn’t war, it’s just silly people in other countries having arguments. We call them conflicts.

“If Daddy has to go away to deal with a conflict, his ship is so big and strong he’s really safe. Sometimes we can’t speak to him for a long time whilst he’s away so we have to write him letters and send him pictures instead.”

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DADS Your Fab

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Choosing The Right

chool... ...for your child can seem like an overwhelming task. Follow our guide and you can start off on the right path to making this important decision for your child.

When to start thinking about schools

There are some people who start looking for schools for their children before they are even born… yes, really! But most parents or carers usually begin thinking about it a couple of years before their children are due to start.

Speak to other parents locally or on patch, go online and look at the websites for all the local schools and generally get a feel for what’s around.

Try to be open minded at this stage. There will always be people who have extreme opinions about schools, usually based on bad or good experiences, who might be slightly biased. So take great praise or harsh criticism with a pinch of salt.

Crucially, don’t panic if you leave it too late.

Being in the armed forces makes it tricky

to plan too far in advance. The majority of parents start looking around schools in the September or October of the year before their children are due to start. And if you miss an application deadline because you are ‘between posts’ you will still be able to apply through a different route.

Where to start…?

It’s good to be open minded when you begin your search for schools. But there will be certain restrictions over which you have no control, so you may want to set some boundaries before organising visits or downloading Ofsted reports.

For instance, you might not be able to afford private or boarding school so you may decide to strike any local schools that are fee-paying from your list.

Indeed, if there are other selective elements to schools, and you don’t think your children fit the criteria, it might be worth taking them out of the equation.

Some secondary schools, for example, select

children based on whether they have passed the Eleven Plus.

Many church or faith schools require a letter from someone senior at a place of worship confirming attendance at regular services.

Other schools may simply be too far away, meaning you won’t fall into their catchment area.

Or it may be that, because of armed forces commitments, the only options are boarding schools.

Whatever your criteria, narrowing your search early on will make the process a lot easier.

What else should we consider?

There are lots of factors you might want to take into account when choosing your child’s school. These will no doubt be very personal to each individual.

As mentioned, boarding school can be a very popular choice because it provides children from families which move regularly with more consistency. It means they get to stay with the same group of friends and don’t get caught up so much in the regular upheaval of moving house.

The great thing about boarding school – and indeed any independent school - is that you will not be restricted by catchment area criteria. Some boarding schools offer support with fees through special awards for children in the armed forces.

You may want to consider certain schools because they have specialisms which might harness particular skills or talents your child possesses. There are many secondary schools which focus more closely on sport, the arts or technology.

Perhaps your child has special educational needs, or perhaps they are not particularly academic and need a school which has a wide variety of extra-curricular options?

At secondary level your child will probably want to have a considerable say in the matter. It’s worth discussing how you will jointly approach the process so both you and your child are happy with the final choice.

Are Ofsted ratings and SATs results worth considering?

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The answer to this question depends upon who you ask. Whilst researching this feature

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we asked a parent, a teacher and a parent who is a teacher this question.

Some other tips….

The parent said yes, it did matter. The teacher said ‘no’ and the parent who was also a teacher said ‘maybe’!

Here are a few other tips from parents who have children at both primary and secondary school.

It’s a contentious area and as such one which should be approached with plenty of thought and sometimes the devil is in the detail.

Clearly if a school is in special measures this is an indicator it is struggling. Equally an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating is always going to be an attractive option for most parents.

Yet, what about the majority of schools which are in the middle?

You can find the Ofsted report for each school on its website or by requesting it from the office. Read it in detail to see how close to an outstanding a ‘good’ school is and how much work a ‘satisfactory’ school needs to improve.

Results for SATs, the compulsory tests in reading, writing and maths taken in Year Two and Year Six are also available in the public domain. League tables are published annually which allow you to see how each school compares.

However, most teachers argue they are an assessment of only a few of the skills children learn at school and will need for life.

Indeed, the results are shown as a percentage so if you are looking at school with only a small number of children this figure can fall or rise dramatically if just one person excels or fails to reach the target.

