LILY ALLEN'S BRIT AWARDS PRAMS TO BE SOLD FOR CHARITY

17.02.10 LONDON: Lily Allen opened the Brit awards last night backed by dancers each wheeling the iconic Silver Cross Balmoral pram. Silver Cross have today announced that they will sell the prams used in the performance, with all proceeds going to Lily’s chosen charity, War Child, who work with children across the world affected by war.

The sale of the prams will take place on Silver Cross's website (http://www.silvercross.co.uk/) and Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/silvercrossuk) in the coming weeks, and the prams will come with a certificate of authenticity signed by Alan Halsall, Chairman of Silver Cross.

The Silver Cross Balmoral pram is the most high-end product of Silver Cross’s diverse range, each one fetching close to £1000, and has been the pram of choice for royals and celebrities alike for over 100 years.

EMI approached Silver Cross earlier this month to request the prams for Allen's performance.

Alan Halsall, owner and Chairman of Silver Cross says "We make a wide range of prams to suit every lifestyle, but the Balmoral is definitely the most iconic and recognisable Silver Cross pram, and as such, it is a fitting pram to take centre stage at an event such as the Brits."

He continues "As a proud British brand, we were thrilled to be able to support one the UK’s most talented artists at an event which celebrates the very best of British, and simultaneously to support a worthy charity".

Exact details of the charity sale will be announced on the Silver Cross website next week.

Thursday, 18 February 2010 – A new survey of parents of children aged 15 or under across Great Britain, identified that a third of parents (31%) feel poor weather conditions prevent them from exercising as much as they like as a family.

Almost a quarter of parents (24%) cited expense as the reason and half of parents believe lack of time is the reason they do not exercise as a family.
The research, conducted by British Gas, principle sponsor of British Swimming, found that more than two fifths (43%) of parents admitted to wanting to spend more time being active and exercising as a family. The research of 909 parents of children aged 15 or under across Great Britain showed that almost three-quarters of parents (72%) are falling short of meeting the Government’s recommendations on weekly exercise - 30 minutes of activity 5 times a week.
A fifth of parents (20%) are concerned with issues such as obesity and diabetes, among other medical issues affecting their children. Distractions such as TV, video games and computers are also a major concern for over a third (34%) of parents.

Swimming came out as the preferred family activity amongst children, with 31% of children favouring swimming over bike rides, going to the park and walking, according to their parents.

It is widely recognised that swimming is a positive recreational activity among individuals and families. It increases life expectancy, helps weight management and can improve a person’s mood and balance.

British fitness queen, mother and wife, Nell McAndrew, comments: “As a working mother, it can be a real struggle to balance work and family time. It can be really easy to sacrifice family activities when time is tight, but I’ve discovered that swimming can be a great way to keep fit with the family, even in winter.

I began swimming with my son when he was 5 months old and we swim together as a family every Sunday. From my experience, it’s a great way to strengthen the bond between parent and child. The British Gas Free Swim initiative is a great way to get British families exercising together. To find out where your nearest pool is, please visit www.swimfit.com”

British Gas is offering a free swim to all its customers. Families can book a swim simply by visiting the British Gas website: http://www.britishgas.co.uk/swimming More than 1,100 pools across Britain are participating in the scheme.

Swimming presents many physical and mental health benefits for children, including increased motion and flexibility, improvements in muscle and bone strength, confidence and sense of well-being. Lack of exercise and poor family lifestyles can contribute to child obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure – all increasing problems among British children.

The survey, which was conducted online by YouGov Plc, surveyed 4091Great British adults, of the 4091 adults surveyed as part of the Omnibus, 909 were parents and had children aged 15 or younger. Fieldwork was undertaken between 8–11 Feb 2010. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (18+)

About British Gas
The nation's leading energy supplier, British Gas, is the Principle Partner of British Swimming and has pledged £15m to support the sport at all levels. From helping children learn a vital life skill, to giving British athletes the best chance of gold medal success, British Gas is committed to swimming in Britain, from paddling pool to podium. For more information visit http://www.britishgas.co.uk/swimming
British Gas, the biggest energy supplier in the country, has the lowest carbon intensity of any of the major UK energy suppliers in terms of tonnes of CO2 emitted per megawatt hour of electricity supplied to customers.

