Save on your Family’s Day Out

There are so many places available now where you can find money off vouchers; you can get them through the post, you may also find them in newspapers and magazines, but the most fruitful and convenient way of obtaining your money off vouchers is via the internet. The best places to find money off vouchers on the internet is via sites like moneysupermarket.com, where you will find a vast selection of printable vouchers, voucher codes and exclusive deals.

If you’re more of a fan of shopping online than on the high street then there are numerous voucher codes that you can type in at the online checkouts, however, if you still prefer the thrill of popping down to your local high street and stocking up on the items you want then you can still have the benefit of the voucher savings with the use of the manyprintable vouchers available on the site.

Many people are now getting into the habit of checking the vouchers available to them before they go out to the shops, knowing that that every year shoppers are saving more and more money each year by using vouchers. This trend is showing no signs of slowing down at all, and why should it? Shops are benefiting from the increased amount of sales they are seeing as a result of offering money-off vouchers and shoppers are spending like never before due to the amount of money they can now save.

At this time of year, many families are gearing up to the Easter holidays and are starting to plan their fun days out with the kids. These days out can end up being very expensive so it really is in your interest to check what vouchers are available on moneysupermarket’s vouchers page before venturing out with the whole family. On the site you can “search thousands of UK offers for the latest voucher codes and discount vouchers to make sure you get the best deal”.

There are several major UK attractions that are featured on moneysupermarket at the moment, including the 20% off deal you’ll get of you visit the Wookey Hole Caves with up to six members of your family. Here you’ll enjoy viewing Britain’s most spectacular caves and the legendary home of the infamous Witch of Wookey. Whilst at the caves you will be able to visit the prehistoric valley of the Dinosaurs, view the King Kong feature and relax in the magical fairy garden. If this isn’t enough to keep your family entertained then make sure you don’t forget about the 19th Century Paper Mill, as this houses a variety of fascinating attractions including the Victorian Penny Arcade, Magical Mirror Maze, Pirate Zap Zone, World of Miniature and the very interesting new cave museum.

This is just one of the many fantastic vouchers that you can get to make your fun family days out this Easter as cheap as possible but without losing any of the enjoyment along the way.

Tsunami orphans in Southern India rehoused in time for Christmas thanks to India Direct charity

Ninety-five children, victims of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami which decimated their lives five years ago, will this year celebrate Christmas in a new purpose built children’s home in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, provided and maintained by Cheshire based charity India Direct (www.indiadirect.org.uk).

‘Joy’ Home, as it is called, replaces temporary accommodation rented in the immediate aftermath of the Tsunami by the charity, which has cared for destitute children at Bethel Home in Chennai since 1995, and now cares for Joy Home too. Chairman of India Direct, Architect David Armstrong, was in Chennai when the Tsunami struck. “At the time all we could do was provide material help to some of the more remote and harder hit villages, but we also knew we had to do something meaningful for their future.”

That future began with designing and building the charity’s second home whilst establishing a temporary shelter catering both for orphans and children whose parents could no longer look after them. Macclesfield based Armstrong Architects’ design is based on the traditional Indian ‘Keralan Christian’ style, featuring an open central courtyard which ensures good all round natural light and ventilation for the dormitories. Now the new home is a hub of learning that extends beyond the lives of the children who live there. During the day it becomes a tailoring school for children of fishing families in an innovative scheme where graduates are given a sewing machine and tailor’s kit to take back to their communities and set up in business.

This year, Bethel and Joy Homes also played host to students from Poynton High School who have been closely involved with the project for the past 5 years. A play park financed by the school was opened at Joy when they visited. Several classes at PHS now sponsor Indian children, which costs just £25 per child per month, providing that child with accommodation, food, clothes, schooling and basic medical care.

“Our experience in Chennai proved invaluable when it came to helping the Tsunami victims and shows just how much can be achieved working with a few good people. This year we can see a Christmas with a future that was unthinkable for these children a few years ago,” adds Armstrong.

The major challenge for 2010 will be the addition of a separate accommodation block to comply with recent changes in the laws covering orphanages by the local authorities. “We’ve been so lucky and privileged in what we’ve achieved so far and the people’s whose lives we’ve reached, yet there’s so much more we want to do,” concludes Armstrong.

India Direct was formed in 1995 following a meeting with Pastor Martin from Madras who was caring at that time for 7 orphans in a rented mud hut which had been flooded in the Monsoons. With no support available locally, India Direct was formed to provide a permanent home for these children. Bethel home opened in 1996 and is now a permanent, happy home for about 50 destitute or orphaned children.

Today, a total of 150 children are given a home for as long as they need it. They live in a relaxed family style environment and are given complete care: clean water, food, clothes, full-time education, training for jobs, medical care, pets and friends.

All Trustees and support staff of India Direct are volunteers, allowing the charity to send 100% of all donations to work in India and cover its administration from a portion of reclaimed tax.

Cluedo is 60 years old

Where would Britain be without arguably its favourite story format – the murder mystery? Gone would be the enigma Sherlock Holmes and his faithful sidekick Watson. Agatha Christie’s famous characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, would never have graced the pages of tens of millions of books, and the various TV series and movies portraying clever detectives and their mind-boggling skills that always unearth the killer.

But it’s not just in books, novellas and screens. The murder mystery found itself in game format sixty years ago when a musician from Birmingham named Anthony E. Pratt was inspired and worked to create “Cluedo”, the atypical whodunnit board game. Iconic characters like Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlett and Professor Plum now rank among the greatest villains in history, having taken part in millions of murders re-enacted in family homes over previous decades.