By all means look at the tables. But, to obtain a more detailed and informed picture, look at them over several years and don’t judge the school by the statistics alone.

The same applies at secondary level for GCSE and ‘A’ Level results tables.

Visiting schools

“I did a ‘drive by’ of the school at break times and pick up. It gave me a better insight than just going to open days. I saw how the children interacted with each other and what the other parents were like.”

Karen, market research manager, 39, from Kent “See as many schools as possible, even those which you might never attend. We couldn’t afford to send our children to a private school, but we viewed a couple as a sort of benchmark indicator for the state schools.

We were surprised at how many of our local state schools were just as good – although the facilities were never quite up to the same standard. It made us more confident in our final decision.”

Melissa, analyst, 45, Kent “If there is the option, book your child in for a trial day at the school. My daughter went on three. It helped her make her decision and also gave her an idea of what secondary school would be like so it wasn’t too much of a shock when she started.

Nikki, events manager, 39, Surrey “Remember that what’s right for one child might be completely wrong for another. If you can’t decide between two [primary] schools – take your child along with you for a visit and see how they fit in with the other children.

Rob, 46, PR Manager, London “Don’t dismiss your gut instinct. It’s impossible not to get some kind of ‘feeling’ when you go into a school. I tried to put myself into the position of a prospective student when choosing my daughter’s secondary school, to imagine how I would feel around the other students and in the classrooms. There was one which I loved so much I wished I could have time machined myself back to my school days and enrolled myself!”

Kelly, 40, Notts

The best way to find out more about a school is to go and visit. Every school will hold an open day and these provide an opportunity to view the facilities, see the children and meet the teachers.

The headteacher will usually give a speech

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and you’ll be able to ask all the burning questions.

The problem with open days is that they don’t always offer a true reflection of what the school is like on a daily basis. Everyone will be on their best behaviour and pulling out all the stops to dazzle prospective parents and pupils.

Booking a private tour and appointment will give you a different perspective.

You will be able to see what happens in lessons, how the children interact, how the teachers work and get a better sense of the atmosphere.

If you are really serious about attending a school, you might want to visit both the open day and book a private appointment.

Making the most of the visit Calling or emailing the school before you visit – either to arrange the appointment or put your name on the list for the open day – will provide some clues to the atmosphere and environment.

The type of response or welcome you receive from a receptionist or admissions staff will speak volumes.

Before you go, start writing a list of questions and add to it when anything occurs to you in the lead up to the visit.

This way you won’t forget anything important on the day.

You will probably be assigned a tour guide on the day. If you are visiting a big secondary school it’s a good idea to ask whether you can look at the things which are most important to you or your child first. There will be a lot to see in a limited time, so this will ensure don’t miss anything important.

Ask your guide questions but don’t limit communication to them alone. Speak to the other children or teachers you see on you travels.Your guide will have been selected as a good ambassador of the school but what are the other children like?

Observe as much as you can. Notice how children are behaving and how the teachers are interacting with them and each other.

Even if you love the school and think it is perfect, it might still be worth seeing others.

By visiting several schools, you will get a broader view of how they all compare and what strengths and weaknesses they possess.

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The Importance of

Storytelling

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Stories play an important role in the development and growth of children. In fact, beyond keeping them healthy and safe, reading to them is said to be one of the most important things a parent can do for their kids. Aside from being a wonderful way to instil literacy skills, nurture their language development and share some quality time together, storytelling goes much deeper than just a nice way to relax and calm down before bedtime every day.

F

rom starting when they are new born, and continuing to read to them long after they learn to read by themselves, many studies have shown that early reading to children helps them learn to speak, interact and bond with parents, and reading to older children who already know how to read independently aids them in feeling close to their guardians, have a better understanding of the world around them and be more empathetic. Whilst babies don’t understand the words that you are saying, the sound of your voice alone is calming and makes them feel safe and secure, and the often lyrical structure of the words in young children’s books is rhythmic and soothing. Older children will enjoy the bonding time you share when reading to them. They will enjoy asking questions about challenging words, situations that happen in the story and getting to know the characters that you are reading about.

