I don’t know if it’s just me but I’m really feeling these winter chills this year! As the days get darker, all I want to do is curl up in bed with a heavy fur throw, a hot chocolate and a good book.
It was a couple weeks ago was when I first felt the cold settle in. We live in a new build flat so pretty much it’s always warm but lately it’s been feeling really cold! I’ve definitely stocked up on my fair share of knit jumpers and joggers and fluffy throws and socks to keep me warm.
Marcus Rashford MBE and the Child Food Poverty Taskforce have launched a new website; www.endchildfoodpoverty.org on December 18th, coinciding with the transmission of a new BBC documentary which has been following his campaigning efforts to tackle child food poverty.
The website has two main aims. Firstly, to help vulnerable families and children to find support over the Christmas holidays via an interactive map that signposts to the available local support in their area. Local Authorities, Businesses, Food banks, NGO’s and Charities and sporting organisations have all signed up, presenting their offers of food support to young people and families throughout the winter period and beyond. The website also contains information on how people can offer support, either through donating money or volunteering.
32% of households with children in the UK report a loss of income due to the pandemic.
Food Foundation
Several major UK food businesses and members of the Child Food Poverty Task Force have rallied together to tackle child hunger this winter, with the website being a central point for information on support schemes available.
The website has been built by digital agency, 89up with support from PLMR and Web Geo Services. It was funded by Co-Op and Google. Ongoing funding will be provided by the Rapid Relief Team.
The Government recently announced £170 million was to be given to Local Authorities in the emergency winter grants scheme, as the country prepares for one of the most challenging Christmas periods ever with millions struggling to feed their families. The #endchildfoodpoverty website includes details and links in order for people to access the support being offered by their local council.
Hundreds of food banks and charities have also registered details of the emergency food provision they will be offering over the Christmas period, with a huge rise in people looking for support being reported. IFAN have reported a 60% increase in the use of Food Banks in October, and are projecting a sharp rise in numbers as millions more face financial insecurity due to the pandemic and the end of the furloughing schemes.
Two in five childrenin the UK living under the poverty line (1.3 million) are not eligible for Free School Meals.
Businesses and other organisations are also invited to register to the #endchildfoodpoverty map, with hundreds opening and offering holiday schemes or free meals to children as part of a broad campaign to bring the country together to #EndChildFoodPoverty. Marcus Rashford is calling on as many as possible to register details of their offer using the following web form: bit.ly/ecfpform
The BBC documentary, entitled Marcus Rashford: Feeding Britain’s Children can be watched on demand on the BBC iPlayer – you can watch the trailer here.
The Food Foundation has also released a series of podcasts recorded over the past few months, introduced by Dame Emma Thompson. The podcasts, recorded all over the UK, hear from the people on the front line in food banks, charities and from families who are facing crisis levels of food insecurity. They have been recorded as part of the Right2Food Campaign and feature the Young Food Ambassadors that also appear in the BBC documentary.
Despite the crappy events we’ve all experienced this year, there are times when there’s a silver lining. Take care of yourselves and your family over the festive period and new year.
With lots of love, The Wandering Mother & Co.
Merry Christmas!!
The magic of Christmas never ends and its greatest gifts are family and friends.
It’s been a while since I’ve been on here writing – been feeling a little underwhelmed and just not motivated to do anything. With Christmas a few weeks away, my mind and time’s been preoccupied on getting everything ready. Little man also came down with a cough last Friday which has disappeared now but in a panic, I ordered a Covid home test kit for the both of us. After all, I don’t want to go back to work without knowing I’m all clear and don’t want LO to cause his class to self-isolate so close to Christmas if he isn’t all clear.
My Curated Beauty Box Giveaway!
This month, I wanted to create a curated box that I could giveaway – especially with the festive mood it seemed like a good time to set a giveaway! I have to apologise for being a couple days overdue on this post, I should’ve scheduled it ages ago but not been at the best with my health since the end of last month. I’ve been having really bad eye-strain and can’t seem to sit in front of a screen or on my phone for too long. I’m going to have to get starter with my time keeping so I’m only getting about 2-3hrs screen time then that’s it.
Anyway… without further ado, here’s what you can get your hands on this December:
Curated Beauty Giveaway – This is what you can win this Christmas!
What curated goodies are you giving away?
What’s inside the curated box?
Inside this little box of goodies are the following products:
Palmers Coconut Oil deep conditioning protein pack (full size)
Philip Kingsley Flaky/Itchy Scalp shampoo
This Works In Transit Camera Close-Up 3-in-1 moisturiser
Holika Holika Pure Essence Damask Rose hydrating sheet mask (full size)
Coming out of a lockdown and back into tiered restrictions, London is lucky to be in Tier 2. We are able to go to the shops like normal, visit non-essential retail stores and eat out at restaurants again. My health has taken a slight turn (well, my eyesight mostly) but my physical health is not the best either. I haven’t done any exercise and I can feel that it’s taken a toll on my body. My mental health seems in tact for now but I can feel that mental-burnout is not a far away thought. I wouldn’t say I’m experiencing depression but I do feel sluggish all the time, not motivated or too tired to do anything and not wanting to work. The phrase “I can’t adult today” seems to be my favourite daily motto. Every now and then someone pulls me out and it’s usually by allowing myself some time to take care of myself and I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels the same.
This box was inspired by taking care of yourself physically, emotionally and mentally.
