Education

National Open Garden Scheme -

The NGS is delighted to announce Jo Whiley, the renowned pop radio presenter, as its new Ambassador. In recent years Jo has been a guest presenter at both Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows. Asked about her appointment Jo said “I am so thrilled to have been asked. I knew about the National Garden Scheme but I had no idea how much money the gardens raise and give away to nursing charities every year. The garden owners are clearly so generous, I love the idea of them inviting people in to share their garden and have a lovely tea. The pandemic has shown me and everyone how important gardens are for our health and wellbeing and the National Garden Scheme has been doing this for years – it’s a great organisation.” (Over £3m donated in 2021)

If you would like to help us raise funds for 2022, here are a couple of gardens, which you might like to visit - and not too far away.

Crawley Gardens, Winchester, SO21 2PR Opening: Friday 15th & Monday 18th April 2pm to 5.30pm. Combined Admission: £8.00 children free Refreshments in Village Hall: Home-made teas https://ngs.org.uk/view-garden/17567 Here you have three gardens for one price - all set in the extremely picturesque village of Crawley, with its duck pond and thatched cottages. Little Court is 3 acre country garden with carpets of Spring bulbs. Bay Tree House is a Mediterranean style garden with bulbs and wildflowers. Paige Cottage is a traditional English garden with Spring bulbs and wild flowers.

Terstan, Longstock, Stockbridge, SO20 6DW Opening: Sunday 17th April 2pm to 5pm (Also By Arrangement) Admission: £5.00 children free Refreshments: Home-made teas https://ngs.org.uk/viewgarden/22660 This profusely planted contemporary cottage garden has been developed over the last 50 years and boasts a water feature, a gravel garden, a snowman’s caravan and live music.

All the gardens, which are opening for the NGS can be viewed at https://ngs.org.uk/find-a-garden/?

Pat Beagley (Publicity) National Garden Scheme - Hampshire

Keeping children safe online

Whether your child is 6 or 16, it is well worth knowing how they are using their devices. Sheina Wright, Head of Prep at Embley, provides some advice on how to keep your child safe online.

Although there are many positives to digital technology, there are safety issues in these spaces that need to be managed carefully. Whether by playing games, watching videos, or doing things your child enjoys, spending time together online is a great way to start conversations about the online world. It is important to ask questions and take an interest in what your child enjoys online, and an essential part of having this open dialogue is to not judge, even if their behaviour or life online isn’t what you wanted or expected. This ensures that your child feels adequately supported to come to you if they ever make a mistake or experience a problem in the online world, and will help promote safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. Here are some other tips that you may find helpful:

Always be kind and respectful to others online

Explain to your child that being kind and respectful helps make the internet an enjoyable and safe place for everyone. You could demonstrate this by showing them your own words and actions online.

Making safe choices

When posting, gaming, or talking to others, remind your child to keep personal information safe and do not click on unexpected links. Most importantly, remind them to always tell an adult if an online friend asks to meet up.

Know about safety tools

Lots of games and apps have handy tools like the block or report button, that can keep your child and their friends safe. Chat with your child to make sure they know where these are and how to use them.

Using actions and words with care

What people do, say, and share online can have a big impact on the way others feel, as well as how people perceive you. Encourage your child to take a moment if emotions get high and continue when they feel calmer.

It’s never too late to speak up

Let your child know that even if they think they may have done something wrong, you are there to support them. Talk regularly about all the points above, and more! Make sure they know that if anything online makes them worried, upset, or uncomfortable, then they can come to you for help.

We also recommend taking a look at PEGI (www.pegi.info), a really useful website that provides age classifications for video games.