Summer fun at Poole Park Funday

A spectacular family Funday is being held in Poole’s much-loved Victorian park on Thursday 4 August.

Local residents are invited to join in the fun from 10am to 3pm by the cricket pitch as Poole Park takes centre stage with a host of activities for all the family to enjoy. The fun packed day, which is supporting the £2.7 million bid for Heritage Lottery Funding, includes lots of free activities with everything from ferret racing and circus skills workshops to sports and under 5’s soft play. Bouncy castles, climbing wall and face painting will also be available for a small charge.

This will also be the final opportunity for visitors to have their say on the proposed plans for the park, particularly around the play areas. This feedback will help shape the final designs of the park before they are revealed later this year.

Martin Whitchurch, Project Manager, Borough of Poole, said: “This event is not only a great way to spend some fun family time together in a beautiful setting, but marks the end of the public consultation on the proposed plans for the park. So it is important that park users and visitors are given this final opportunity to help shape our bid to secure £2.7 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.”

Councillor John Rampton, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Parks and Open Spaces, Borough of Poole, said: “Poole Park is a wonderful facility which everyone can enjoy and we are really excited about the plans for its future. It's also a great example of people working together to help secure vital funds to preserve and enhance this popular and historic park.”

Recommended places to Breastfeed in Dorset

Looking for a nice quiet place to feed your baby? We have some recommendations from mums who have tried them.

If you know of a great place then please let us know dorset@mumsnetlocal.com

Bournemouth and Poole

Beales Bournemouth - Local mum said "I'm a big advocate of public breastfeeding but I also very much respect if a mum would like a bit of privacy, which is why I was thrilled to find Beales in Bournemouth have a baby changing room with a little side room with a comfy chair, its very quiet, I was in there ages changing both children and no one else came in, its on the 4th floor, I'll be remembering this spot when I come to Bournemouth!"

 

Also recommended are John Lewis in Branksome , Dingles in Bournemouth and Castlepoint.

 

In Parkstone Waitrose café is popular with breastfeeding mums and Greggs are very happy for mums to come in and feed.

 





Competition - Once upon a Princess at Regent Centre Christchurch

Be our guest! Once Upon A Princess stars all your favourite storybook Princesses, live on stage! Get ready to 'Wish Upon A Star' and 'Let It Go' as the princesses perform some of the most popular movie musical songs in this sing-a-long celebration!

Produced by OCD Productions UK in association with Enchanted Parties. The ultimate pop princess party is at The Regent Centre Christchurch on Thursday 31st March at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets £10 each.

We have four tickets to giveaway for the 6pm show. To enter just email your details stating the word 'princess' to dorset@mumsnetlocal.com.

Entrants must be over 18 yrs old. The competition closes 23rd March 9pm.
The winner will be notified by email and a response is required within 72 hours or we reserve the right to choose another winner.

 

Buy tickets here

 

Great Value Season Passes at Farmer Palmers!

Keeping the children entertained can be a difficult and expensive task especially when the weather is bad. One way around this is to purchase season passes at local attractions, they offer great value for money and mean you can visit for just a few hours if the weather changes later in the day.

 

If you are near the Poole area we recommend Farmer Palmers farm park. It's ideal for children 0-8 years and their parents/carers, although worth noting our 9yr old still enjoys it with her younger sister. With a season pass every visit can be a different experience, there are lots of animals to look at and children can bottle feed the lambs or goats, hold a guinea pig and even watch the pig racing which is lots of fun.

Entrance fees to soft play areas can be expensive, buying a season pass gives you unlimited entry. At Farmer Palmers there are several play areas and bouncy castles both indoor and outdoor, ideal for mums meeting for coffee while the little ones play. We have always found the café to stock lovely food and there is a picnic area just outside for warmer weather. Really worthwhile having passes while the children are at toddler age with something different to do each time, look at the animals, ride on the toy tractors and arrive back home worn out for an afternoon nap!

One of the outdoor play areas has a water feature which is very popular so pop swim things and a towel in your bag for warmer days. The play area is also in sand so a bucket and spade will come in handy too!

The woodland walk is always worth doing and the children love finding the areas for them along the way.  Take a look

The older children (and the dads) love the go karts which are situated next to the bouncy castle keeping all ages entertained and in sight. Great for an after school or weekend treat!