Treat your hair and skin to wonderful goodies! Soothe a sensitive scalp with Philip Kingsley‘s shampoo and nourish your winter hair with Palmers deep conditioning protein mask. Treat your skin to Holika Holika‘s super-drenching hydrating face sheet mask. Damask rose softens and hydrates the skin, and improves skin cell regeneration – that’s why you’ll always find rose essential oil in many anti-ageing skincare products. Cut down on time with The Works‘ 3-in-1 mask, primer and moisturiser. The creamy texture is perfect for winter skin and suits all skin types.
On a more emotional and mental level, I wanted to include products that can help you create a calming mood for your self-care time. The pillow spray by This Works is amazing – it contains lavender, vetivert and chamomile to soothe and calm your mind so you can sleep better. Before you spray your pillow, light up the super-indulgent wax melt by Savour Candles. All you’ll need is a tealight and oil burner if you don’t already have one. You can get these from Poundland, Asda and other homeware stores as cheap as £1.
Savour Candles With my promise last month to deliver you a treat from one of my favourite black-owned small businesses, I’ve picked Savour Candles. They have THE BEST soy candles and wax melts I’ve ever experienced. The Caramel Vanilla Latte is f*ing AMAZING (not to mention constantly sold out!) but my second fave as to be the Tobacco & Vanilla – very musky and sensual. My candle’s burned well over 6hrs in total and I still have a decent amount of burn time left. Check out the official website and don’t forget the next Black Pound Day is January 2nd for exclusive discounted rates. Check their instagram page: @savourcandles for their 10% off discount code – order early as last dispatch for Christmas is December 18-22nd.
Ready to enter the giveaway?
If you’re ready to enter, simply hit the button below which will take you over to Rafflecopter which is where the giveaway will be hosted.
Terms & Conditions: UK entrants only. All mandatory entry fields must be completed to be eligible to win. A winner will be selected at random and contacted via email. Box will be sent via Royal Mail tracked 48. No cash prize alternatives. Closing date is midnight on Sunday 20th December!
A side note: this giveaway has not been sponsored or endorsed by any brands. They’ve either been bought exclusively or selected from previous beauty boxes for this blog giveaway.
Fancy ANOTHER giveaway?
Who doesn’t?! If this competition is not enough for you, I’ll be lining up another blog giveaway for the new year… YAY! We all love getting free goodies right? The New Years’ giveaway goodies will include three full-sized products; my favourite haircare, skincare and body care product. Ooh, I also have another Noughty revierw to complete and yes… there will be a NOUGHTY GIVEAWAY in the new year too! WOOP WOOP!
Keep a look out on my instagram: @manny.wandering for all the latest updates and new giveaways will be announced on January 1st! I’ll make sure I’ll schedule them ready from now LOL 🙂
Waking up in the mornings – especially during the winter season – can be really challenging for both adults and children. Those cold, dark mornings make you just want to lie in bed for a few minutes longer, don’t they? If you have little ones that struggle with morning wakeups, it might be a good idea to look into getting an alarm clock if you don’t already have one. In our household, I would usually wake up the kids around 30mins after I get up. This is so I can get things like their uniforms, backpacks and breakfast prepared first. It helps to save a little bit of time but some days, I’m there standing at their bedside trying to physically drag them out of bed.
We were lucky enough to be sent two Sing My Name personalised kids’ alarm clocks. The kids were so excited that they had one each and couldn’t wait to give it a try the next morning…
Let your child wake up to the sound of their own name sung back to them with Sing My Name’s personalised alarm clock
Sing My Name Personalised Alarm Clock Review
The Sing My Name Personalised Kids’ Alarm Clock comes in four colours but a few of the colours have two designs so there’s a good variety to choose from. They are analog clocks which can encourage children to learn how to tell the time, something my Little Man still struggles with as everything we have to tell the time with is digital so for us, this is warmly welcomed. The clock requires three AA batteries – we buy our multipacks from Poundland which saves us money. There’s a snooze button by the alarm bells and an off-off switch at the back of the clock allowing you to turn it off easily when needed.
Key Features:
Personalised name sang to them when the alarm rings
Snooze button (which also functions as a demo button – so handy!)
On-off switch button at the back of the clock
Volume button so you can adjust how loud or quiet you want the alarm to be
Battery operated
Soundless seconds hand, no loud tick-tocking thanks to the silent ‘sweep’ mechanism
Glow in the dark minutes/hours hand
Reprogramming the sound of the alarm with your own music as many times as you want
These popular personalised kids’ clocks are sold at the infamous Hamleys toy store but due to current lockdown restrictions, the best way to get your hands on one of these is to order online. When ordering on the Sing My Name website, you’ll need to enter in the child’s name and there’s a sample play button so you can hear how the name will sound when the alarm rings. It’s inserted into a fun and lively wake-up song which is sweet however if the alarm music starts to get on your nerves you can easily change it to their favourite song by reprogramming it (MP3 format) as many times as you want.
When entering your child’s name, if the name is not recognised, don’t worry as they team will record it especially for you. There’s also an entry box for pronunciation which is great if your child’s name could be mis-pronounced. Talk about excellent service!
We are loving these cool and quirky kids alarm clocks!
Little Miss loves her pink clock and Little Man loves his blue clock – they really do make lovely personalised gifts for kids. These clocks could also make great Christmas gifts for kids if you’re stuck on ideas on what to buy. If you prefer gender-neutral colours instead of ones that are associated as ‘girls alarm clocks’ or ‘boys alarm clocks’ there’s orange and purple options to choose from too.