British Gas is committed to energy efficiency. Our Energy Savers Report provides free expert advice on how you can cut energy use in the home and, in turn, save money. So far, the report has shown over 2 million people how they could make an average saving of £175 a year. To complete a report go to www.britishgas.co.uk/energy-efficiency/energy-savers-report

About Free Swim
To date, British Gas has provided over 235,000 free family swims to British Gas customers. British Gas is working with over 1100 pools across Great Britain, providing families across Britain with the opportunity to swim together as a family.

TRAVELODGE SPRINGTASTIC £19 ROOM OFFER
The Travelodge £19 Springtastic room offer goes lives on Saturday 20th February 2010 – up for grabs are 200,000 rooms at £19 at over 370 UK Travelodge hotels. Stays must take place between 12th March - 31st May 2010 (Dates includes the Easter and May Bank Holidays).

To book your £19 room just go to http://www.travelodge.co.uk/ – rooms will be available from Saturday 20th February 2010.

Why not take advantage of this great spring offer and treat your mum to a memorable 2010 Mother’s Day. Instead of buying her the traditional bouquet of flowers or a bottle of perfume – why not treat her to an inexpensive Mother’s Day beak. By booking a Travelodge £19 room you can spend some quality time with mum exploring an historic city such as London, Edinburgh, Birmingham or Liverpool and with the money you will save, you could indulge in some sight-seeing, retail therapy and afternoon tea.

Alternatively why not take the stress of entertaining the kids over the Easter and May Bank holidays and treat the family to a fun packed coastal break. By booking a £19 Travelodge room you could explore one of the UK’s top beaches at locations such as: Blackpool, Brighton, Bournemouth, Newquay or Scarborough and with the money you save on accommodation you can treat the kids to the local attraction and a portion of fish and chips.

A Travelodge family room will cater for two adults and two children under the age of 16 or three adults. You only pay for the room and not for the number of people staying per room. Each Travelodge room has en-suite facilities, a luxury king-size bed, a flat screen TV with 18 free digital TV channels, Wi-Fi and free tea / coffee making facilities.

You can make additional savings if you book breakfast online when booking your room. The ‘eat as much as you like English breakfast buffet’ is just £6.75 per person if you book online (£7.50 at the hotel) and for each paying guest two children eat for free. Also you can also book a two course evening meal for just £6.00.

To ease the cost of taking a UK city break, Travelodge has created a series of city guides which give you detailed information on local free attractions. Guides are available for: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester. To download your free guides just go to the ‘News and Offers section at http://www.travelodge.co.uk/

BUILD A GREAT DAY OUT WITH LEGOLAND® DISCOVERY CENTRE THE ULTIMATE FAMILY ATTRACTION ARRIVES IN THE NORTH WEST

A PASSPORT to a LEGO® world of colour, creativity and fun, the UK’s first LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is set to open in Manchester in March 2010.

The unique, indoor attraction featuring over two million LEGO bricks will open in the Trafford Centre’s Barton Square on Monday 22 March 2010. Perfect for kids aged three to 12 years, the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is like jumping into a giant box of LEGO.

The centre will be made up of a series of interactive features to immerse kids into a world where their imagination can run wild with creative inspiration at every turn. Featuring a whole host of exciting attractions from the LEGO City: Fire Station to an amazing recreation of the North West’s most iconic buildings, the centre will not only provide fun for LEGO fans young and old, but fantastic educational benefits too.

On entering the centre kids will be taken on a LEGO Factory tour, which will reveal the secrets of how the famous bricks are made. Some components of the machinery will also be missing and will require help of the children to create new LEGO bricks.

A fantastic MINILAND will include all of the iconic landmarks from the north of England including The Trafford Centre, Blackpool Illuminations, Peak District and the world famous Coronation Street cobbles. Visitors will be encouraged to make their own versions of MINILAND, which can even be tested on an earthquake machine to see how their structure would stand up if an earthquake was to suddenly strike in Manchester! Kingdom Quest, an interactive LEGO laser ride, will offer the chance for kids to battle with trolls and skeletons to free the beautiful princess or they can feel part of the story in LEGO Studios - the 4D cinema where the wind will rush around their feet and LEGO bricks will fly around towards their heads.

