August 10, 2021 / Ben / 0 Comments
This year we have been very lucky
to have a few nice blocks of hot and sunny weather. There have even been a few
heatwaves where the temperatures have reached in to the low thirties! This
weather can make people flock to the beach or pools in desperate need of a dip
but sometimes people also choose to venture to lakes and rivers. This can be
dangerous especially if you are not a strong swimmer.
It is very important that all
children are given the opportunity to learn how to swim from a young age. It is
a life skill and one that they may well need a number of times throughout their
life. Not only can it help to keep them safe when in the water but also possibly
help them save someone else.
Often schools only take the older
pupils such as years five and six swimming, so until they are around 10 they
may have little or no experience in the water. Some schools have started to see
how important it is for all pupils to be given the opportunity and therefore has
started taking the whole school swimming for a set number of weeks usually
through the summer.
Giving these children the
opportunity to get confident in the water and to learning to swim small
distances can be a lifesaving skill.
July 8, 2021 / Ben / 0 Comments
Many schools are now on the
countdown to the last few days of school. The government have announced that they
are hoping that from 19th July all social distancing rules will be
scrapped and that includes school bubbles. From September, when children return
things will hopefully be more like normal. Although each school will be able to
decide how exactly they operate, it is likely that children from other bubbles will
be able to play together again. It may be that assemblies can resume in the
hall, with al years taking part and even Christmas plays may be able to resume
this year.
Some children may embrace the
changes whereas others may find it a little too much or even worry about the
lifting of restrictions.
Teachers and parents all over the
country just want their child to be able to resume their education as much as
possible and enjoy their time at school. As restrictions have been in place for
a long time now, it may take a bit of adjusting back and you could find that there
is a noticeable change in your child’s behaviour whilst they adapt to the
changes. All you can do is offer support and make sure that you reassure them
of any changes that may be taking place.
June 10, 2021 / Ben / 0 Comments
As lockdown restrictions start to
be lifted and many more shops are now allowing you to try clothes on, shopping
trips can resume. Although you will need to do them with your household bubble
or with up to five other friends, shopping can be a great way to spend the day.
You do need to be careful that you do not spend too much money when going on a
shopping trip which is why it is always a good idea to set yourself a budget
first before you go.
You can also break the day up a
bit by going out for lunch or even for drinks and cocktails or mocktails!
Often the best places to go on a
shopping trip are the cities as these have the most choice of shops. If you are
into your designer clothing and accessories then you may want to head to one of
the designer outlets such as the ones at Cheshire Oaks, Cannock or Bicester
Village. These retail parks often have a mix of designer, high street and
boutique stores so there really is something for everyone.
If you do not want to buy clothes
then you could instead shop for accessories as accessories really can completely
change the look of an outfit.
May 26, 2021 / Ben / 0 Comments
Over the last 12 months many children
have missed out on a huge chunk of their education. There have been times when
the schools have been shut completely and parents or carers have had to try and
home school their children. Some parents did this religiously and others really
struggled and found that they couldn’t get the children to concentrate and complete
the tasks that were set for them. Most of the children will have fallen behind to
some degree due to these missed lessons. The UK is hopefully over the worse of
the restrictions and we are hoping that after the summer holidays schools will
be able to relax the bubbles and social distancing rules. The government and education
authority are now looking at ways in which they can help those students who
have fallen behind and also there are a few different ideas being batted around,
nothing has been confirmed as of yet. There were talks of cutting down the 6
week summer holiday, but the fact that this hasn’t been announced yet, looks
like it is unlikely to happen. The other options may include extending the
school day for everyone by 30 mins or running optional class from 8am until 6pm.
April 25, 2021 / Ben / 0 Comments
Many of the high street and
independent shops have now reopened to the public again and although you can
now go in and browse, not many have reopened the changing rooms. Unlike before
where none of the changing rooms were open, lost of shops are making their own
judgement on whether to open them up or not. If they are opening them up then
they are giving them a very quick wipe over the handles etc before allowing the
next person it, so queues are likely.
Shoppers are expressing their disappointment
at how the shopping experience that they used to get simply does not seem to be
the same anymore. Lots of shoppers say they feel like they are being watched
and that there is a lot of pressure to buy something that they have tried on or
touched. It can be hard to concentrate on shopping when you are also trying to
ensure that you are socially distancing from others and be sure that you are
adhering to all the rules.
Unfortunately many of the high
street stores and independent retails have not survived the pandemic and have
closed their doors for the final time. This is a sad sight to see and many
other retails are struggling to make their money back.
Sales are on in lots of places,
but not being able to try items on it still putting a lot of shoppers off. It
is very hard for some people to go and pick something up and know if it will
fit them, especially when sizes vary so much from shop to shop. Someone can
quite easily be a lady’s size 10 in one shop and a 12 or 14 in another. This
makes it virtually impossible to be sure if something is going to fit you and
look ok without purchasing it and taking it home.
Working it a shop is not an easy
task at the moment either. They are trying to get back to some sort of normal
and let shoppers have an enjoyable experience but there are so many rules and
regulations in place that it seems impossible to do so. Many are reporting that
some members of the public are being quite rude when they are having to enforce
rules regarding trying on clothes etc. and that the whole job role has
completely changed from what it sued to be a few years ago.