I wasn’t really sure of where to put the kids’ alarm clocks because my little ones don’t have a beside table. The clocks are compact enough to be placed on a shelf or window ledge so that helps. The glow in the dark clock hands might come in handy at night for you if you have older children – not so much for me right now as mine are still learning the time but it’s definitely a a helpful feature for time-training. Also the clock’s seconds hand runs so smoothly (thanks to the clever sweeping mechanism), you can’t hear it ticking at all. You might even decide to use the clock as a sleep trainer which would be really effective for waking up during darker mornings.
These clocks have really put a smile on my little ones’ faces and I’m so glad they’ve enjoyed them. Next step will be to add their own music to the alarm as my little monsters don’t seem to always wake up to the sound of their own name! LOL
For the full collection and more about Sing My Name alarm clocks, hit the ‘find out more’ button below:
Broadcaster Natasha Kaplinsky will host an evening of festive song and spoken word to raise money for Barnardo’s as part of the charity’s Christmas campaign, known as ‘Kidsmas’.
The Kidsmas Live event will be broadcast from St. John’s Smith Square on December 1 and will feature virtual performances from several of the charity’s children’s choir supporters from across the UK. There will also be very special performances by soon-to-be announced musical guests and spoken word artists.
The leading children’s charity has teamed up with Vodafone to stage the virtual Christmas event to help bring some magic to a festive season which will be unusual for many around the country. Broadcast via YouTube Live, Kidsmas Live will give viewers the chance to hear beloved festive classics as well as newer pieces that speak to the times we live in.
This is the second year of the charity’s Kidsmas campaign, and the first time Kidsmas Live is taking place.
“The vulnerable children Barnardo’s supports need us now more than ever. As we enter a challenging winter season, many more families are falling into poverty and the pandemic is wreaking havoc on children’s mental health and increasing their risk of harm at home, online, and in the community. All this means too many children and young people will be deprived of the chance to enjoy the festive season.”
“All this means too many children and young people will be deprived of the chance to enjoy the festive season.”
Javed Khan, Barnardo’s Chief Executive
“This is why I’m particularly grateful to our fantastic President Natasha Kaplinsky for hosting Kidsmas Live and to Vodafone for its support. With their help, and yours, we can help raise vital funds supporting vulnerable children through this crisis and beyond.”
This is a press release from Barnardo’s • more details can be found on their website http://www.barnardos.org.uk
Today I’ve got for us mummy blogger, Sarah from SarahLou Writes. She tells us what the true meaning of Christmas should be and what ‘The Grumpy Guide to Christmas’ is all about…
1. WHAT’S THE BEST – OR WORST – CHRISTMAS PRESENT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
The best present I’ve ever been given was weirdly a hair dryer, which sounds so silly but I genuinely needed and wanted one, I still use it to this day.
2. NAME SOMETHING ABOUT CHRISTMAS THAT MOST PEOPLE LIKE, BUT YOU HATE (OR AT LEAST DISLIKE)
Christmas Pudding and Mince pies, I don’t know why, I am not overly keen on fruity cake and honestly after the heavy main meal having something equally heavy for pudding hurts my tum!
3. WHAT HOLIDAY MOVIE OR SPECIAL DO YOU WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN?
The Grumpy Guide to Christmas. I watched it once on DAVE and it’s the thing I love to watch this time of year, oh and Muppets Christmas Carol! We save that for Christmas Eve!
4. WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST/UGLIEST CHRISTMAS DECORATION YOU’VE EVER OWNED?
I don’t think I have any weird or ugly ones; I have plenty of homemade ones but I wouldn’t describe them as weird haha!
5. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS SONG?
Step into Christmas by Elton John and Merry Christmas everyone by Shakin’ Stevens
6. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL TO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FOR CHRISTMAS, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
Somewhere where it snows this time of year, I want that magical wake up on Christmas morning to a white Christmas. I can dream!
7. WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE ITEM ON YOUR CHRISTMAS TO-DO LIST?
Clean up! Everything looks so pretty until the mess gets created and needs cleaning!
8. IF SOMEONE OFFERED YOU A GIFT CARD TO ANY STORE YOU WANTED, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Lush I think, or The Body Shop
9. WOULD YOU RATHER BUILD A SNOWMAN, GO SLEDDING, HAVE A SNOWBALL FIGHT, OR STAY INSIDE DRINKING HOT COCOA?
Can I do all three? That sounds like the makings of a perfect day to me!
10. NAME THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE CHRISTMAS FOR YOU.
Family, Food, Fun
*BONUS QUESTION* THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS IS…
Family, the most important thing is who is around the tree and not what’s under it!
Bio: SarahLou Writes
Sarah is a single mum of three humans and two cats surviving off lots of cups of tea and plenty of cake! amateur photographer and jewellery maker. She loves crafting things such as crochet blankets, patchwork, jewellery and the occasional DIY. She’s also addicted to tea and shamefully eBay. (my kind of gal!) 🙂
Welcome to the The Blogmas Edit’s first interview! Today, I’ve got for us the lovely lifestyle blogger Jupiter from Jupiter Hadley. She tells us the real reason why she doesn’t like snow and more about those funky lava lights…
1. WHAT’S THE BEST – OR WORST – CHRISTMAS PRESENT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
Many of my Christmas gifts have been very functional. No one has really messed up when it comes to giving me gifts, as I tend to very much explain what I would like, as gifts should actually be something you’d like. The best gift I have ever had was a few years back, I had just moved into a small flat, and had been given a grow-your-own chili pepper plant thing. We planted the chilies and watched them grow, then ate them. They didn’t last another year, but it was a great little experience that I wasn’t expecting! The chilies were really good too.
