Sunday, 1 April 2012

‘MUM AND DAD CABS’ CLOCK UP £32 BILLION OF UNPAID FARES A YEAR


‘MUM AND DAD CABS’ CLOCK UP £32 BILLION OF UNPAID FARES A YEAR!
  • Parents drive 230 million miles a week taking their children to social, sporting and recreational eventsthe equivalent distance of a journey from Earth to Mars
  • Dads bear the brunt of parental taxi duties, clocking up 28 miles a week compared to 21 for mums(3)
  • London parents have the highest parental taxi value on average at £103 a week
  • New Facebook page lets mums and dads find out their own taxi value to their children: 
Mums and dads in Britain provide over £32 billion worth of free taxi services to their children every year, according to new research from Sainsbury’s Finance.  Parents collectively clock up over 230 million miles a week, the equivalent distance of driving from Earth to Mars at their furthest points apart, transporting their children to social, sporting and recreational events outside of school.  If charged at hackney carriage rates this would total over £621 million every week.

The study shows that over 9.3 million parents spend time driving their children around, covering an average of 24.7 miles a week worth £46.17. On top of this, parents spend an average of around one hour 14 minutes sitting in their cars waiting around for their children.

Additional findings: 
  • 30% of parents say taxi duties provide one of the few opportunities to talk to their children without them being distracted by gadgets like TV or mobile phones
  • Parents in London have the highest average taxi value to their children, providing over £103 of taxi services to their offspring
  • Parents in Scotland are worth around £73 a week to their children in taxi value

Friday, 30 March 2012

Easter treats that won’t widen the waistline Easter 2012




Easter treats that won’t widen the waistlineEaster 2012


Crack the custom of the chocolate egg this Easter and instead give beautiful flowering bulbs to brighten the home and manage the waistline, says the Flower Council of Holland.

Sweeter smelling than a chocolate box, indoor flowering bulbs in pots and vases such as narcissus, hyacinth, iris and tulip are perfect for freshening up the home and livening up surroundings.

Get the kid’s involved by encouraging them to decorate pots using Easter-themed wrapping paper, stickers or magazine cuttings or rummage around the house for make-shift containers.  Pot a colourful mixture of narcissus, tulip and hyacinth in a disused bowl or get children to place single stems of cut tulipa ‘Flaming Parrot’ in blown-out, painted chicken eggs to make fun centre pieces for the Easter dining table.

For a grown-up interior, place blue hyacinth and cut yellow narcissus in crisp white containers to add subtle freshness to rooms and a modern addition to kitchen tables and side boards.
 
Place pots and vases around the house, on mantelpieces, bookshelves and un-occupied desk chairs but remember to use hardy containers for outdoor decoration.  For Easter egg hunts, hide small chocolate eggs in the pots and behind the bulbs.  Add extra glitz by sprinkling glitter over the soil.

Re potting bulbs into different containers is easy and won’t harm the bulbs if done correctly.  Carefully twist the pot and remove the bulb, keeping the earth on the roots so as not to damage them.  Place in the chosen container and fill up any gaps with earth or compost.

Thursday, 29 March 2012

NEW ‘DREAMWORKS MADAGASCAR LIVE! PREPARE TO PARTY’ STAGE SHOW LAUNCHES AT CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURES RESORT



The Theme Park celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2012 with a new wild adventure for the whole family to discover 


IT’S SHOWTIME!

 NEW ‘DREAMWORKS MADAGASCAR LIVE! PREPARE TO PARTY’ STAGE SHOW LAUNCHES AT CHESSINGTON WORLD OF ADVENTURES RESORT


Go wild in 2012 with the NEW ‘DreamWorks Madagascar Live! Prepare to Party’ stage show at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, launched as part of the park’s 25th Anniversary celebrations.
The Madagascar characters - Alex, King Julien, Gloria, Mort and The Penguins host a party with fun songs and dancing in a brand new live show - the only one of its kind in Europe. 
Get ready to ‘meet and greet’ the gang in the biggest party of the year and in a brand new, purpose built, outdoor stage, located within the heart of the park; in the jungle surroundings of the new land ‘Africa’.  
Even when the dancing is done and the party games end, the fun is far from over! Strike a pose alongside your favourite Madagascar characters and show them your best Hollywood smile before discovering an array of African delights in the new shop.  If you need to get those energy levels back after all of that moving and grooving, be sure to try some of the delicious snacks available in the new African cafĂ©.

Friday, 23 March 2012

A Mammoth Adventure

A Mammoth Adventure


Ice Age Live!
A Mammoth Adventure is the groundbreaking new arena show, based on the hugely successful Ice Age film franchise. This larger than life show will celebrate its world premiere at Wembley Arena on 2 November. Tickets are on sale from March 9th.
Not to be missed!