Tag: kids

Stars Fly In For South Tyneside International Magic Festival

By on 31st January 2016in Entertainment

Magicians from across Europe are preparing to cast their spell on the North East later this spring…

Stars from as far afield as Belgium, Germany and Sweden will be flying in for the 13th annual South Tyneside International Magic Festival, which returns to the region from Wednesday March 9th.

The popular event, organised by South Tyneside Council, will feature a Family Magic Extravaganza, sponsored by MagicBox, a convention for professional magicians and two International Gala Shows at the Customs House, South Shields.

The line-up for the Gala performances, taking place on March 11th and 12th, includes the first woman to be named German Champion of Magic, Alana, former Swedish and Scandinavian Champion of Magic, Malin Nilsson and Belgium’s ‘man of mystery,’ Rafael.

Multi award-winning Alana, who was born and raised in Hamburg, has performed around the world and recently unveiled a new act in which she appears to have several hands.

She will be taking to the South Shields stage alongside Malin, who has been performing since 2000, and award-winning magician, inventor, comedian and illusionist, Rafael, who has also won many accolades, including the Siegfried & Roy Golden Lion award.

The talented trio will be joined for the South Tyneside International Magic Festival 2016 by some of the finest performers from across the UK, as well as American entertainers John Carney and Chad Long.

North East magician John Archer, who is helping South Tyneside Council organise the festival, said: “The line-up for this year’s International Gala Shows is extremely eclectic.

“We’ve drawn in some of the greatest talents from across the continent to ensure there is something to amuse and excite audience members of all ages, and we’re thrilled that Alana, Malin and Rafael are all flying in to take part.”

The South Tyneside International Magic Festival, supported by the Customs House and BBC Newcastle, is aimed at bringing world class magic to the North East.

Councillor Alan Kerr, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council, with responsibility for Culture and Leisure, said: “The South Tyneside International Magic Festival is one of the most unique events on the North East calendar, and annually attracts performers and attendees from around the world.

“This year we will be welcoming some of the foremost modern magicians from around the globe, and it promises to be an amazing event for South Tyneside and the wider region as a whole.”

Tickets for the South Tyneside International Magic Festival’s Family Magic Extravaganza, priced from £7 each, and the International Gala Shows, priced from £13 each, are on sale from the Customs House Box Office on www.customshouse.co.uk or 0191 4541234.

Tickets for the festival’s three-day convention, open exclusively to professional magicians from Friday March 11th, are priced at £65 each and available by contacting South Tyneside Council Events Officer Karri Prinn on 0191 4554031 or karri.prinn@southtyneside.gov.uk.

A full line up for the festival can be found at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/magicfestival.

Make A Splash At North East Puddle Jumping Championships

By on 28th January 2016in Entertainment

Grab your wellies, round up the kids, and jump right in for the North East Puddle Jumping Championships this February half-term – part of WWT’s Big Splash…

No matter what the weather (or your puddle-jumping abilities), families are being urged to get outdoors and have a go at producing a prize-winning splash in special competition puddles, with efforts being judged on the enthusiasm of the jumper, the creativity of the jump and the height of the splash.

Leanne McCormella, WWT Washington Wetland Centre’s marketing manager, said: “We know that children – and big kids! – love nothing more than to splash about in puddles, so we’re giving them the chance to channel their inner splasher while competing to become the North East Puddle Jumping Champion in a friendly competition.

“We also know that children who love puddles often grow up to be adults that love the outdoors, so through the Big Splash we’re gently nurturing a love that may help protect wetlands and the wildlife that depend on them for years to come.”

As well as the main puddle jumping competition area, there will be a practice zone set up to help entrants perfect their splashing techniques ahead of their big moment.

Visitors will compete across the half-term week, and every contestant will receive a sticker to acknowledge their puddle jumping skills.  Daily winners will be announced immediately following each day’s competition, and the lucky ‘super-splashers’ will receive a fantastic water-themed prize.

And at the end of the week, the North East regional champion will be selected from WWT Washington’s daily winners to go up against those from WWT’s eight other UK wetland centres – and then the Big Splash ultimate winner will be crowned. Both the regional and overall winners will receive further splash-tastic prizes.

TV wildlife presenter and regular contributor to BBC’s The One Show, Miranda Krestovnikoff is a keen fan of WWT’s Big Splash.

“This will be brilliant fun.  I’d love to have a go and I know my kids would too,” she said.

“There’s nothing like splashing about in puddles, and making it a competition adds an exciting new dimension to this well-loved British tradition. It is also a fantastic way to get children outdoors and engaged with our most important natural resource – water.”

In addition to creating spectacular splashes, families can also:

  • get close to amazing wetland wildlife, including otters and flamingos (daily feeds 11.30am/11.45am and 3pm/3.15pm)
  • take part in crafts (1.30-3pm daily, small costs apply)
  • have fun at Playscape wet adventure play area
  • watch early spring arrivals like grey herons from lake-side hides
  • eat delicious home-cooked food in Waterside Café
  • browse the fantastic gift shop

Visit wwt.org.uk/bigsplash for further details, and follow #wwtbigsplash to join in the fun.

Whatever the season, come rain or shine, WWT Washington Wetland Centre is the perfect place for you to connect with nature.