2. NAME SOMETHING ABOUT CHRISTMAS THAT MOST PEOPLE LIKE, BUT YOU HATE (OR AT LEAST DISLIKE)
I don’t like snow. I know in England you don’t get much snow, but in America (where I grew up) we got a lot of snow. It’s pretty, I’ll admit it, but it’s not fun. Snow is so cold! It gets dirty and black so fast. In England, even the littlest bit of snow just makes everything in London break down – from trains not running to traffic piling up. It’s not beautiful enough to outweigh all of it’s negatives!
3. WHAT HOLIDAY MOVIE OR SPECIAL DO YOU WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN?
This may sound really silly, but I tend to watch American claymation films from the 1970s. My two favorites are Santa Clause is Coming to Town which tells the story of a king banning toys, so Kris Kringle creates and delivers them in a mysterious way, with a penguin side kick and A Year Without Santa Clause, which is about Santa taking a break for a year and the two seasons (Heat and Snow) fighting over control of the Earth. This one has a classical song called Heat Miser/Snow Miser which all of my family knows from heart.
4. WHAT’S THE WEIRDEST/UGLIEST CHRISTMAS DECORATION YOU’VE EVER OWNED?
The weirdest Christmas Decoration I own are these little lava lamp-looking lights that go on the tree. They are SUPER DELICATE and were passed down from my parents. They are called Retro Christmas Bubble Light Bulb String Lights – see photo below:
Credit: Jupiter Hadley
5. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS SONG?
Oh it’s going to have to be Heat Miser/Snow Miser.
6. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL TO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD FOR CHRISTMAS, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
Probably Spain. I really love Spain and it’s not too cold there.
7. WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE ITEM ON YOUR CHRISTMAS TO-DO LIST?
This is a pretty hard question! I really like decorating, wrapping gifts, baking cookies, and purchasing gifts. I guess my least favorite item (this might be a cop-out) is cleaning up after Christmas dinner or cookie decorations!
8. IF SOMEONE OFFERED YOU A GIFT CARD TO ANY STORE YOU WANTED, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
Lush – always can use more bath bombs!
9. WOULD YOU RATHER BUILD A SNOWMAN, GO SLEDDING, HAVE A SNOWBALL FIGHT, OR STAY INSIDE DRINKING HOT COCOA?
I’d much rather stay inside drinking hot cocoa and looking at the snow from a distance.
10. NAME THREE WORDS THAT BEST DESCRIBE CHRISTMAS FOR YOU.
Festive, Food, Chilly.
*BONUS QUESTION* THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS IS…
Family, friends, and good food.
Bio: Jupiter Hadley
Those these questions were answered by Jupiter, she runs a blog along with her partner Dann. They both write about days out, travel adventures, cooking recipes, reviews and so much more! With a focus on Lifestyle, you can follow their journey through their posts.
So you want to hear a story?
Yrots a raeh ot tnaw uoy os?
Last week we were invited along to attend a showing of The Lost Thing at the Royal Opera House. As the show was suitable for children aged 6+ I was allowed to bring a plus one and naturally, I took Little Man with me. We don’t go to the theatre regularly and normally when we do go, it’s usually to our local Greenwich Theatre (which is fantastic for families!) so going to a fancy one like the Royal Opera House, I had to make sure my little monster was going to be on his best behaviour.
We attended the evening performance (7.15PM) but there are days when a matinee performance is showing. We made our way from North Greenwich to Covent Garden easily and just missed the rush hour period as we set off around 5PM. When we arrived at the Royal Opera House, we were ‘greeted’ by the doorman (they just opened the door, no smiles and we were the first to initiate the actual greeting, but hey ho) who showed us the way to the reception desk. Looking around I could see why we were not as warmly welcomed as we would be at our little Greenwich Theatre. The majority of the ROH attendees are mostly older, mostly middle-class and attended without children. A totally different demographic than what we’re used to seeing.
As we headed downstairs to the Linbury Theatre, it was a little less intimidating as we saw more families and young children. Little Man didn’t notice anything but as a parent, I feel like the theatre should be a more welcoming place for those with young children. Perhaps if we had attended a matinee performance it would’ve probably felt less judging as we usually associate evening shows with adult guests rather than young families.
As we were a little early, we decided to head back up and have a look around the small gift shop. We bought a laser-light keyring and a ballet pump keyring for Little Miss. We then headed back downstairs to the cafe outside the Linbury Theatre and had a hot chocolate and a brownie which satisfied our sweet craving.
A quick photo before heading inside the Royal Opera House
What is The Lost Thing?
The Lost Thing is a picture book written and illustrated by Shaun Tan. It became one of his bestselling books worldwide and well-recognised in the literature world. The story is about a boy who discovers ‘The Thing’ which doesn’t seem to belong to anything in particular, making it ‘lost’. In the book, The Thing looks very mechanical and is orange-red with greenish metal claws and legs whereas in the theatre production, it’s more organic and living with a green, moss-like body and ever-changing number of legs.
In this theatrical adaptation by Ben Wright and Jules Maxwell (from Candoco Dance Company, a world-leading professional dance company) we are treated to a different kind of storytelling; one that’s filled with not only music but also theatrical singing, opera and dance along the way. ‘Mixing it up’ is definitely a good way of exposing children of this new generation to a variety of performing arts.