Being read to aids in relaxation for all ages.

School aged children have a lot to deal with in a day – especially academically and socially. Being read to at bedtime helps them to escape the stresses and strains of the day and indulge in fantasy for a little while. Although you may roll your eyes at being asked to read the same story you’ve been reading for weeks, it’s important to keep reading it as long as your child wants to hear it. Repetition and familiarity is comforting to children and along with the sense of security that the time spent together fosters, it can all help your child relax and reset at the end of a busy day.

The stories we hear as children shape our view of the world. Reading books to young children opens up their often limited environments. It can transport them to faroff places, introduce them to extraordinary people and wild characters and put them in the centre of eye-opening situations.

Research has shown that brain activity that occurs when reading fiction is very similar to that that happens when experiencing the same situation in real-life. This means that when children read about a situation it can help them to work out how to solve a similar one they may face in reality. It can help them to understand the complexities

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that come with social interactions, give them insight into how actions affect others and give them a better idea of how people feel in certain situations. When children read stories that contain feelings it helps them understand and accept their own; it can help them to realise that there are other children in the world that feel the same as they do and that they are not alone.

Research has shown that children who are read fiction books on a regular basis actually find it easier to understand others.

It makes them more compassionate through empathising with different characters and the problems that they face within the story.

These children also have a better developed theory of mind, which is the ability to understand that other people have different ideas and feelings to us and it is essential for understanding and predicting other people’s thoughts and behaviour.

If you don’t like reading aloud to your children, which many don’t, then there are lots of other ways you can reap the benefits of storytelling without actually sitting down and reading a book together.You could make up stories together instead.Young children particularly like it when they are made into the main character of the story – will they be a super hero, a police officer or an adventurer today? Where will they go?

Who will they meet? What will they do?

For active kids who prefer to be on the go, try telling them “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” whilst walking through a country park or exploring the garden. Turn it into an exciting and immersive experience. At home, use toys as characters and play out a story with your kids. This stimulates their imaginations and extends their play. If you find it hard to make up stories, retelling events that happened during the day is a good way to help your child improve their memory and sequencing skills. Talking about your family’s past or recalling funny memories of things that have happened is good fun too.

If you find it hard to find the time to sit and read to your children, which is a problem for many busy working families, download

some story apps onto their tablet. It might not be the ideal bonding experience but hearing stories and playing with the interactive pictures can still be good fun and help them to relax.

The benefits of being read to are hugely increased when parents discuss the stories they are reading with their children and ask questions alongside the narrative. Asking your child ‘literal’ questions (“What was the dogs name?” “What did they eat at the picnic?”) to recall parts of the story or checking if they know what some of the more complicated words mean can go a long way in extending their vocabulary and their understanding of language. These kinds of questions are great for younger readers, but you can also ask more complex literal questions. Asking your child to summarise the main idea of the story for example, requires them to rephrase the story in their own words. Literal questions are a good way to assess your child’s memory and understanding of the story and allows opportunities for further discussion.

More complex ‘inference’ questions help children to think about and understand the motivations behind characters actions.

Inference questions need children to look beyond the words and give information that wasn’t specifically provided but implied; it makes them ‘read between the lines’ so to speak. Good examples of inference questions are “What do you think happened next?” “How do you think she felt?” “Why do you think he did that?” These questions require a greater level of cognitive and language skills than literal questions in order for children to both know and explain the answer.

Finally, evaluation questions require children to evaluate information that is in the story based on their own personal experience and knowledge. Children should be encouraged to give and support their opinion about aspects of the story, such as character, action, or events. Good evaluation questions could be “Do you think they should have done that?” “Do you think those characters were similar or different from each other?”

Children’s ability to answer these types of question is often not related to their age but rather their language skills and reading experience. If your child struggles to answer questions you have about the stories you are reading don’t worry or pressure them to be able to, it will likely come in time with more experience. The most important thing is you enjoy your time sharing these stories together.

Happy reading!

