Okay, so this week the weather’s not that great but how AMAZING was the weather a couple weeks ago? I don’t know about you but I was loving the sunshine! Died a little (well, a lot thanks to hay fever) from the high pollen count but apart from that it was all good! I even managed to sneak in a little tanning session at my local park. 🙂
With summer activities back on, The Royal Docks team have just released their summer 2021 programme and it’s set to be a good one. There’s so much family-friendly things to do – below are a few of my favourites from the programme’s highlights.
Royal Victoria Docks will once again become a home for family fun this summer!
Ensemble Festival / Photo credit: Royal Docks London
“Ensemble Festival will present an explosive mix of art and performance bringing the very best of UK artists to heart of the Docklands… developed by producers Certain Blacks”
The free event sees a blend of circus, dance, theatre and art – and there’s so much to explore. Creatively combining strength and circus physicality, Strong Enough tells stories of ordinary people finding power at times when we might wobble or struggle. And don’t miss Do What yah Mama told yah!, an immersive comedy show featuring plate-spinning, food-juggling and fire-blazing. Not to be missed! Suitable for all ages. More details about the Ensemble Festival here.
“Dive into family fun this summer as Kids Summer Splash brings you delightful dock swimming, super sandpits, tasty food, cooling drinks, and much more.“
Grab your towels and head down to the Royal Victoria Docks for a swim in the large lido that’s built out into the waters. Don’t worry if you’re not a confident swimmer or have little ones, there’s also a shallow end for younger children to have a splash around. Once you’re bored of the water, you can play around in the sandpits or family chill-out zones. There will be a snack shack for you to grab a bite to eat or something to drink but you can always bring your own picnic too. Just don’t forget to bring your buckets and spades!
Suitable for all ages.
Advance booking is required but it’s not open yet to the public. Head over to their website and bookmark their page or sign up to their newsletters. More details on Kids Summer Splash here.
Upswing’s Circus Flavours / Photo credit: Royal Docks London
“Leading contemporary circus company Upswing’s diverse and highly skilled performers will be demonstrating their incredible blend of acrobatics and physical theatre over two days in the Royal Docks.”
Fancy being an acrobat for the day? Always thought you could make it as a circus performer? Now’s your chance to prove it. Watch the amazing performance by Upswing. After, the artists will come of the stage to lead open workshops where you can try your hand at the crazy tricks.
Making Space: Artist Walking Tour / Photo credit: Royal Docks London
“Art walking tour with a difference. The result is a series of large-scale wall-based artworks that weave together text, photography and archival material.”
On Saturday 28th September from 2.30-5pm, artist and researcher Alberto Duman will give a walking tour with artist Jessie Brennan of her new four-part commission Making Space in the Royal Docks, located at the Good Hotel. The artists will hold an ‘in conversation’ at each of the four sites: discussing Jessie’s process working with local communities to generate these new site-specific works, focusing on the significance of the artworks in context, and the forthcoming changes in the area. More information on the event here.
Music of the spheres / Photo credit: Royal Docks London
“Music of the Spheres will see performers in huge transparent globes move through the audience and float on the water of the docks, with musicians, aerial performers, lights and smoke inside them.“
Each of the three shows on 4 September begins with dancers and musicians moving through the audience in land-based Spheres. Then, open your ears to performances on unusual and sculptural instruments from around the world as musicians play under a large sculptural canopy. The grande finale sees Simon Desorgher perform a piece of flute music he’s composed especially for this occasion, based on a theme from Debussy’s La Mer. His performance is transmitted to Eye Music Trust co-Director, Lawrence Casserley who transforms the sound into a whole orchestra on his computer from inside a transparent Dome. More details here and to book your free tickets.
Greenwich Dance has been awarded £192,820 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future, the Culture Secretary announced on Saturday 17 October.
Greenwich Dance is one of 588 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving urgently needed support – with £76 million of investment announced over the weekend. This follows £257 million awarded earlier last week to 1,385 organisations, also from the Culture Recovery Fund grants programme being administered by Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Further rounds of funding in the cultural and heritage sector are due to be announced over the coming weeks.
Throughout the pandemic Greenwich Dance, already operating peripatetically, has reinvented itself as a dance organisation ‘without walls’, building a dynamic online home for itself and the artists it works with. Within this the team will create a revolutionary new creation space which has the potential to transform the way dance is created and presented. Using this model Greenwich Dance will restart the creation of original work safely with 70% of the grant amount going directly to artists and freelancers.
Melanie Precious, Chief Executive Officer of Greenwich Dance said “This grant will be transformational for us as well as for the artists we work with. In applying for this grant our concern extended beyond our own future to that of the independent freelance workforce, without whom Greenwich Dance would have no purpose or mandate. Whist we recognised that this fund was not being offered for experimentation we also felt certain that without new ideas the sector could not survive. We are thrilled and relieved to be in receipt of this funding so that we can work to keep artists creating.”
A previous Greenwich Dance performance / Credit: Greenwich Dance – Up My Street Online with Temujin Gill via Facebook
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “This is more vital funding to protect cultural gems across the country, save jobs and prepare the arts to bounce back. Through Arts Council England we are delivering the biggest ever investment in the arts in record time. Hundreds of millions of pounds are already making their way to thousands of organisations. These awards build on our commitment to be here for culture in every part of the country.”
“Culture is an essential part of life across the country, helping to support people’s wellbeing through creativity and self-expression, bringing communities together, and fuelling our world class creative industries.”