To celebrate the board game’s 60th anniversary, Barry Forshaw from the Crime Writer’s Association recounts the evolution of the murder mystery and gives some great tips on how to write your own.

Hasbro have recently released a new version called Cluedo, Discover the Secrets. There are few new rules and some of the characters’ names have changed.

For instance, Colonel Mustard has become Jack Mustard, “once the most sought after celebrity football player . . . now a sports pundit”.

Professor Plum is Victor Plum “a self-made video-game design billionaire that (sic) moved out of the dingy basement into a life of luxury”.

The lead pipe has become a baseball bat, the revolver is a pistol and a dumb-bell, trophy axe and poison have been added to the murder weapons. The basically bland appearance of the board of the original game is now lavishly illustrated but purists may be put out that the action no longer takes place in an Inspector Poirot-era mansion but a home straight out of Footballers’ Wives. Gone are the ballroom, the library, the billiard room and the conservatory. In come a theatre, spa, guesthouse and observatory.

For more information visit www.hasbro.co.uk

The Kellogg’s Swimtastic Awards 2009

Whether you are learning to swim for the first time, attending life-saving lessons or competing at grassroots level – swimming allows everyone to have fun and stay fit whatever your age.

The sport has grown in popularity since the Beijing Olympics last year - with stars such as Rebecca Adlington providing positive role models for rising talent. The sport now plays a wider role in improving health and fitness levels across the UK.

Nowhere else is this more apparent than at the Kellogg’s Swimtastic Awards 2009, which celebrated some of the country’s most outstanding non-elite achievements in the pool. Aimed at amateur swimmers, the awards recognise people of all ages and abilities as well as those responsible for providing learn to swim lessons.

Some have gone beyond the call of duty to help share the love of swimming with their friends, family and community. Others are so committed to bettering themselves or improving the lives of others that they set the standard for others to draw inspiration from, raising money for noble causes or showing the strength of the human spirit in overcoming adversity.

Check out the video:

For more information visit www.kelloggs.co.uk/swimming

Dark Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache Recipe

Here is an easy recipe that children can make as a Christmas treat.

Dark Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache

Dark chocolate cake is the perfect recipe for any chocoholic to get stuck into. With layers of dark chocolate ganache, this is sure to get your mouth watering, just try and save the chocolate for the cake.

Serves: 8

Ease of preparation: Very Easy

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

Sponge Mixture
90g Butter
165g Caster Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
40g Self-Raising Flour
115g Plain Flour
½ tsp Bicarbonate Soda
40g Cocoa Powder HC
140ml Buttermilk

Dark Chocolate Ganache
250g Dark 72% Rabot Estate HC
250g Whipping Cream
150g Whipping Cream, Beaten

Equipment
2x Baking Trays
Wooden Spoon
Large Bowl
Whisk
Cooling Rack

Method

1. Start by beating together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
2. Beat the eggs in a cup or basin and add the mixture a little at a time along with the plain flour, self raising flour, icarbonate of soda and cocoa powder, keeping the same smooth consistency.
3. Finish the mixture by adding the buttermilk, making sure the mixture does not get too wet or dry as you go when all the flour and eggs have been used.
4. Divide into two lined, or non-stick sponge tins. Place in the oven at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 20 - 25 minutes; ensure the oven is well heated.
5. While the sponge is cooking, the chocolate ganache can be made. This is made using dark chocolate and 250g of cream.
6. Melt the chocolate and add to the whipped cream. When the mix is luke warm, it is then time to add the beaten whipping cream, put to one side.
7. Once the sponge is cooked, remove from the tins and place on cooling racks.
8. When the sponge has cooled put one upside down on a plate and spread with half the chocolate ganache, place the other piece on top.
9. Finally, finish by spreading the remaining chocolate ganache covering all the cake and it is complete.

Samaritans Lisa’s Story Advert

We’ve just been given the video for the Samaritans Lisa’s Story new TV advert being shown this November.

As we move towards the Christmas season, makes you think about all those who aren’t lucky enough to be part of a happy family life.

To donate to Samaritans and help them continue to answer every call, 24/7, 365 days a year please visit: www.samaritans.org/lisa.

Here’s the video:

Hairspray The Musical - Now with Phil Jupitus and Belinda Carlisle

If you are looking for a Christmas family treat in London then why not check our Hairspray The Musical, currently showing at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End.

With the opportunity to also take in the Christmas Lights in Oxford Street and big stores such as Hamley’s it could make a great family day out.

The show currently stars Phil Jupitus and Belinda Carlisle, and also has Sunday performances.

To whet your appetite, have a look at the Hairspray trailer below:

Live Web TV Show about protecting your children online

Do you know what your kids get up to on the internet?

Log onto our live WebTV show for top tips on protecting your children online.

Chat date: Friday 20th November

Chat time: 14:30 to 15:00

[If you miss the show, it will be subsequently available as a webcast]

As parents we’re becoming more aware that dangers to our kids don’t just lie on our streets - the internet and online world can also pose a number of serious risks. Yet despite this, millions of us still lack the basic knowledge to safely and effectively monitor our children’s internet usage.

Did you know that a child can’t legally use a social networking site until they are 13 years old? Perhaps not. And how often do you think to check which sites your child has been visiting? Many of us might not know that it’s possible for children to hide any dubious internet activity by simply deleting their browser history!

According to research by Talk Talk, many parents are still letting their child loose on the internet without having any filtering software on their family computer.

While we might never know what our kids get up to online, it’s important for them to be able to surf the internet safely. In our live and interactive Web TV show renowned child psychologist Professor Tanya Byron will be giving you some top advice on protecting your child online. You can submit your questions ahead of the show or ask them live when it premieres on Friday 20th November.