Joel Brown as The Boy
Review: The Lost Thing at Royal Opera House
Despite the lukewarm review of the show being “too static and slow” from The Guardian online, I much agree with the reviews from Culture Whisper and British Theatre Guide. The performance was pleasantly executed, and provided both children and adults with some true thought-provoking moments. In the programme booklet they gave me, it mentions that The Thing in the performance is not meant to replicate Tan’s illustration but instead, represents something living and organic. The Thing can shape-shift changing from two legs to eight legs, growing larger or smaller depending on its mood.
The Boy finds The Thing
Shaun Tan’s ‘The Thing’ / Photo Credit: ACMI
“We wanted to take it in a completely different direction and build on the skeleton of the story, which is about celebrating difference, supporting what is lost, and potentially contemplating what we are losing. We decided to shift the nature of The Thing itself to be this odd, biodiverse, many-limbed organism…“ Ben Wright, interviewed by Lyndsey Winship
I can understand why there may be some disappointment as to why the original story was never followed through completely but then again, adapting a picture book into an opera/theatrical performance is not ordinary neither. The story lines is minimal but I think that makes it easy for children to understand. There’s also surtitles and audio description for those hard of hearing. The diverse cast are fantastic – all extremely talents and a good mix of both disabled and non-disabled dancers, musicians, singers.
I thought the interpretation of The Thing as something organic and living, familiar yet somehow forgotten, was like a metaphorical example of the world we live in today. There is a scene where The Boy almost hands The Thing over to the odds and ends department, but then a janitor appears and strongly advises against it, saying that things left there get permanently forgotten. We then see the janitor being comforted by The Thing and feeling happy that it’s in his presence. It reminded me of how happy and content we once were to just enjoy simple things ie. nature but now we’re constantly fixated on our phones and devices.
The Boy and The Thing
The Janitor, The Boy and The Thing
“In the book, the denouement is that it finds a place where it belongs. In our version that place is a very saturated, green, mossy jungle…” Ben Wright, interviewed by Lyndsey Winship
Summary: my thoughts on The Lost Thing
Little Man loved the performance and has asked to go back to watch The Thing come to life again. We will aim to go before the new year. He also lost his thing (a small toy) there at the theatre, which has now become his ‘lost thing’ – now isn’t that a story within a story for you?
I loved the story so much that I ordered the picture book online for Little Man, he instantly recognised the book from the ochre colour scheme and enjoyed reading it however he told me that he much prefers the ending that he saw in the opera adaptation.
The Lost Thing is showing until January 4th 2020 and tickets are between £7.00-£35.00 for a seat, how can you resist a familiar yet story?
Taking The Thing to the place where it belongs
So you want to hear a story?
You can watch the video of Shaun Tan’s story here:
P I N T H I S P O S T
[AD] We were given complimentary tickets to attend the performance of The Lost Thing at the Royal Opera House in exchange for this review post. All opinions and content are in my own words and photos that have been used are credited to their sources respectively.
This winter is the best time for us to get our skates on and unleash our inner figure skater vibes! I cannot skate but that doesn’t stop me getting on the ice. I try to go at least once every year and each year I tell myself that I will take up skating and get better… but like NY resolutions, the feeling and motivation disperses and I’m left saying the same thing year on year.
I’ve taken it upon myself to give myself a Christmas mission and visit 5 beautiful and magical ice rinks in London. Below are my favourite five rinks which are all outdoors so you can enjoy the stunning views of majestic surrounding buildings.
There are so many ice skating rinks in London to visit but here are a few a good places to start you off…
Somerset House is mainly known for hosting London Fashion Week/Weekend events but every winter they also put on a spectacular ice skating arena, especially if you visit late afternoon/evening time when the lights are on. There’s a big Christmas tree as the centrepiece, plus having the building as a backdrop for your skate is simply amazing.
Personally, I think the Somerset House ice rink is the beautiful rink in London!
A few days I went with one of my work girls to skate and we really enjoyed ourselves. It really is a stunning location but get ready to see a lot of couples skating together, a lot of newbies clinging onto the edge of the rink and more experienced skaters showing off their moves in the middle of the rink. There’s no skate aids here apart from for young children so I wouldn’t recommend skating here if you’ve never been on the ice as you will just be clinging onto the sides of the rink for the whole session. I am not great on the ice and found it quite challenging without any skate aids but managed to get by a little although I had to have lots of resting time in between because my legs got tired… Real quick. Also it gets quite busy on the ice but really feels festive and enjoyable.
They play good music on the ice and the lights change colour which creates a lovely skating atmosphere. Sessions are 45 mins which is a good amount of skate time. The skates for hire are really good quality and I’ve found lace-up skates to be extremely comfy compared to the standard clip-in ones.
Quality lace-up skates really make a lot of difference!
A great evening skate but be aware, there’s no skate aids available here!
Adult tickets are from £11 for the 45mins session which includes skate hire. Arrive at least 15mins early to drop off your bags at the hut (first bag/item is free, £2 per item thereafter). Then go into the other hut to collect your skates. There’s also Skate Lates from 8pm where you can enjoy skating listen to the latest hits and some classics from the venue’s DJ. Good vibes!
Based at the foot of a UNESCO Heritage site, voted as UK’s Top 10 visitors attraction the Queen’s House in Greenwich is one of the most beautiful places in London. The ice rink here is the only outdoor rink in South East London and is beautiful to skate around. This year, the rink at Canary Wharf has not been brought back so this is currently our closest ice skating rink.