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England
Sir Nicholas also stated: “This latest set of awards from the Culture Recovery Fund builds on those announced recently and will help hundreds of organisations to survive the next few months, ensuring that the cultural sector can bounce back after the crisis. We will continue doing everything we can to support artists and cultural and creative organisations, with further funding to be announced in the coming weeks.”
You can read the original press release on the Greenwich Dance blog here
This financial injection will be the lifeline booster our local arts and cultural businesses need to stay afloat during the ongoing pandemic, which continues to cripple other businesses and sectors around the world.
Looking for dance classes online? Greenwich Dance have a wide range class styles online from African Fusion, Ballroom, and Latin to family dance and kids hip hop. Click below for more info.
Anyone else missing their weekly trip to the National Maritime Museum? We didn’t visit weekly but I know there are a lot of parents who found the NMM a fantastic place for children especially during the school holidays as well as term time. There were daily activities for all ages and that wonderful Ahoy Gallery for the under 5s.
This summer, post-lockdown, National Maritime museum will be launching two self-led outdoors family trails on Saturday 15 August 2020 which you’ll be able to enjoy for the remainder of August. As their doors are still closed to the public for now (re-opening in Sept!), this is the closest you’ll get to getting involved with NMM, however Cutty Sark and Royal Observatory is now open for visitors, more details on openings here.
It’s my birthday on Saturday so we won’t be taking part on the launch day as we’ve got a birthday party planned for myself and Little Man that afternoon. However, we will be keen to test out the trail next week as part of our weekly outdoor activity.
Our last adventure at National Maritime Museum for ice skating!
Outdoor family nature trails (self-led)
The family nature trails were created in collaboration with ‘Cuffs and Collars Co’, a sensory theatre company working with children aged 0-7 years with complex needs. Their work focuses on topics relating to emotional development, mental health and well-being which is something we should take very seriously in children too. The pandemic, the lockdown, the redundancies and job loss have all taken a major toll on us parents but imagine the amount of tension the children must be feeling from us. All that anxiety that manifests in us transfers over to them without us thinking about it.
Before lockdown I was completing my Aromatherapy Associates training on their new range. Forest Therapy was developed to support mental and emotional healing; helping you to reset, recover and rejuvenate. I wasn’t a big fan of it when it first came out but it really helped me to unwind and refocus my energy during lockdown. It was my little bit of the spa world that I could still hold on to at home! 🙂
NMM Nature Trail #1 – Bird Trail
The Hide & Seek Bird Trail is a simple ‘spotters’ trail. Families can use the trail sheet to help them find 8 birds in the grounds which connects to Greenwich Park. At each stop, you will be challenged to complete a small task or two ie. can you soar like a seagull? Can you stand on one leg like a flamingo? Good kids yoga pose moment right there!
NMM Nature Trail #2 – Sailer School
The Sailor School Trail has eight stops and challenges you to try different activities linked to the maritime world and the collection to become a graduate of sailor school. Each stop has a number of different/separate activities, allowing families to choose an activity suited to their child’s ability. Each location within the Sailor School trail has different activity options for more ways of having fun with the trail.
Both trails are suitable for all ages and abilities
The trails have been developed for families with complex needs in mind and allow families to complete them in any order and to drop in and out as they please. They do not have to do everything on the trail. The grounds of the trail have gravelled paths making it suitable for buggies and wheelchairs and there’s level access routes for those who have accessibility needs.
The trail sheets are available for download from the National Maritime website or alternatively, you can pick up a printed trail sheet at the Museum – simply ask one of the NMM staff on standby outside the museum.
The National Maritime Museum holds the world’s largest maritime collection, housed in historic buildings forming part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. The museum is part of Royal Museums Greenwich which also incorporates the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the 17th-century Queen’s House and Cutty Sark. Royal Museums Greenwich works to illustrate for everyone the importance of the sea, ships, time and the stars and their relationship with people. This unique collection of museums and heritage buildings, which form a key part of the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, welcomes over two and a half million British and international visitors a year and is also a major centre of education and research.
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!
I really can’t believe how quickly time flies. It’s also been a little while since I last posted on here and it’s simply because it’s been really busy at home. I currently have two part-time jobs which is making everything a little hard to juggle at home. It’s been so long since I last cooked a decent meal (the kids aren’t complaining – they are loving the amount of chicken nuggets and chips they can consume weekly.)
So between the two jobs, looking after the kids, lesson planning for kids yoga and self-studying yin yoga and keeping up with my own practice, I’ve found time to sit on the computer and type up this post. Simply because there’s SO many great things to do this October half-term and leading up to Halloween I wanted to share my favourite event with you guys. We will be attending most of these events – you can find a more comprehensive list on things to do on Time Out and Babes About Town so be sure to check them out too. I love reading the posts on Babes About Town because it’s very family-orientated.
So without further ado, here’s my list of fun things to do with the family this Halloween & half-term break:
Painting on a Pumpkin workshop
Where: V&A Childhood Museum
Dates: Monday 21 – Friday 25 October Times: 10.40, 12.30 & 14.40 (80 mins) Price: £7 per child
Use an unusual canvas to paint on… a pumpkin! Inspired by the Big Draw Festival’s theme, “Drawn to Life”, create a painting on a pumpkin with help from artist, Amy Brown to take home. Suitable for children aged 4+
Here’s a few photos of our pumpkin paintings from when we attended the event:
Paint your own Halloween Pottery workshop
Where: ARTFIX Cafe, Shewsbury House Date: Tuesday 22 October Time: 2.30pm – 4.30pm Price: £12.50
Come along for some half term fun!! There will be a choice of Halloween themed pottery pieces including pumpkins, monsters, or I can help turn your handprints on a plate into Dracula, a Witch, a Spider, the list is endless.