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OOKS For Your Little Readers

by Polly Faber and Clara Vulliamy

FOR 2-5 YEAR OLDS

Picking Pickle is a sweet celebration of dogs from dream author-illustrator team Polly Faber and Clara Vulliamy about choosing the right dog.

THE STORY OF TANTRUM O’FURRILY £12.99

by bestselling author Cressida Cowell with illustrations by award-winning newcomer Mark Nicholas The Story of Tantrum O’Furrily is a striking new picture book written by bestselling author Cressida Cowell, featuring the illustrations of promising new talent Mark Nicholas. This new collaboration is the result of the inaugural Carmelite Prize for Illustration in 2016, which was awarded to Nicholas. His reward was to illustrate Cowell’s full text, which even she admitted was ‘quite a challenge’ and ‘not a simple text’.

Set on a wild and windy night, The Story of Tantrum O’Furrily tells the story of a

stray cat called Tantrum O’Furrily and her three hungry kittens who doubt that a story can ease their rumbling stomach. However, they soon discover the power of stories and that courage may lead to a saucer of milk.

Cowell’s words are illuminated by Nicholas’ illustrations, which were described by the Carmelite Prize judges as ‘classically reassuring but with a contemporary characterisation and palette’.

Publishers: Hodder Children’s Bookss

the final book written by Michael Bond before his death last year

The anniversary will launch on May 28th with the publication of the eagerly

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It can be a pickle to pick the right dog. Take a guided tour of the dogs’ home with one characterful canine – he’s been there the longest and knows everyone, so he’ll make sure you bring home the perfect companion. Will it be hungry Harvey, who eats everything? Or clever Dumpling, who can chew through the crossword in record time? Or sporty Boo-Boo, as bouncy as a ball? How about Poochy Petunia WufflesWinstanley, the poshest pet in the pound?

Oh it’s so hard to choose. What a pickle!

With gorgeous illustrations from Clara Vulliamy, and laugh-out-loud text from Polly Faber, this book is guaranteed to be your favourite, whichever dog you decide to choose.

Publishers: Pavilion Children’s

Michael Bond was inspired to write the book following his involvement in the National Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen’s 90th Birthday, which was held at St Paul’s Cathedral. His Reflection on the Passing of the Years was read by Sir David Attenborough – both were born in the same year as HM The Queen.

PADDINGTON AT ST PAUL’S £12.99

This October marks the 60th anniversary of Michael Bond’s beloved Paddington Bear, who has delighted generations of children, parents and grandparents with his wellintentioned deeds and misadventures. To commemorate this landmark year for the bear from Darkest Peru, HarperCollins Children’s Books has created a programme of cross-generational celebrations, to be enjoyed by adults and children alike.

PICKING PICKLE £6.99

anticipated Paddington At St Paul’s, the final book that Michael Bond wrote before his death in June 2017. The book will feature beautiful interior illustrations by R.W. Alley, who has illustrated Paddington Bear since 1997.

In Paddington at St. Paul’s, chaos ensues when Michael Bond’s much-loved, world famous bear is mistaken for a choirboy during a visit with Mr Gruber to Sir Christopher Wren’s iconic building. This hilarious adventure builds on the heritage of Michael Bond’s wonderful tales of a character cherished by generations of readers.

Publishers: Harpercollins Children’s Books

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THE NEW BABY £6.99 by author-illustrator Lisa Stickley,

FOR 8+ YEAR OLDS THE WIZARDS OF ONCE £6.99 #1 BESTSELLING NEW BOOK SERIES,

by Cressida Cowell’s

Good for readers who might be looking for ways to introduce a new baby sister or brother to their toddler: THE NEW BABY is book three in Lisa Stickley’s popular series featuring a little girl called Edith. Following the success ofHandstands and My New Room, Edith now shares the highs and lows of life with her new baby brother.

From first arriving home to sitting up and crawling, and with sound effects to accompany the actions, this beautifully

THE VERY HUNGRY HEDGEHOG £6.99 by author-illustrator Rosie Wellesley The Very Hungry Hedgehog is the third book in Rosie Wellesley’s bestselling Hedgehog series and captures the joy of spring while gently teaching children about the seasons and hibernation.