We had the pleasure of skating here on its launch event which was fantastic. The kids had such a wonderful time and I am so glad to have an ice rink so local to us! For me, this rink comes in as a close second behind Somerset House because even though it is an amazing rink with really magical views, the skates let me down – they are the really cheap clip on ones which hurt my feet so bad. The good thing about this rink is that they have not one, but TWO types of skate aids for you to choose from. A penguin aid for less confident skaters and the banana aid (seen below) which is ideal for tiny skaters and complete first-timers. The banana aid is really fun but for those pushing the aid around, it’s hard work! Get ready to burn extra calories with that thing.
A view of the Queen’s House ice rink
The ice rink all beautifully lit up at night
A night – or late afternoon skate here would be stunning. As you can see from the image above, the Queen’s House lit up at night is really something. It looks magical and so festive! The rink doesn’t get overly busy too which is great as it means more space on the ice to go round. Tickets are from £13.50 for adults and from £6.75 for kids, unfortunately there are no family tickets but if you’re a Royal Musuems Greenwich member, you can take advantage of their discounted tickets.
South Kensington is well known for their museums and now every winter, for their ice skating too! Passing here last winter with Little Man I thought about taking him on the ice but unfortunately he’s not a big fan as I am with ice skating so we gave it a miss. I’m planning to head out this year with Little Miss as the ice rink is small but good enough for parents with young families. There is a morning parent & toddler skating session which includes skating, skate hire and a free hot drink for both… of course we will opt for the hot chocolate option! 🙂
Credit: Natural History Museum
This rink is on my list to take the kids once we break up for Christmas holidays. It looks like it’ll be a good one and a skate by the NHM would be a delight! Naturally, we’ll head into the museum after for a little look around and lunch at their cafe or a nearby restaurant. Adult tickets are from £12.65 and tickets for children start from £8.80. There’s also a reduced family ticket for four cost from £39.60.
Every Friday evening from 7-8pm, fragrance brand Viktor&Rolf will be transforming the ice rink into a Flowerbomb fantasy. Join in as they turn the ice pink, hang sparkling baubles from the Christmas tree and the infuse the air with their new Flowerbomb fragrance.
Situated in the gardens of Henry VIII’s historic home, the Hampton Court Palace outdoor rink offers you the chance to glide across the ice whilst being surrounded by spectacular views of the amazing Tudor palace. This scenic skate is perfect for all skaters from complete beginners to the advanced. Skate aids are available, and just like at Queen’s House you can choose from the penguin or the banana.
Look at that awesome view and rink size!
Tickets are slightly pricier than the other rinks already mentioned (apart from Somerset House) from £15.00 per adult and £10.50 per child. This will have to be a solo skate for me or with friends as it’s slightly out of reach for us and to be frank, the prices are a little more dear. From the images on their website, I can see that people are wearing the blue clip-on skates… a big turn off for me however that view does look really appealing. There’s also a cafe bar by the rink so you can grab a hot drink and something to eat before or after your time on the ice. 🙂
Skating around an outdoor bandstand playing live music? What more could you ask for! This rink looks pretty amazing in the day time and at night, even more special. When I visited this rink with my girl friends, unfortunately it was a very wet evening and we all got caught in the rain. It was only a mist but so much water pooled onto the ice, it made me really nervous with skating on it. However it wasn’t all bad – the wet ice actually made it easier to glide and skate but it was certainly more slippery in some areas of the ice as the rain froze over.
Credit: Time Out
The fairy light canopy added a little bit of magic to our open-air skate
There are penguin skate aids at this rink for hire £5 per aid which I bought but ended up not using. There were many families on the ice that couldn’t really skate but didn’t want to put money out to get an aid and were really struggling. I ended up giving my penguin to a young child who skated with his mum and sister who were also inexperienced skaters.
There was a professional photographer on the ice when we skated so be aware that staff will tell you that you can’t take photos on the ice – because they want you to obviously purchase theirs so if you must take a photo like we did, make it snappy and do it discreetly.There was also live music; we had a singer performing with her guitar. Her acoustic renditions of Christmas songs were mellow, festive and added perfect ambience to our wet skating session. We enjoyed our 45 minute skate and of course, my feet got blistered from the clip-on skates which were in really bad condition. They had the worst skates compared to the rinks at Somerset House and the Queen’s House.
Apparently Hyde Park’s rink prides itself as the largest outdoor rink in the UK I can’t tell you for certain. From photos, I thought the Hampton Court rink looks bigger but I won’t know until I go there myself. As soon as I can tell you, I’ll let you guys know. 😉
Okay, I know my post title says Top 5 but think of this as your bonus ice rink location because I couldn’t disregard it.
Tower of London is one of the Historic Royal Palaces in London (like Hampton Court Palace) and a very popular attraction for visitors in the UK and overseas. You can skate outside the fortress and admire the beautiful ambience as it’s lit up in the evening.
Prices are similar to Hampton Court; from £15 for adults and from £10.50 for children. For me, this one will be a miss but I’m sure it’ll be a great visit if you’re a History buff. Skate aids can also be hired here (must be booked in advance) but their website doesn’t specify what kind of skate aids are available.
I hope you enjoyed this little round-up posts of my top 5 magical outdoor ice rinks in London. Have you visited any ice skating rinks this year or perhaps you’re looking to go soon before Christmas? Leave me a comment if you have any other recommendations of open-air ice rinks in London too! x
Queen’s House Greenwich Ice Skating Rink
Dates: 29 November 2019 – 12 January 2020
(closed Dec 25)
Winter time is the only season where I need no excuses to drink my body weight in hot chocolate and look like a Michelin-man. I’m loving all of the fluffy layers, borg-lined jackets and teddy-fleece fabrics this year. It’s been a real long time since I’ve skated however this past week I have been going regularly to ice skating rinks around London. In an upcoming review, I’ll be sharing my favourite outdoor ice rinks in London with you so look out for that soon. For the past few years living in the area, there’s always been an ice rink in Greenwich. It’s a a lovely little suburban town that draws people from near and far to visit and sample its culture and cuisine.
