Review - Grease at Bournemouth Pavilion

 

Talented local company BBLOC present the blockbuster smash hit Grease this summer at Bournemouth Pavilion.

We went to see this show on it's opening night, it's the third time I have seen the stage show but it was first time for my 17yr old daughter who is also a Grease fan and loves the movie.
I had previously explained to her that this is an amateur production as stated on the Pavilion website.

Everyone who loves Grease the movie will already be familiar with the hit songs from this show and the cast carried them off brilliantly. We were surprised to find Paul from the popular shoe shop Mathews in Christchurch playing Kenickie and a fabulous job he did too!

Rizzo, Danny and Sandy were just a few of the other characters with outstanding voices and very realistic to the movie, although the whole cast were amazing.
We were very impressed with the dance routines, singing and quality of the acting and this certainly did not come across as an amateur performance.

Brilliant set designs although a little slow to change at times, they were worth the wait.
The first night was dress up night and there were lots of pink ladies in the audience which added to the atmosphere.

We recommend this summer sizzler which will appeal to every Grease fan young and old.

The show is on at Bournemouth Pavilion from 21 – 25 July 2015, under 14's must be accompanied by an adult.

You can buy tickets here

Speak out to stop scams

Poole residents are being asked to expose scams and help stop other people from falling prey to clever cons which are aimed at stealing their hard earned cash.

The national Scams Awareness Month, launched on 1 July, highlights how scams continue to flourish when people stay silent. On average less than 5% of victims report scams to the authorities. Poole Trading Standards Officers are encouraging residents to report suspicious activities, get advice if they think they have been conned and to warn others to help stop the scams from spreading.

Scams can come in many forms, from high pressure doorstep sellers to fraudulent online investment offers. Fraudsters may impersonate banks to collect their victim’s bank details, or by bogus companies offering computer services. Online scams include fake job adverts and offers for goods and services that do not exist, while mail scams may ask victims to pay fees in order to claim their winnings from a prize draw they have not even entered. Poole Trading Standards are aware of over 300 local residents who have responded to scam mail during the last few years.

The month long awareness campaign is asking people to keep two things in mind when they receive an unsolicited approach or when they are looking for goods or services: don’t be rushed and don’t be hushed. People should take their time to make a decision and get their facts together before parting with their money or personal information, and speak out when they think they have spotted a scam.

Peter Haikin, Regulatory Services Manager, Borough of Poole, said: “Scams thrive on the silence of victims. Fraudsters know that even if they realised they’ve been conned, victims are often reluctant to share what happened to them, meaning that scams can continue to spread unchecked. As part of this national campaign we’re urging people in Poole to help lift the lid on scams and start talking about suspicious emails, scam mail, online ads or unscrupulous door-to-door sellers operating in their area. We would encourage anyone who has been the victim of a scam approach to report it to Trading Standards.”

The traditional view of scam victims being elderly or vulnerable is not always true. Fraudsters have also recently targeted Trading Standards themselves by trying to scam exhibitors at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute conference in Bournemouth. Exhibitors received letters requesting information, but hidden in the small print was an agreement to sign up for a directory listing costing thousands of pounds.

Peter Haikin explained: “These scams are run by professional con artists who use a different approach to suit their target victim. For example a bogus concert ticket sales website will appeal to a different market than a fake clairvoyant mailshot. We all need to be on guard, regardless of our age, as it can be very hard to know what to look out for. If you’re contacted out of the blue in particular be on your guard, and never give your bank details out unless you are certain you know who the person is and that you can trust them. If you think you have been scammed, contact Citizens Advice on 03454 040506 for help or to report it to Trading Standards.”

Poole Trading Standards are recommending residents follow their top tips for avoiding scams:

●      If it sounds too good to be true it probably is
●      It you haven’t bought a ticket – you can’t win it
●      You shouldn’t have to pay anything to get a prize
●      If in doubt, don’t reply. Bin it, delete it or hang up
●      Contacted out of the blue? – be suspicious
●      Don’t be rushed – resist pressure to make a decision straight away
●      Never send money to someone you have never met
●      Walk away from job ads that ask for money in advance
●      Your bank will never phone you to ask for your PIN or your online banking password ●      Don’t suffer in silence – speak out about scams

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Summer Sunday bus service repeated for 2015

A popular bus route in Poole will once again benefit from a Sunday bus service during the summer.

Route 152 provides a bus service between Rockley Park and Poole bus station stopping at Lower Hamworthy on the way. It has again been boosted with a Sunday and Bank Holiday service throughout the school summer holidays benefitting both local residents and visitors alike.

As well as being a popular service for visitors to the holiday park, the route operates close to Hamworthy Park and Harbour Reach providing local residents with a convenient half-hourly bus service to the town centre.

To improve access to some of Poole's favourite attractions, there will be a minor change to the normal 152 route. During the summer it will follow most of the route normally taken by the Route ONE bus providing easy access to Poole Quay, Poole Park and Poole Hospital, which proved popular with residents and visitors to the town last year.

Councillor Ian Potter, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Borough of Poole, said: “This bus service helps residents and visitors get the most out of Poole on Sundays and Bank Holidays by providing easy and convenient access to the town centre and Poole's local attractions. We were really pleased with how many passengers made use of the service last year providing a boost to tourism and the local economy.”