In this latest book, lovable hedgehog Isaac has just woken up from his long winter sleep and is extremely hungry. But every time he finds something to eat, another creature beats him to it. Before long, Isaac himself becomes the target of a bigger animal’s appetite – will the hedgehog’s spikes save him from becoming someone else’s breakfast?

Rosie’s beautiful, gentle illustrations bring the realities of nature to life while her team of characters - good and opportunistic make this book great fun to read aloud.

Publishers: Pavilion Children’s

observed book is a voyage of discovery, full of fun and wonder and sibling exasperation.

Lisa Stickley’s distinctive, vintage-inspired, collage illustrations fill each page in a charming tale about gurgles, raspberries and pongy nappies. It’s the ideal book for older siblings with a new brother or sister and as lovely to read aloud as it is to look at.

Publishers: Pavilion Children’s

FOR 7+ YEAR OLDS AL’S AWESOME SCIENCE: SPLASH DOWN £6.99

by Jane Clarke, illustrated by James Browm This is book two in the Al’s Awesome Science series. This time, Al is experimenting to find out what kind of covering his time machine capsule will need to survive its SPLASH DOWN back to Earth. Unfortunately, water experiments have a habit of making things very wet . . . especially when they involve an overheated dog, the neighbour’s knickers and Mum’s bucket!

Can they finish their experiment before Mum finds out?!

Note of warning to parents: this book may encourage experiments with water, including how to create a siphon, what happens when you spin a bucket filled with water (centripetal force), making ‘ice’-cream, and splash landings.

The Wizards of Once is the unmissable, new bestselling book from from How To Train Your Dragon author-illustrator Cressida Cowell. In the first book of this new series, Cressida has created a brand new ‘wildwood’ world, set in a time of Magic and dark forests. In this world, there are Wizards, who are Magic. And Warriors, who are not.

Warriors had driven Witches to extinction using Iron swords. And now they want to use Iron to wipe out Wizards too, because Wizards are Magic and all Magic is bad, surely?

This is the story of a young boy Wizard, Xar, who has no magic, and will do anything to get it. And a young girl Warrior, Wish, who has a Magical secret she is desperate to conceal. Xar is the son of Encanzo the Enchanter, King of Wizards and Wish is the daughter of Queen Sychorax, the Warrior Queen – hatred of each other has been ingrained from birth.

As their two worlds collide, and as we discover the ancient rules of Iron and Magic, something that has been sleeping for hundreds of years is stirring.

Can Xar and Wish forgive each other’s differences, for the good of Magic?

Publishers: Hodder Children’s Books

Publishers: Five Quills

GIVEAWAY!

We have two copies of each of these titles to give away to our readers!

For your chance to nab a copy of one of these great reads simply send us your preferred book, name, telephone number and address either via email to competitions@forcespublishing.co.uk or in the post to: Forces & Corporate Publishing Ltd, Hamblin House, Hamblin Court, Rushden, Northants NN10 0RU. Closing date 31/05/18 69

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Supporting the Unsung Hero’ business boom The University of Wolverhampton’s businessstart up programme, ‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’, is helping spouses and dependants’ of serving Armed Forces personnel, Veterans and Reservists realise their ambition to start-up and grow a successful business.

‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’ is a tailored business programme designed to meet the needs of Armed Forces families, and was one of the original bids to the £35 million LIBOR fund.

Since then, the course and mentoring programme has been in high demand having already been attended by 520 delegates with 740 expected to complete the programme by 2021. HSBC bank recently announced it will continue to sponsor the programme enabling the delivery team at the University of Wolverhampton and Black Country Chamber of Commerce to further expand on the already award winning programme.

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Sarah Walker, ‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’ Project Manager and Lead Trainer, says: “We are proud to be leading this programme and are very grateful to HSBC for continuing to fund the venture which forms an integral part of our range of opportunities for those who are currently serving in the Armed Forces their families and Veterans. This programme has the potential to create in excess of 700 new business start-ups by the end of 2021, significantly boosting our economy on a local and national scale.”