The Queen’s House is part of the Royal Museums Greenwich, one of the UK’s Top 10 visitor attractions. It’s also a UNESCO protected Heritage site and has been beautifully preserved. Next door, you’ll find the National Maritime Museum and they have a wonderful under 5s play area that’s free to drop-in. Across the road is the Old Royal Naval College where you’ll find the newly renovated Painted Hall. Behind the museum is the ever-popular Greenwich Park, and just a short but steep climb up the hill, you’ll find The Royal Observatory.
The last remaining tea-clipper, the Cutty Sark is a short walk away and on Wednesdays, there’s a toddlers soft-play session under the ship. If you have a young child, you can really make a day out of your visit by combining a few things to do together. Check out this post of when we went along to the Toddler Time session at Cutty Sark. There’s always lots going on at Greenwich Market over the Christmas period so be sure to check out the their website.
Cheeky faces outside our favourite museum
Ice skating in Greenwich
We were kindly invited along to the opening launch of the Queen’s House Greenwich Ice Rink. Apparently this outdoor ice skating rink is the only one in South London There wasn’t many of us there which made it a lovely first experience for the kids, despite the rainy weather. We will definitely be back in the next week or so for more skating!
We left school and arrived at the National Maritime Museum at 3.40pm, as we were a little early we popped into the museum for a little look around. We could see that the brightly lit lighthouse beacon from outside the museum and, like boats to a lighthouse, we were pulled in by the light. We had a little look around the souvenir shop before heading back out and across over to the Queen’s House. The weather was not too cold but I’d highly recommend dressing the kids up warm for the ice. We warmed ourselves up with delicious hot chocolates but you can also choose from teas, coffees and mulled wine. Snacks and sweet treats were also available.
There’s always a good photo opp at Greenwich!
Checking in at the QH reception and getting a hot chocolate before our skate sessionSkating sessions can be booked in advance online. Prices are from £13.50 for adults and £6.75 for children. The skating sessions are 45 minutes which is pretty standard timing. The prices are also similar to other outdoor ice rinks in London. If you add in the benefits of the rink being stunning and on the doorstep of two museums, it’s decent value-for-money. After checking in we went to change into our skates, children’s size starts from infant UK 9, if your child’s feet is smaller than this they offer bob skates which go over your child’s actual footwear.
Skate aids are also available to hire for £5. They have two types of skate aids to choose from; the penguin which is suitable for single beginner skaters and the banana skate aid which is a godsend if you have more than one child. Just pop your little ones on and push them around the ice but be aware, it’s tiring work especially if your kids are older as their weight makes it harder to push and steer if you are also a beginner skater.
Our best moments & highlights…
The stunning background views
When it comes to outdoor ice skating rinks, the view has to be one of the highlights.
I can confirm that the Queen’s House lit up after dark for our session was truly amazing. It really added to the magical experience. Even if you skated here during daylight hours, I think it would still look just as beautiful. I will be back very soon for a solo skate and will definitely opt for a morning session. During the daytime, the Queen’s House is always open and free to enter so make sure you pop in and have a look around at the wonderful artwork and don’t forget to check out its stunning Tulip spiral staircase.
Unfortunately, I get blisters on my feet each time I skate because my feet are flat and over-pronated. If you have a similar condition, make sure you wear thick socks and/or bring some gel cushion pads to avoid excessive rubbing. For me it’s also self-inflicted as even though I can feel my feet are over-rubbing I never get off the ice. Quitting is for losers… haha!
Even with the dark clouds, the building still looks beautiful!
…and at night, it looks even better!
The family-friendly size
The Greenwich ice skating rink is on the smaller side compared to the likes of Winter Wonderland and Somerset House however I personally think this is much better and safer especially if you have a young family and/or you’re not that confident on the ice. A smaller rink usually means staff can be more attentive and approachable for handy tips and help on the ice. As it’s a newly opened rink, there’s less of a crowd on the ice which gives you a better skating experience however I am yet to go here on a weekend so it might start getting busier as the days go by.
If it’s your first time on the ice, I’d recommend watching some Youtube videos on how to fall safely and how to skate. It’s always important to learn how to fall safely as a bad fall on the ice can really do some damage to your body especially your back and even head. If you’re an experienced skater you can still enjoy the beauty of the rink but may find yourself doing several laps pretty quickly. Not a problem as there’s also less people on the ice so you can practice those backward swizzles and turns. 🙂
A priceless first-time experience
Little Man and Little Miss thoroughly enjoyed their first time on the ice. The laughter and fun and giant smiles on their faces was priceless! For Little Man, it’s technically his second time on the ice but the first time he actually skated. As much as they loved Daddy P and I pushing them around, they were brave enough to get up on the ice and skate with one of us holding their hand. Little Miss seems a natural on the ice, Little Man needs a little more practice to find his feet and his balance.
The kids checking out the ice before getting on
A local attraction for us
Lucky for us, we now have an ice skating rink a short walk or bus ride away from us which is fantastic. There’s always so much on offer here and I am more that grateful to live in such a wonderful area. I’ll be taking the kids to see Santa once December hits and we’ll surely be back for another skate and visit to the museums. Schools around here break up on December 19th so we’ll have the Friday free to get out and do things.