The workshop costs £12.50 and will include one pottery piece each, all paints etc and Daniella on hand for help. Booking is essential by email or DM. A £5 deposit will be requested.
Where: Stanhill Farm, Dartford
Dates: Tuesday 22 – Thursday 31 October Times: See website for more details Price: free entry, for the maize maze it’s £6 per person (free for under 4s) Forget BYOB, it’s all about PYOP (pick your own pumpkin!) Grab a wheelbarrow and head down to the patch where you will find a huge array of pumpkins in various different sizes. It is also a great chance for a photo opportunity, surrounded by a sea of autumnal, orange colour! There are two maize mazes – the main one which takes around 1.5hrs to complete or a mini-maze that takes around 20-30mins to complete.
Here are a few photos of our day out to the pumpkin patch:
2. Kid’s first time pumpkin picking!
Where: Foxes Farm – Basildon or Colchester
Dates: Tuesday 22 – Thursday 31 October Times: 10am til 5pm Price: free entry, optional £3pp for entry to the corn maze Head down to one of the two pumpkin patches owned by Foxes Farm – you can choose from Basildon or Colchester. Both patches have an 8-acre corn maze and loads of pumpkins to choose from. No need to book either, you simply just turn up! They accept both cash and card but do check their website for farm closures due to the weather. Be aware, they do not allow dogs onto their farms.
Where: The Jetty, Greenwich Peninsula Date: Thursday 24 October Time: 12-4pm Price: SOLD OUT – unfortunately this event has now sold out!
Come dressed in your Halloween best for witchy crafts and ghoulish games on Greenwich Peninsula. Get involved in some autumnal arts and crafts then head along The Tide in search of tricks or treats. Head back to the Jetty and spend the afternoon listening to a spooky story with a warm drink and snack from Hej – The Jetty’s resident café. All are welcome, but parents must accompany their children for the afternoon of fun.
Where: Lewisham Shopping Centre Dates: Thursday 24 – Saturday 26 October Times: 10.30am til 4pm Price: Free
This Half Term, head to Central Square at Lewisham Shopping Centre for some FREE spooky fun. From 24th to 26th October, we’re holding a Pumpkin Party in the centre. You’ll be able to carve pumpkins to take home, and don’t forget to have your picture taken in the stocks too.
Get your picture taken in the stocks and post it to @lewishamcentre on Twitter & @lewisham_shopping_centre on Instagram using the hashtag #snappedinthestocks to be in with a chance of winning £100 worth of spooky gifts from selected retailers – woop woop!
Here are some photos of our day out to the pumpkin carving at Lewisham Shopping Centre:
Go on a Witch Hunt at Cutty Sark Gardens
Where: Cutty Sark Gardens Date: Friday 25 October Time: 1-4pm Price: Free
Its a hunt for witches around Cutty Sark Gardens! With a clues sheet and small prize for each successful participant, enjoy this fun activity with the whole family. Suitable for children aged 7+
Where: cinemas nationwide Date: Friday 25 October Time: various
We are soooo looking forward to this movie release! We’re keeping an eye out on all cinema websites but it seems as though tickets are yet to be on sale so that means no pre-order which is a shame. We will most likely be watching at our local ODEON Greenwich cinema or at our favourite VUE Eltham cinema. It’s definitely going to be a big hit for all families looking for a spooky fun film to watch next week and running up to Halloween.
Go on a Petrifying Pumpkin Hunt
Where: Selfridges, Oxford Street Date: Tuesday 29 – Thursday 31 October Time: 11am – 4pm
Price: Free
Enjoy a spooktacular trip to our brand-new confectionary space on LG at Selfridges Oxford Street, London on either the 29, 30 or 31 October. Our ghoulish treats – including squishy body-parts sweeties and crunch skeleton biscuits (thanks Biscuiteers) – are sure to delight. Simply drop in and collect a map from our WOW Kiosk and you’re good to go.
Where: The Forum at Christ Church, East Greenwich Date: Tuesday 29 & Wednesday 30 October Time: 10am to 12pm / 2pm to 4 pm
Price: Free for under 6 months, £7.50 for 6-12 months, £15 for 1-5yrs
Toddlers and young children will have a fang-tastic time at this soft play party session. Complete with soft play, arts and crafts hosted by The Artful Toddler and refreshments. Parents/Carers go free which is an added bonus! Come in fancy dress or not, your choice. Book your tickets at The Forum’s reception.
Where: John Lewis Roof Garden, Oxford Street Date: Thursday 31 October Time: 10.30am – 12 noon Price: SOLD OUT – unfortunately this event has now sold out
Families and friends are invited to attend the annual Halloween Fancy Dress Party held on The John Lewis Oxford Street Roof garden. Children are encouraged to come along in fancy dress, don’t worry if you forget we will have a dress up area on hand to keep your little ones in character. There will be cookie decorating, face painting and much more.
Need some inspo on how to decorate your pumpkin? Take a look at this article from Good Housekeeping blog – it’s got some amazing ideas which you can easily replicate. We tried the balloon one, the ghost sweetie one and the nail varnish dripping.
Last week I went along to my local IKEA store for a foodie workshop event called “Waste Not, Want Not”. It was hosted by the lovely Melissa Hemsley from Hemsley + Hemsley and was about making the most with leftover food and learning how to not throw anything away.
We were ushered into the sleek kitchen showroom by Maria from IKEA Greenwich who ticked us off the registration list as we entered. Melissa poured us all a glass of water, sparkling lemon or lingonberry mixed cordial. We were then told that we were going to receive Melissa’s latest cookbook, Eat Happy as a gift which was a wonderful surprise.