The master model builder, interviewed for the job by children from Manchester, will teach all visitors top tips on to how to build the best models. Celebrations can be made even more memorable in one of the special party rooms, which can be personally themed to create the ultimate birthday party celebration!

Other features of the attraction include a LEGO Racers build and test track, LEGO Belville area - a DUPLO Village featuring a soft play section, plus a café to ensure your batteries remain fully charged, and a shop featuring a fantastic range of LEGO products.

Neil Crittenden, General Manager of the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Manchester said:
“The Manchester LEGOLAND Discovery Centre will be the first in the UK and the best so far, so we have teamed up with a location that could support this attraction. The Trafford Centre offers the perfect combination of leisure, dining and shopping in a one-stop experience, ideal for families. With a footfall already of 35 million, it would take something very special to increase this, but we are sure our fun, interactive attractions will offer yet another reason for more families to visit the Trafford Centre, providing fun for LEGO fans young and old and be the place to visit in 2010.”

The centre will involve just one entry fee, with all attractions included in the cost. Tickets for the LEGOLAND Discovery Center will cost from £7 and are now available - call 0871 222 2662 to book.

The Centre is open from 10am seven days a week. Closing times vary from 5pm – see http://www.legolanddiscoverycentre.com/ for details.

DRAYTON MANOR THEME PARK, NEAR TAMWORTH, STAFFORDSHIRE, IS OPENING THE GATES TO ITS EVER POPULAR THOMAS LAND™ ATTRACTION FOR THE FEBRUARY HALF-TERM HOLIDAY (SATURDAY 13TH – SUNDAY 21ST FEBRUARY).

Thomas Land features 12 rides based on Thomas & Friends™ characters, such as Cranky’s Drop Tower and the Troublesome Trucks Runaway Coaster. There are indoor and outdoor play areas, a restaurant and a shop. Visitors will also be able to meet the Fat Controller, Sir Topham Hatt.

As well as the excitement of Thomas Land, families can also explore the 15-acre zoo and meet its newest residents, Bandit and Banjo, a pair of racoons. The zoo’s Education Officer, Kiri Charlton comments:

“The racoons are really cheeky characters who love their food, although in the cold weather they enjoy to cuddle up and sleep. They are a real addition to our popular zoo and we’re confident our visitors will love them.”

The zoo is also home to a huge variety of animals, which includes tigers and leopards, snakes and spiders, exotic birds, mischievous meerkats and playful penguins.

The park will be open daily from 12pm to 5pm. For full details about prices, rides, and opening times, visit www.draytonmanor.co.uk or call the 24-hour information line on 0844 472 1950.

Entry costs:
12 years and over £14.00
4-11years £12.00
Under 4’s Free
Grandee £8.00
Disabled and Helper £11.00
A family ticket (for 4 people or more) will cost £11.50 per person.

The whole of Drayton Manor Theme Park will re-open for the 2010 season on Saturday 20th March until Sunday 31st October. This year the park is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee.

THE CROWN AND THE OLDE BELL STIR THINGS UP WITH THEIR CHILDREN’S COOKERY CLASSES

Two of the UK’s most historic coaching inns - The Olde Bell in Hurley and the Crown in Amersham - have unveiled plans for a series of children’s cookery classes that will run over the school holidays.

Reputed to be the oldest inn in England - parts of the building date back to 1135 - The Olde Bell can offer children a history and cookery lesson combined when they brush up their culinary skills at this period gem.

This Easter will see the first two in a series of eight cookery classes that will be spread across the 2010 school holidays. On Tuesday 6th April the spotlight will be on Bread, with pupils learning to make bread and butter from scratch. On 13th April chocolate takes centre stage, with the featured recipe, Chocolate Fondant, bound to find favour with the young chefs! Future classes will focus on sugar, vegetables, fish, pasta, fruit and potatoes.
16th century property The Crown provides a charming backdrop for a class on Thursday 15th April which will once again revolve around Bread. Future classes will be announced in due course.

Suitable for children of all ages, the classes start at 11am and cost £10 per person. There will be a maximum of fifteen students per session so early booking is advisable.

Parents can either leave their charges or stay on site, perhaps taking a spot of lunch in the venues’ acclaimed restaurants.

The Olde Bell, High Street, Hurley, Berks, SL6 5LX

The Crown, 16 High Street, Amersham, Bucks, HP7 0DH

www.coachinginn.co.uk

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