If you live further afield, Greenwich is only 10 minutes from London Bridge and is very well connected with public transport. I’d advise leaving your car at home as there’s hardly any parking spaces available. You’ve got the national rail close by as well as the DLR, the river boat (Thames Clipper), numerous buses and the underground (Jubilee line) at North Greenwich which is a bus ride away, approx. 2 miles away.
Perfect for intimate skate dates
A smaller, intimate ice rink also makes a great place to skate for couples wanting a skate date. Daddy P and I have said that we’d like to return to skate together, probably on a school day when both of the kids are still in school so we can have a little bonding time together.
This rink is a great venue for couples however, I wouldn’t recommend considering a skate date if it’s your first time on the ice as what happens is you’ll end up just clinging onto the side of the rink instead of actually skating and having a good time together. Although saying this, at least here you can hire a banana skate aid to help you move so if one of you can skate… you can push the non-skater. 🙂 The other romantic place to skate is Somerset House however they don’t offer any skate aids so avoid going there if you’ve both never skated.
NB. We were invited to the press launch and compensated for our time on the ice in exchange for this blog review. All words, opinions and content are my own and photos must not be used without my consent.
There are loads of places where you can take the kids to experience Santa’s Grotto no matter what part of London you’re from. I’ve mainly sourced out the ones most local to me but you can even find a grotto by heading to your closest shopping mall and maybe even department store.
Some of the big department stores experiences (Harrods, Hamley’s, Fortnum & Mason, and Selfridges) are all sold out already! It seems like every year when I look, I’m always too late however it’s not a bad thing as the tickets for these places are usually around £25+ which is extortionate in my opinion. Christmas should not be all about commercialising and keeping pockets fat for the big companies. Instead, head to your local events and support your local or small businesses.
There are also free Santa experiences at shopping centres so check those out too. I will carry on updating this post as we draw closer to Christmas in case I come across others. So without further ado, here’s a list of where you can find Santa in Greenwich and the surrounding areas:
Santa’s Grotto at Greenwich Market
Credit: Greenwich Market
Dates: November 30 – December 24
Price: £5 (proceeds going to the Greenwich & Bexley hospice)
The Grotto in Greenwich is a great little local spot. It’s right in the heart of the old covered market so you can enjoy the festivities around the area, grab something to eat before queuing up to see the Big Guy. Children also receive a small gift during their visit. If this is your child’s first experience or you just want a relatively short experience, I’d recommend seeing Santa here – it’s a no-frills visit but at least you can still get a photo with Santa and save your money for Christmas shopping!
Victorian Santa’s Grotto at the Museum of London Docklands
Credit: Museum of London Docklands
Dates: November 29 – December 23
Price: £10
For a Santa experience with a bit of a difference, I would recommend coming to see Santa at the Museum of London Docklands. It’s a great museum in general and will definitely keep the kids busy. There is even a play area for the under 5s called Mudlarks Gallery and is free however you will need to reserve your child’s space. You can do this online or on the day. I’d recommend online to avoid any disappointment as the Mudlarks gallery does get full very quickly. Tickets for this year’s Santa visit is £10 per child.
A few years ago we visited the Santa’s Grotto here and got some really nice photos however I remember the queue was extremely long! Staff are on hand to check on you every 30mins or so and to usher you into the room where Santa is. You can read our Victorian Santa’s Grotto experience review here
Santa’s Snowflake Grotto at Westfield Stratford City
Credit: Caleb Woods via Unsplash
Dates: November 21 – December 24
Price: £7.50(parents, children and infants all require a ticket)
I really loved the Santa experience we had at Westfield Stratford City years back when Little Man was a toddler. I don’t have any photos to share with you of the experience but I remember it was really immersive. It started off with families being ushered into a room to watch a short show about Christmas then we were slowly ushered into another room where we then waited to meet Santa. The price was only for the experience and the photoshoot but we had to buy the images. I think I bought a framed photo and a photo bauble.
This year, the experience has a North Pole theme where families will be “magically transported to the Snow Factory in the North Pole, where Santa’s elves make all the snow in the world. Children will create their own personalised christmas decoration and explore all the fun activities within the Grotto.” The kids will then receive a gift and have a photo opportunity with Santa. After that, you’ll be ‘magically transported’ back to London.
Last year, Lewisham Shopping Centre had a Santa meet & greet event and we were invited along. The Santa and elves from The Holly Jolly Co. were so lovely and really made the experience special for us. The team are entertainers and are also available for party hires so check them out if you want to host an event and in need of good friendly entertainers. This year, they are back again so make sure you pop along from Tuesday 17th December until Christmas Eve!
We also donated gifts to the giving tree. You pick the the tag that you want which has a child’s age and gender on there so you can pick a gift for them. Buy your gift(s) then come back and the staff will help you attach your tag. I let the kids pick a child each. If the tree is there again this year, we shall do the same. After all, Christmas is about the gift of giving and spreading joy to all.
A two day Christmas extravaganza at Lesnes Abbey. With over 30 different craft and gift stalls, a Christmas Scavenger Hunt and live festive music. On Saturday you’ll enjoy a Christmas Market, Grotto, stalls, mulled wine, minced pies and lots of kids activities. For Sunday there will be more new stalls and the kids can be entertained on the Frozen bouncy castle and indoor Christmas pop-up disco. Amazing!
Wandering.Mother 