Waiting for the workshop to start at Ikea Greenwich
The workshop space is light and beautifully set up for Melissa Hemsley
IKEA X Melissa Hemsley workshop
Melissa then introduced herself to us and talked about her love for cooking and how she lives by the “waste not, want not” motto which was the take-home message of this workshop. Growing up with strong Filipino traditions and culture, she explained to us that her mother made sure she never wasted food. I think it must be an Asian thing as I always remember my parents saying the same thing to me when I was young and as a result, I too rarely waste food. I always had to finish my bowl of food and was never allowed to throw it away… or else there’d be trouble.
The workshop was supposed to include a live cooking demo of her delicious banana bread bake but because of some technical issues, it didn’t happen so instead we got lots of tips and advice from Melissa on how to build a ‘waste not, want not food bowl’ from unwanted bits and bobs sitting in the fridge (there’s also a recipe for this in the Eat Happy cookbook).
Food, glorious food!
Food glorious food
She constructed a simple, beautifully presented bowl filled with chickpeas, boiled eggs, radishes, green beans, a leafy salad and feta cheese – all topped off with a light dressing. I love healthy food bowls but never really knew how to construct it properly so seeing it done was very helpful. We all chatted about food and how some foods can have so many ways of cooking it or eating it. For example when eating an orange, instead of throwing the rind away, zest it and use the shavings to infuse sugar or add it to another dish. Alternatively you can even save the rind and use it as pot pourri.
Melissa building her waste not, want not food bowl with eggs, lentils, radishes, green beans and mixed leaf salad
During our chat, Melissa pointed out the delicious cake that caught everyone’s attention; the banana and apple bread bake! She posted up the recipe on her instagram page @melissa.hemsley the following day and I was keen to give it a try. It smelled so so divine at the workshop, I knew I had to get back to baking.
The banana bread bake came out so soft and fluffy. I don’t know if that’s how soft it’s supposed to be but I love it like that. Occasionally, a heavier banana bread hits the spot but this evening a lighter version was perfect. I decided to make mine a little different and changed the recipe slightly – simply because I didn’t have all the ingredients at home so just made it up as I went along which turned out great!
That delicious apple and banana bread bake.. if only we were allowed to eat it!
Melissa was so friendly and bubbly. I was so happy she said yes to taking a photo with me
RECIPE: Banana and apple bread bake
Here’s my adapted version of Melissa’s banana and apple bread bake. To make this yummy dish vegan-friendly, simply swap out the eggs for a chia or flax seed mix, or another egg substitute. To make it gluten-free Melissa suggested quinoa or buckwheat flakes. If you’re allergic to nuts, use only coconut flour if you’re okay with coconuts otherwise you can try it with another flour ie. polenta or millet.
Ingredients
3 ripe medium-sized bananas
1 apple; 3/4 grated for the bake and 1/4 sliced for decoration
50g ground almonds
25g coconut flour
100g rolled oats
4 medium eggs (for a vegan alternative, swap for soaked chia seeds or egg substitute)
150g coconut oil
1tsp baking powder
1tsp allspice seasoning
1tbs brown sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 180C/350F or gas mark 4
Add all ingredients (apart from the bananas and apple) together in a blender and blitz until smooth
Add in banana and apple and blitz further to your desired consistency (with or without lumps)
Pour into a lined loaf tin and add the decoration apple slices
Bake on the middle shelf for 50 minutes
Do the knife test to ensure the bread bake has thoroughly cooked inside then leave on rack to cool
Enjoy!
There’s so many different ways to recreate this banana bread and that’s the real beauty of it. I’m thinking of adding in chocolate chips or orange rind next time too to spice it up a little bit more. If you give this banana bread bake recipe a try, let me know how you get on with it! 🙂
On a not-so-sunny Wednesday, Little Lady and I headed out to Greenwich for a little bit of pre-nursery fun. We were invited to explore the last remaining British tea clipper, the Cutty Sark. You can’t miss it, she lies in the heart of the high street opposite the popular Greenwich market.
Greenwich is a beautiful place to visit – a mix of old and new. It’s also a great place to live – everything is local, there’s good access to public transport and there’s lots of families living in the area. The only difficulty is finding a free parking space in the area as it’s a heavily pedestrianised area.
Journey to the Cutty Sark ship
We hopped on a bus from home and took it towards Greenwich, we got off at the stop opposite the Old Royal Naval College and walked towards the ship. I pointed out to Ams the ship’s sails and took a moment to take a photo of the signpost below with a view of the ship in sight.
Directions to the Cutty Sark for Toddler Time
The last British tea clipper
5 Fun Facts about Cutty Sark…
1. Cutty Sark is 148 years old It was launched on 22 November 1869 in Dumbarton, Scotland. Built to last for just thirty years, it is now in its third century.
2. Cutty Sark has travelled 957,995 nautical miles
During its years as a British merchant ship, Cutty Sark visited sixteen different countries and travelled the equivalent of two and half voyages to the moon and back.
3. Cutty Sark was built for the China tea trade but would carry a vast array of cargoes in its career
Cutty Sark carried almost 10 million lbs of tea between 1870 and 1877. The opening of the Suez Canal marked the end for sailing ships in the tea trade and so Cutty Sark had to find new employ. It transported a variety of cargoes, including over 10,000 tons of coal, before finding its calling in the Australian wool trade. It would transport more than 45,000 bales in its career.