Geoffrey Smith, General Manager at Rockley Park, added: "Rockley Park and its guests are delighted with the resumption of the Route 152 service for the summer season. Poole Quay, local shops and restaurants are a must visit for every visitor to Rockley and this additional service will ensure the experience is hassle free."

Adam Keen, Area Manager for morebus, said: "We are delighted to be running Route 152 on behalf of the Borough of Poole again this year. It complements our other services in the region, and provides customers with further improved connections throughout the summer.”

Councillor Vishal Gupta, Ward Member for Hamworthy East, said: "Service 152 is very popular among the residents of Hamworthy and Tourists at Rockley Park alike. A Half-hourly service to Town Centre boosted with Sunday and Bank Holiday throughout summer holidays is definitely advantageous to all."

Councillor Julie Bagwell, Ward Member for Hamworthy West, commented: "I am delighted that this service is back for the summer, a true asset to residence and visitors."

The route will operate every Sunday and Bank Holiday until 13 September 2015. The service will be operated by Damory and full details can be found on the morebus website www.morebus.co.uk or by telephoning traveline on 0871 200 22 33.

 

Review - JCB Kids- JS330 Tracked Excavator 1:32nd scale

 

We have been sent a JCB Kids- JS330 Tracked Excavator 1:32nd scale to review. The product states that it's suitable from ages 3 and up, our reviewer is a 5yr old.

The JCB comes in a well packaged box and is a realistic but sturdy design, we opened the box to play at home but instantly found the tracks hard to push along carpet and the child felt the need to remove the tracks to be able to push along the floor. It does move slightly better on hard floor. The arm is a little stiff to move.

We are very close to a beach in Dorset so we decided to take the toy to try it out on sand, we found this suited the tracks much better and the child became much more interested which makes perfect sense really!

 

We would recommend this toy for ages 3-8 for use in the garden, playing with sand or dirt and even to take to the beach for a change from the traditional bucket and spade. We tested this toy on both a girl and boy, both children like to play with cars and other vehicles. In this case the girl lost interest very quickly but the boy played happily for several hours.

 

This product retails at £22.99 and is available from Argos and Amazon.

Review - Grandma’s Poetry Book ~ by Di Castle

Grandma’s Poetry Book charts the nostalgic journey from birth to teens as seen through the eyes of a grandmother.  It captures the many facets of those fleeting, easily forgotten moments as the grandchildren grow. Touching and funny in turn, the poems resonate with a grandmother’s love for her grandchildren.

Inspired by A A Milne and the bouncy verse of Pam Ayres, Grandma’s Poetry Book was inspired by the birth of Di Castle’s first grandchild. It has been illustrated by Denise Horn – whose sketches capture the special bond between grandparents and their families.

We think this a lovely collection of poems and illustrations which really do touch the reader, and one you can pick up at any time and it makes you smile. As the book takes us on a journey from tots to teens it would make a lovely gift for a new grandparent but we can imagine the knowing nod of the head from a more seasoned gran!

Find out more about Di Castle and her book

Review - Stamptastic stamps

Stamptastic name stamps

 

 

With four children in the house anything that makes life easier is a bonus. I must admit i dread the annual school uniform changeover, buying it is one thing but sewing name labels into everything is both time consuming and tedious. The older children certainly don't like sewn labels into their clothes as apparently it isn't 'cool' at senior school and college! I tend to use a pen on the label for them but it never lasts and after a few washes i have to re-apply.

 

We were sent two stamps and a ink pad to test  and we started with the lunchboxes, we have the fabric style which can be put in the washing machine, usually we remove the paper insert with the handwritten name but we stamped the lunchboxes with the girls names and threw the old paper inserts away, now they look much neater and the name stays put after washing. So many children have the same design on their lunchboxes so these stamps make them easier for the girls to find.

 

Stamping the summer uniform was much quicker and again the names stayed put after several washes, everything we bought for summer is now labelled and i must admit to feeling rather smug that the job is complete!

 

We really did find a unexpected use for these stamps which has saved me lots of arguments. Our younger children share a bedroom, as they are both girls and similar in age their toys tend to be the same or slightly different which causes no end of rows when one of them loses something and then claims the remaining toy. So i took the stamps into the bedroom and stamped the labels on the bears, dolls clothes, stationery, cushions and anything thing else that they may fight over. Now, when one of them loses something, we know which one has lost it, brilliant!

 

We recommend these to busy parents, and also to those less busy, use the extra time to sit back, relax and give yourself a pat on the back at how organised you are.

 

http://www.stamptastic.co.uk/products/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini Steam on the Quay

Mini Steam on the Quay

Celebrate the sights, sounds and smells of the age of steam when mini traction engines come to Poole Quay.
The glorious age of steam will be returning to Poole on Saturday 16 May as a festival of mini steam engines take over Poole Quay.
Now in its fifth year, Poole’s Mini Steam on the Quay will see some of the most beautiful and detailed mini steam and traction engines, some which have featured on the Discovery Channel, on display and running from 10am-5pm.
Featuring unique mini steam engines, there will be everything to keep steam enthusiasts young and old happy. Organised by local enthusiast Richard Harvey, the event will include the chance to ride on the special engines.
With face painting on site it's a great day out for the whole family.