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Delegates are offered a dedicated four-day business start-up training course, where they will learn and develop the skills required to run a business and understand their legal, financial and tax obligations, basic record keeping, marketing and how to write that all important business plan.

Once enrolled on the course participants also benefit from a closed online forum to encourage peer support and interaction with other delegates.

Some members have started local business networking groups and have formed alliances to

Who can apply for the programme?

The programme is open to a spouse or dependant (over the age of 16) of a Service person, Veteran or Reservist.

We are also pleased to announce that we now accept applications from Armed Forces Veterans.

How long does the programme last?

Each Cohort will run for 10 months including 4 days of class based training with an experienced team of business advisers and dedicated one to one mentoring delivered either in person or virtually.

When does the programme start?

There are a range of start dates for each cohort to fit your requirements, contact the SUH team to find out the best course date and location to suit the individual.

Is there a fee to attend the programme?

There is no cost to participate in the programme as funding has been provided by the Armed Forces Covenant (LIBOR) Fund and the HSBC Bank (travel, accommodation and expenses incurred are not included).

What type of business can delegates set up?

The type of business set up is entirely up to the individual and could range from professional business consultancy, crafts and handmade gifts, bespoke art, catering services or personal fitness instructors. Participants may have a couple of business ideas and wish to use the course to explore each option or may not have a specific business in mind but wish to understand the basic principles of business start-up and gain inspiration from others.

Can delegates set up a joint business with a family member or friend?

Yes, delegates can set up a joint business with a family member or friend/s although only the eligible Spouse, Dependant or Veteran can attend the training course.

Can those already running a business apply?

Yes, delegates may still participate in the programme if already running a business in its infancy or need to develop their understanding of basic business management.

Courses are run throughout the UK at MOD bases from Scotland to Portsmouth and overseas in Cyprus, Belgium, Germany and Gibraltar.

Mentoring and seminars are also delivered on-line via Skype or Facebook to make the course as accessible as possible and to allow for service mobility and family commitments.

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work together and share their skills to develop new products and services.

‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’ FAQ’s

Sally Wagstaff, a former Nurse in the Royal Navy and military spouse, enrolled on the first programme in October 2013. Since completing the course she has opened a state-of-the-art laser hair removal clinic in Lichfield and has since built on her success, opening a further salon at Aston Wood Golf and Country Club.

She says: “I simply wouldn’t have started my business without the Supporting the Unsung Hero Business programme. The course has been so important, from giving me the confidence to launch to teaching me the skills to run and importantly grow my business. I recommend the programme highly.”

Sarah Walker, Project Manager, said, “There is no end to the talent and resources within the Armed Forces community. As we enter the fourth year of the programme we hope to deliver in new locations such as Gibraltar to enable as many service spouses to access the course as possible, especially those who are in remote locations or overseas. ”

Who will be mentoring programme delegates?

We are a team of friendly business experts from the University of Wolverhampton’s Business Solutions Centre.

Participants are assigned an individual mentor for the duration of the programme. Once enrolled delegates will also be able to access a closed Facebook page which has proven to be a great source of peer-to-peer support.

Are the training and mentoring sessions flexible?

The dates of the four-day courses and group mentoring sessions are fixed. Individual mentoring sessions are flexible and can be delivered via Skype, phone or face to face.

Are delegates obliged to set up a business by the end of the programme?

There is no obligation to set up a business by the end of the programme, but ideally those who have completed the course will have a business up and running, as this is the aim of the programme.

What will delegates achieve at the end of the programme?

Participants will have all the tools and information required to kick-start their business. A certificate will also be awarded to demonstrate successful completion of the course and will become members of a unique group of like-minded people from the military community.

If you have a business idea and need the skills and support to launch or you want to find out if running a business could be an opportunity for you contact the ‘Supporting the Unsung Hero’ team: Telephone: 01902 321 272 Email: suh@wlv.ac.uk Website: wlv.ac.uk/supportingtheunsunghero

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