4. Overall, however, Cutty Sark is an extremely fortunate ship
It survived storms which ripped its rudder off on two occasions, survived a dismasting in the First World War and a terrible fire in 2007. In the year before the fire, the majority of Cutty Sark’s original fabric had been removed. This meant that, while devastating, the fire was nowhere near as destructive as it could have been. Over 90% of the ship’s hull structure is original to 1869.
5. A special dry dock was built for Cutty Sark in Greenwich in 1954
After an extensive restoration, Cutty Sark was opened by HM the Queen on 25 June 1957. As a symbol of Britain’s maritime trade, it became a memorial to the Merchant Navy and the 44,000 men killed in both world wars. Since 1957, Cutty Sark has welcomed over 16 million people and counting!
Toddler Time at the Cutty Sark Toddler Time is a free flow play session held under the ship every Wednesday from 10-11.30am for under 4s. It’s a little bit like rhyme time and story time at my local library but with a bit more emphasis on the play element. Children can roam free under the ship whilst parents have a little chat with each other and the Toddler Time staff.
Ams was not really interested in playing with others this time – it was the first time we visited the underneath of the ship and she was overwhelmed with it all and preferred to explore her surroundings instead. There was lots of information about the ship’s history, the fire that happened and the renovations that took place and why the ship was updated with the new glassy look. All very interesting facts that I never knew about.
Ams having fun at Toddler Time Cutty Sark
A collection of the ship’s figureheads
There’s also a collection of the ship’s past figureheads to look at. They are really large and quite scary, I wasn’t really a fan of looking at all of them for too long. Ams also had a good look of them before heading off to explore the other bits of the ship. Unfortunately as the weather wasn’t great, the little madam didn’t want to explore the top deck of the ship which was what I was looking forward to. Her nursery session also starts at 12.30pm so we had to start making our way back to get some lunch then head to nursery.
There is a lovely little cafe beside the toddler time area serving hot and cold food and drink so it’s a really lovely space to burn off some energy or just to chill and chat with other parents.
Toddler Time at Cutty Sark
There are two sessions each week on on Wednesdays, a morning session at 10-11.30am and an afternoon session at 1.20-2.50pm. Our morning session was not too busy, there was around 10-12 other parents which is a good amount of people to have but not too much to feel overcrowded. The sessions are held during term-time only.
Price: £5 per adult, kids (under 4s) go free
Older children (4+) can also join but they would be charged the adult price. Parents can also sign up to the annual membership for £44 and go free – the membership also gives you free entry and access to exclusive events, entries and discounts to the cafes and shops.
Thank you Cutty Sark, it was a pleasure!
Naturally, we couldn’t leave without a look around the gift shop. Ams had a good look around before deciding she wanted the giant lollipop. I got myself a little tote back to add to my collection. We will be back to explore the top deck on a sunnier day and also I had my eyes on some beautiful wooly mitts (for kids and adults) which were SO WARM – I need a pair for the winter weather ahead. 🙂
After we left Cutty Sark we had a look around the Old Royal Naval College which is adjacent to the ship. It’s a great place to visit, also filled with plenty of history and free tours if you’d like to know more about the site. The ORNC is also a visitors information centre so if there is anything else you’d like to find out about Greenwich or the RMG, don’t visit Greenwich without a trip there. You can also choose to explore the college grounds yourself – just be mindful that it is also part of the University of Greenwich so there are lots of people moving around the area.
Have fun exploring the rest of Greenwich too – don’t leave without visiting the National Maritime Museum and if you have the energy, head up to the Royal Observatory. There’s always lots going on at the Royal Museums Greenwich sites.
NB. This is a paid collaboration post in exchange for a unbiased blog review and we were gifted tickets to the Cutty Sark and Toddler Time session. All photos and opinions are my own.
June 2018 was the release of the sequel to Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. I had seen the critic’s reviews before we went to see the film so I didn’t know what to make of it all as the reviews weren’t great. Some reviews were slaughtering the film and saying how rubbish it was, others were a little less harsh and said it would be great for dino-loving children but it’s not for adults who loved the 2015 movie.
We went to see Jurassic World 2 in the first week of the release at our local cinema at the Millennium Leisure Park. There was even a special dino appearance with Dextor the dinosaur! The dinosaurs were very popular amongst the public and many people including children were brave enough to take photos with the beasts.
LO thinking “to touch… or not to touch?”
LO stroking the baby triceratops
The main attraction: Decter the Dinosaur!
LO was very brave and stroked the baby dinosaurs. He was slightly afraid of Dexter because he was much bigger but did eventually get close enough to admire the triceratops from a distance.
The staff at Odeon Greenwich were lovely – as they usually are. This is our local cinema and they are always very welcome to families of all ages. I was slightly weary of how Baby Girl was going to react during the film but she was very well behaved. There was online
The Millennium Leisure Park is becoming the new lifestyle go-to place; there’s the cinema, Costa Coffee, Pizza Hut, Nandos and Prezzo to eat at, B&Q to buy all of your homeware things (my go-to place for my new allotment!) AND the new IKEA is finally taking shape! The IKEA has caused a lot of contraversy with the locals including myself – it’ll either be fantastic or a complete nightmare due to the amount of footfall and traffic that will pass the area… I’m positive about the new store opening and cannot wait! 🙂
The film
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (for us) was a good watch and I thought even though the storyline was a little simple, it was easy to follow making it suitable for young families to enjoy. Both LO and Baby Girl stayed interested in the story from start to finish – they absolutely loved the character Blue and LO was very keen to learn more about her back story. He said his favourite bit in the film was when Owen defended Blue but then she got shot and they had to nurse her better. I think the last fighting scene between Blue (the velociraptor) and the new hybrid Indoraptor was very good with lots of cool special effects.