Our favourite part of the park is the deer safari. Ride the tractor trailer to the deer enclosure and hand feed a deer. (small charge applies)

There are lots more attractions including the Maize maze, milking demonstrations and more.
Season passes at Farmer Palmers are £40 for adults and children over 3, £19 for 2yr olds, disabled/carers/senior citizens £35. This is for 12 months equivalent to less than 90p a week!

 

Find out more about Farmer Palmers Here

Business Opportunity for Local Parent in Dorset

 

Stagecoach Theatre Arts is a highly regarded network of performing arts schools with a proven record of delivering quality dance, drama and singing lessons to youngsters worldwide.

 

Over the years Stagecoach has provided a springboard for some of the UK's leading young talent and has had the privilege of watching thousands of kids grow in confidence and ability.

They have a thriving network of more than 320 fun and friendly franchised performing arts schools at safe and convenient locations in the UK, and a growing presence in ten other countries.

 

On offer are brilliant kids’ parties, children’s holiday activities involving musical theatre and drama workshops, and their very own talent agency for children and young performers. 

 

The goal is to inspire and enrich young people through the performing arts and introduce them to new opportunities in a happy, safe and secure environment. 

 

The franchise to a local stagecoach theatre school is up for sale and is an ideal business opportunity for a parent or ex dancer/singer to work around family commitments.  The ready-to-go business has established teachers and students so your business will provide an income straight away.

 

Call 07435 974901 for more details.

 

 

Poole Library Launches Code Club

Children in Poole can learn all about computer programming at a new Code Club available at Poole Central Library

As part of its Digital and Learning Offer, Poole Central Library launches Code Club on Wednesday 27 January, joining the nationwide network of free volunteer-led coding clubs for children aged 9-11.

Code Club will show children how to program by encouraging them to make computer games, animations and websites in a fun and engaging way. Children are invited to come along to the first session at 4.30-5.30pm on the day.

Code Club goes beyond knowing how to use technology to how it works and how to build it too.  Children will also develop their problem solving and logical thinking skills.

Mohan Iyengar, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Libraries, Borough of Poole, said: "We’re in a digital age and it’s terrific that our children have the chance to get hands-on with coding. Code Clubs are an exciting new venture, and just a part of the Learning and Digital Offer in our library service.”

Code Clubs support the Government's STEM programme (science, technology, engineering & maths) by increasing young people’s STEM skills in order to provide employers with skills needed for a 21st century workforce. This helps to ensure the UK’s position as a leader of science based research and development.

Code Club will be held at Poole Central Library on Wednesdays 4.30 – 5.30pm during term time. Places are free, but you do need to book. To book a place visit any Poole Library or phone 01202 262449 or email libraries@poole.gov.uk. More information about Code Club can be found at: www.codeclub.org.uk

Review - The Owl Who Lost Its Twoo

 

The Owl Who Lost Its Twoo

 



We have been asked to review the children's book 'The Owl Who Lost Its Twoo' written and illustrated by former primary and special school teacher Suzie Allkins. Suzie is also a mum to two children and lives in Dorset.

Ollie the owl may have a tiny beak but he is very noisy and disturbs the fox, mouse and bat in the moonlit wood. The wise old wizard owl puts a spell on Ollie to help him become less noisy but the spells goes wrong and Ollie loses his Twoo! Poor Ollie is only able to shout 'Twit' and the creatures in the wood think he is being unkind, this upsets Ollie and he hides away quietly.

The fox, mouse and bat ask the wizard owl for help and he finds Ollie and offers to put the spell right if Ollie promises to speak more quietly. The wise owl gets the spell right this time and Ollie has learnt his lesson not to yell and to think about the words he says as they can hurt too. Ollie the owl still enjoys a loud Twit Twoo when no one else is around!

We found this to be a delightful book with a lovely story which reminds children to talk nicely to each other. The story includes rhyming text and repetition which make it interesting to read and listen to and the pictures are beautiful giving a fondness to the main character. All the children who have listened to the story have sat still until the end and wanted to go back and look at the pictures. It has become a popular choice for bedtime reading alongside some of our other favourites.

Click to see the book on Amazon