The Summer Festival returns to Audley End Miniature Railway. Jam-packed with activities and entertainment for all the family, this spectacular summer-long festival offers everything to ensure a day full of excitement and wonder for children and adults alike. We have a special half-price tickets offer for the opening weekend 20 to 21 July to celebrate the end of the school year and the start of the summer holidays.
In a wake-up call to the nation, a new report from the Health & Food Supplements Information Service (HSIS) – STATE OF THE NATION: DIETARY TRENDS IN THE UK – 20 YEARS ON – reveals the devastating extent that such UK nutrient trends are set to create, with the very real likelihood of a surge in chronic illnesses and premature mortality. In a stark message, younger people are being warned that unless they improve their diets now, they face a significantly increased risk of serious health issues by the time they reach middle age, along with a reduced life expectancy.
For the whole of August, a child who’s aged 16 or under can go to any participating show for FREE as long as they’re accompanied by a full paying adult. Adults can also buy up to two extra children’s tickets at half price, with no booking fees. Booking opens on 11 June, 2019 so plenty of time to check the shows and what you'd like to see.
The Wildlife Trusts annual challenge – 30 Days Wild – calling on everyone to go wild every day in June starts this weekend. In its fifth year, 30 Days Wild has had a marked impact on the thousands of people taking part – people have reported feeling healthier, more connected to nature and more likely to take action to help wildlife. Sign up here for your free pack.
The UK’s largest platform for parents and childcarers is offering an hour’s free childcare to mothers across the UK so they can attend a cervical screening test. Childcare.co/uk has launched the nationwide initiative to encourage more women to attend a smear test to determine whether they are at risk of cervical cancer, which in 99.8 per cent of cases is preventable with early treatment, however figures show the take up is at a 20-year low.
Oscar’s Book Prize, the £5,000 literary award recognising excellence in books for children under five, has revealed its 2019 shortlist. Now in its sixth year, the award saw 117 entries, with submissions from across the country, from publishers new and old.
Congratulations to Britax Romer – the car seat brand of choice for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – for its inclusion in a new commemorative book to be published in summer 2019: Our Royal Baby charting the love story of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The charity Facial Palsy UK has launched a petition seeking to raise awareness of the impact of facial palsy in the United Kingdom. In its first three weeks the petition, which runs until August and is totally non-party political, has been signed by over 3,000 people the length and breadth of the UK. Could you sign too? 10,000 signatures are needed to receive a Government response.
Millions of Britons are cutting their lives short — and increasing their risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and dementia — because they are not getting enough sleep, the latest research reveals. Despite the mass of evidence, a survey by Puressentiel shows Britons routinely under-estimate the risks around poor sleep. Only one in ten realises it increases the chance of developing diabetes, four out of five did not know it can contribute to heart problems and three out of four had no idea it impairs immunity.
There are many reasons for drinking low alcohol drinks. Heineken have just added another two: tastes good and only 69 calories per bottle, writes Anne Coates.
On World Book Day – 7March – a Readathon is being held at LIBRARY, a private members bar in London, in keeping with the theme of female empowerment, to celebrate the start of the online voting for London's BIG READ 2019.