I can understand how some film critics found the storyline to be a little thin (the story does not go into much detail about certain events) as some unexplained scenes left me slightly confused. Also, the concept of dinosaurs walking with us in today’s world is a little far-fetched. I was also a little sad with how it ended ie. what will happen to the world with the dinosaurs now supposedly loose? Also, the giant herbivore that was left behind to die on Isla Nublar was really sad. These gentle giants were left to die whilst vicious carnivores were transported away for keeping and cross-breeding. We later found out that they were selling the dinosaurs on the black market to the highest bidders. What they’d be used for, we can only imagine…
The film wasn’t as dramatic as the first Jurassic World. Saying this, it’s definitely a good watch for children and families but as an adult I’d probably expect more suspense, more plot and a thorough storyline. Despite all of this, I did think the socio-environment factors the film touched upon was very interesting. As humans, we are always curious to experiment but personally I think the old saying “curiousity killed the cat” is something to remember here.
After we got back home from the Millennium Leisure Park, Daddy P got LO a Jurassic World sticker book which he loved! He’s always asking me for the next Jurassic World toys (we got LO Blue and the dinosaur truck she was transported in from SMYTHS last month because he wouldn’t stop going on about it).
LO is ALWAYS talking about Jurassic World and watching snippets of it on YouTube. That’s how much he loves JW so if you have kids that love dinosaurs, getting this as a DVD present for a birthday or Christmas would be a good idea. I think we will have to this year. It’s our birthdays this week so either I might just have to buy it for him as an early treat! 🙂
Dexter the Dinosaur making an appearance at Millennium Leisure Park!
The last two people in the World… Find the last book in the World… And it’s a book all about something called ‘Christmas’…
The performance focuses on the two characters, Trilby and The Boot (who are great actors and hilarious!) in an apocalyptic style setting. Surrounded by nothing more than debris and odd household bits and bobs, the two take us on an interactive but intimate performance which was thrilling and super funny to watch.
Photo by Tom Ziebell / Greenwich Theatre
After we checked in to the theatre, we were shown the way to a small black tent and was told we were to enter through this way. I thought it was a joke at first but it wasn’t – lucky for me I am short so it was easy getting through but I did get stuck on the other side getting out! I guess for nimble children it’s much easier but I loved the quirky first impression. We were able to choose our seats and decided to get front-row seats. It was really nice and close – so close that we could also touch the actors!
I took both LO and Baby Girl with me this time and not sure if I was making a mistake in doing so but she was really well-behaved (until towards the last 20 mins of the show) when we sat down. Before the start of the performance, there is an interactive craft workshop that’s put on for the kids to get involved in making the props for the show (which also gets used in the show too!). As we came when the performance started, we had missed this workshop which was a shame as I think LO would’ve liked to make something that he’d known would be used during the performance.
Trilby and Boot don’t speak English – they have their own alien language which ironically you can work out what’s being said through some of the words said, the actor’s actions and body language. The gestures, sounds and expressions that the actors use outweigh the baby-babble. It just goes to show that we don’t have to understand words in order to understand what’s being said.
Photo by Tom Ziebell / Greenwich Theatre
Photo by Tom Ziebell / Greenwich Theatre
Everybody was laughing and was really enjoying the performance. My plus one said she really enjoyed the show and I think the kids had a whale of a time! For me, Baby Girl started to get restless in the last 20mins so I had to stand up with her at the back of the room. The staff were super accommodating and understanding. The production team is very small but they made everything really seamless from the lighting to the music to looking after the audience.
Snow-pocalypse is shown in the studio and not the main theatre room, it’s a much smaller and intimate atmosphere which was lovely and works really well with the interactive performance. Don’t be surprised if Trilby or Boot ask you to snap a photo or for them! 🙂
Here are some of the photos we took of the kids at the end of the performance with the snow machine. Look at LO’s hair!! It looked crazy but he didn’t mind. He loved it actually. We all did.
Well done SharkLegs for coming up with such a fantastically interactive production and thank you Greenwich Theatre for putting it on show. We thoroughly enjoyed watching it!
NB. We were given tickets to watch Snow-Pocalypse at Greenwich Theatre. All words, opinions and content are my own except for the press images which were supplied to me, courtesy of Sharklegs & Greenwich Theatre.
The Greenwich Wintertime Festival – December 1st-31st 2017
With Christmas around the corner, there’s a host of winter markets, wonderlands and festivals for you to visit this December. This year, people can go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, Winterville in Clapham and even Portobello market are doing a mini festival called the Portobello Winter Festival. Luckily for us Greenwich locals, we get to have our own winter festival right on our doorstep!
The Greenwich Wintertime Festival is located on the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College – just a stone throw away from the infamous Greenwich market. You can enjoy the wonderful surroundings of historical Greenwich whilst exploring the festival and other parts of the town. We were invited to head down last Sunday and boy did we have a good time! Ticket prices start from £15 for adults (£20 includes the ice-skating session) and from £8 for children.
Here’s what we got up to…
We’re missing one! Baby Girl stayed at home with Daddy P today
Arrival: First Impressions
We were booked for the Sunday afternoon slot and had arrived just a little after our session had started. I ended up leaving Baby Girl at home as she was sleeping… she was still asleep when we got home so she must’ve been tired! Checking in was pretty easy and there were no queues. One of the staff members on hand even volunteered to take our photo for us and of course we accepted without hesitation! It’s always nice to get someone to take a photo of us, we’re so used to selfies.
When we got our wristbands and went through, we were surprised at how big the venue was. I never realised how big the grounds of the Old Naval College was until walking around the place We had a sneak peak of the ice rink and decided that we would go their at the end of our visit. We had a little wander around then found some elves who were lining up children (and parents) to see Santa!
Time to see Santa!
A little selfie with Santa
Goody bag post-visit
Fascinated with the fairy lights
The Santa Experience
The elves ushered us along a tree-lined path which was lit up with fairy lights and larger colourful lights lit the floor of the pathway. As it was still light, we couldn’t see the full effect of the colours but I can imagine, the pathway would’ve looked beautiful as the sky got darker. We ended up in a room that was actually Santa’s secret launch pad! We had an interactive experience with the big man himself who came out to take a selfie with all the children at the end of the experience. All children were given goody gifts upon leaving the pad which was a nice touch to the experience. Inside our goody bag was a pop-out Wintertime Fest Christmas tree, an electronic light-up spiky ball, and a Christmas cookie shortbread.
The Shopping (well, lack of for me!)
Without a doubt, there will always be a winter market ready for you to splash some of your cash. Unfortunately for me, this week hasn’t been a good one financially so I wasn’t able to grab any gifts at the festival but there was loads of things I was eyeing up. Like the wonderful filled gift boxes at RockBox – all of the boxes are amazing but my personal fave is their resolutions box. 🙂 LO was really drawn to the dinosaur purses at The Lion Sparkles. It was really sparkly and the dinosaur shapes were very good! My personal fave from them was their black ROAR tote bag which I cannot find on their website. is now available on their website!! Check it out guys, it’s only £9.50 – a bargain!
Mmmm… these cinnamon sugar-dusted churros were divine… and that melted chocolate dip was heavenly!
Food vans.. the Pulled van serves an amazing pulled pork brioche burger!
More food vans and stalls… I highly recommend the Churros van!
The Food/Drink
There was only one row of food vans so there wasn’t an overwhelming choice of food to eat. In my opinion, it was all a little pricey but then again, it’s about the same kind of price you’d pay at most winter wonderland/market events. The good thing was everyone’s pricing was near enough the same as each other. £7 would get you a burger or taco or burrito and £3-4 would buy you a decent portion of chips. Sweet things like dessert waffles were £6 and churros were £5 for a regular cup and £7 for a large cup, complete with chocolate dipping sauce which tasted like melted chocolate – divine!
I highly recommend the cinnamon churros at Love Churros and ‘The Porker’ burger at Pulled. If you’re not a pork fan or meat, the taco van had some amazing tacos and burritos. There was also a seafood burger van serving soft-shell crab burgers which sounded amazing but the pulled pork was calling me… Super yums! We sat down in the seating area of the heated covered tent (where the silent disco takes place) to eat our burger and chips. We didn’t feel cold at all, the outdoor heaters they had were really good and everyone around us looked like they were having a good time.
Live performances and entertainment in the tent
The Entertainment
Whilst tucking into our delicious churros, we headed over to the entertainment tent and sat down to hear We Are Trackless perform some wonderful Christmas carols and songs. Then there was a beat-boxing performance which involved the audience taking part. It was really good and was nice to see people joining in too. The performances here vary from day to day so make sure you check out what’s in store on the day. We were quite happy to just sit down and watch it all. If you’re heading down here on December 9th or 17th (both Sundays), there will be a special screening of the iconic Christmas film, The Snowman which will include a live brass band to accompany the film music.
The ice rink when we arrived was almost empty!
The spectacular ice skating performance
LO enjoying being pushed on the seal aid
Caught in action!
The Ice Skating Rink
We left this one to the end which was like the icing on the cake for us. Before our skate session, there was a spectacular performance by the ice rink team who are actually freestyle dancers. After the performance ended, they opened the rink for the public. It has been years since I last put on a pair of skates but damn did it feel good to get back on the ice! I had a bit of the wobbles on the ice but holding onto LO’s seal aid helped. 🙂 Best of all, LO absolutely loved it! He had told me before he didn’t like the ice so for him to get on and skate with me was amazing even though I pushed him for 90% of our ice skating time.
The ice skating session is only 30 mins long which was enough for us. I also think we were allowed to skate for much longer. The rink is a decent size for both experienced skaters and complete first-timers. It was definitely big enough for us to enjoy without feeling intimidated. If you’re heading onto the ice, opt for the earlier sessions as it’s less busy then and would be a nicer experience for the children or people who aren’t that confident on the ice. Don’t forget to pick a seal aid if you need a bit of help skating.
The whole rink has a large viewing/standing area for people who are not going on the ice and there’s a small bar serving hot, cold and alcoholic beverages to keep you going. Once we were ready to leave the ice, it was approaching 5:30pm so we fufilled our three-hour time slot which seemed to have gone by really quickly. I asked LO if he would like to skate again and he said yes with a genuine smile on his face which really made my day and the burst blister on my right bony foot all worthwhile. 🙂
Smiles for the camera! LO’s first winter festival!
Our verdict… we loved it! I’d recommend the Greenwich Wintertime Festival to anyone who’s looking for a smaller venue but has all the features of a larger event. This place is fantastic for families with younger children, or for people who prefer something quieter and less chaotic than the giant venues like Winter Wonderland. The festival was busy and bustling but not enough to feel over-crowded which was perfect for us!
I just came across this video from Videoblogg showing you around the festival – you can watch it here(opens a new window)
UPDATE!
I’ve read a lot of bad reviews about the Wintertime Festival and had a couple of comments on this post about the high prices (it is quite pricey!) and lack of things to see/do so I just wanted to highlight the pros & cons of the festival for those who plan on going so you can make up your own mind…
The Pros
It’s a small and intimate winter festival on the Old Royal Naval College grounds (lovely surroundings) – there’s no loud music or massive crowds
It’s in the heart of Greenwich so you can also enjoy other things nearby ie. the old market, Greenwich Park, Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum. If you have time, the Mudchute animal farm is only a 30mins walk via the foot tunnel (or take the DLR)
Pre-book the package that includes the ice skating for the best deal
It’s different from your standard winter festivals – the stalls sell curated, British-made goods from small (some are London-based), independent businesses, artists and designers – a great way of supporting independent British businesses!
The entertainment was good and varies throughout the day – there’s also a silent disco for those who want to boogie
There’s outdoor heaters in the eating areas which was nice but you still need to dress up warm especially if you’re out late
TheCons
Wintertime Fest is a contemporary event; alternative festivals are not everyone’s bag of tea so keep this in mind
The entry fee is a lot of money if you are expecting a lot more for your money. I’d suggest pre-booking the ice-skating package (£20 per adult) to get the best deal. For me, the skating was the highlight of our day at the festival and I’d happily pay the price to skate on the beautiful grounds again
It’s a small festival, so there’s limited food and drink options (which are quite pricey). The gift stalls are independent small businesses so you won’t find the usual continental goods sold at winter festivals ie. gingerbread cookies, German sausages, cheeses, mass-produced toys
There are no rides for very young children (under 4yrs) so there’s not much to do apart from ice-skating so this festival wouldn’t really be a good choice for new parents or those with toddlers. You might enjoy the carousel by the Cutty Sark and National Maritime museum more
No ATMs on site so make sure you take out cash before entering or be prepared to pay for everything via card. There’s no re-entry once you’ve gone in
The Santa experience is NOT a Santa’s Grotto one-on-one experience – we enjoyed the Santa experience but was disappointed that there was no one-to-one photo opportunity with Santa
I hope this updated section helps and I am really sorry for those who have been and didn’t enjoy the festival as we really liked it and not because we were gifted the tickets but because we enjoyed the calmer and quieter atmosphere, the churros and definitely the ice skating.
[#ad] We received a complimentary family ticket to attend the Greenwich Wintertime Festival. All words, opinions and photos are my own and this unbiased review is a true representation of our experience.
NOTE: Mothercare Greenwich store has now closed down permanently. Please check online for your nearest Mothercare store.
At the beginning of November to launch the new opening of the Mothercare Greenwich store which is based over at the Brocklebank retail park in Charlton (near to the Wickes Charlton store for you locals), the big parenting brand partnered with a team of top parenting experts, including Zoe De Pass of @DressLikeaMum, to host an exciting interactive evening, offering honest advice and tips to expectant parents.
It was a brilliant event and a shame as I wasn’t able to make it because everyone looked like they had loads of fun! Those who attended received personal shopping experiences, exclusive discounts on top of the special workshops and talks hosted by parenting experts.
Photo by @Dresslikeamum / Instagram
Hosts from the night…
Zoe De Pass – trendy mummy, influencer and fashion blogger Zoe is known for her fantastic taste in mum-friendly attire that is super stylish. I love looking at her instagram page for style inspo. At the event she spoke about how maternity style can be done without compromise. The mother of two and fashion blogger is on a mission to challenge misconceptions of dressing like a mum. Zoe also introduced her picks from Mothercare’s capsule collection, THE EDIT, which includes trend-led separates and dresses that can be mixed and matched to offer fashionable yet comfortable solutions to dressing during pregnancy and nursing. It’s great that there’s now a wide range of stylish maternity wear to choose from.
Beth Kitt – midwife and parenting book author New parent myths like baby brain were dispelled by midwife and author Beth Kitt. Curious parents-to-be could ask as many questions about parenting and parenthood to their heart’s content. With years of experience in midwifery, Beth shared her invaluable tips on pregnancy and surviving the first few weeks with a new baby. She is the author of the book, ‘The Bump to Baby Chapter’.
Liz Day – parenting consultant Liz talked about the ultimate hospital bag checklist to prepare expectant parents for labour, birth and the first few hours with a newborn. From nursing bras and birthing plans, to headphones for labour playlists, and cotton nightwear to stay cool. This is one talk that I would highly recommend to all new parents. When I was a first time mum, I never got the chance to attend these kind of events (I’d always missed them ironically) but my BabyCentre forum helped me out a lot! A lot of the mums on there were 2nd time mums so they gave me a great insight on what’s essential to bring and what’s not too important.
Zoe shows us one of her fave picks / Photo by Mothercare
Photo by Mothercare
So as you can see, attendees were treated to a night filled with fabulous people and information. With the event being a great turnout, Mothercare Greenwich has already lined up their next store event. On Sunday 10th December (10:30am-12:30pm) they will be hosting their Expectant Parent event – you can reserve your free space at Mothercare Greenwich here.
The Expectant Parent Event will be running from December 3-10 2017 at Mothercare stores around the UK. You can find your nearest participating store in the link at the bottom of this post. It’s a free event but you have to reserve your space. The event will include car safety and car seat fitting advice, the latest sleep safety advice (very important as sometimes this changes year to year following new research), pushchair and pram choices, and even baby and child first aid however this is at selected stores only.
On their website, you can also join their MyMothercare club to get email notifications of when they have new events, invitations to exclusive events, special discounts including money off-vouchers, be the first to know about their sales and much more. I’m a part of the MyMothercare club and I love it.
(featured image – photo credit: James Graham/Linkedin)
Wandering.Mother 