Open 364 days a year, the award-winning, family-friendly site offers an easy, safe space to enjoy the wonders of wetland wildlife, with a host of unforgettable wildlife encounters, regular activities and beautiful scenery all year round.

The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is a charity that saves wetlands, which are essential for life itself. Every day, they are at the heart of issues like well-being, nature, climate change and education.

2016 Big Spring Clean Calls For Volunteers

By on 27th January 2016in In & Around

Litter legends are being called upon once again to help spruce up their communities as part of this year’s Big Spring Clean…

 

LitterFree Durham, Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council are teaming up for the sixth time to stage the annual campaign.

The Big Spring Clean brings communities together to ‘clean up and green up’ their towns and villages.

Over the last six years, thousands of volunteers have rolled up their sleeves and armed themselves with litter picks to rid their streets and open spaces of dumped rubbish.

This year’s campaign will be held from Monday 29th February until Sunday 17th April, and calls are being issued now for people to sign up and get involved.

Cllr Brian Stephens, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local partnerships, said: “We are delighted to support this excellent campaign. It is always fantastic to see residents come together and do something rewarding in their community.

“This is a great opportunity to make a real difference to where you live, and we would urge everyone to give up some of your time, whatever you can spare, and take part.

“Although most people get rid of their rubbish properly, we work hard to educate the minority who leave their litter lying around.

“Campaigns like the Big Spring Clean make a huge difference to the environment, and help us achieve our aim of making County Durham a safer, cleaner and greener place to live, work and visit.”

Gerald Lee, Chair of LitterFree Durham, added: “Every year more and more people in County Durham and Darlington pledge their time to this extremely worthwhile cause.

“We could not achieve the levels of success that we have without the support of groups, schools, partners and local residents, and we thank everyone for their continued support, including bus company Arriva and the Environment Agency.”

Anyone wishing to take part in the campaign will be supplied with equipment and support, and arrangements will be made to collect all bagged rubbish following litter picks.

Last year’s campaign saw 1,490 volunteers turn out in County Durham, with 147 litter picks carried out. Nearly 3,000 hours were dedicated to collecting a total of 1,458 bags of rubbish.

The Environment Agency also used specialist equipment to remove trees and debris from the River Wear in Chester-le-Street.

In Darlington, 489 volunteers gave up 529 hours of their time to carry out 28 litter picks and collect over four tonnes of bulky waste from rivers using specialist equipment provided by the Environment Agency.

It means that across County Durham and Darlington last year, nearly 2,000 volunteers dedicated more than 3,500 hours to collecting 2,013 bags of rubbish in total.

To take part in a litter pick in County Durham, email litterfreedurham@durham.gov.uk or call 03000 261 000 – in Darlington email litterfreedurham@darlington.gov.uk or call 01325 406 648.

Visit www.durham.gov.uk/bigspringclean for more information.

Litter problems can be reported at www.durham.gov.uk/litter or call 03000 261 000.

Free Half-Term Mosaic Workshop Is Perfect For Families

By on 27th January 2016in Lifestyle

The Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership is holding a free workshop to create collage mosaics during half term…

 

The family-friendly session will take place from 10am to 12.30pm on Saturday 20th February at Barnard Castle Methodist Church. The workshop is part of the Partnership’s Crafts and Skills in the Community programme, which aims to encourage the revival and use of traditional and modern crafts.

The activity is suitable for all abilities, and will give participants the opportunity to explore an array of textures and colours. Participants will work towards producing a nature inspired piece of artwork which could be used as a stepping stone or decoration in the garden. A simple nature motif will be chosen and then decorated with a selection of materials.

This workshop has been designed to guide total beginners through each stage of the process, so no previous experience is required. The workshop will be led by local artist, designer and tutor Anna Harding, who teaches art and crafts, leads community projects, and produces creative work in an extensive range of formats.

Anna said: “This workshop is a fusion between collage and mosaic, which uses a greater variety of textures, colours and materials than a standard mosaic. This in turn makes it particularly appealing for children to explore.”

This workshop is free of charge, but places are limited so booking is essential. It is suitable for children aged 5 years and upwards, however younger children are welcome at parent/guardian discretion. All children must be closely supervised at all times.

Please note this activity will involve the use of small objects, so it is not recommended for children under the age of 3. Protective clothing will be provided, but wearing old clothing is also recommended.

To book a place, contact Alex Sijpesteijn on 03000 260842 or email alex.sijpesteijn@durham.gov.uk.

Northern Ballet Brings Aesop’s Fables To Gala Theatre

By on 25th January 2016in Entertainment

Northern Ballet is returning to Durham’s Gala Theatre with an adaptation of one of Aesop’s most famous fables…

 

Following the sell-out successes of Ugly Duckling, Three Little Pigs and Elves & the Shoemaker, the company is set to perform the latest in their award-winning children’s ballets, Tortoise & the Hare.

Daniel de Andrade, Northern Ballet’s artistic director of the Short Ballets for Small People series, said: “These ballets are classic tales beautifully retold through dance, and are the perfect introduction to ballet for children and young families.

“I am thrilled at how this latest production will bring the magic of ballet to many.

“It will provide a wonderful opportunity for children and their families to enjoy live performances designed especially for them, and will hopefully inspire a new-found love for dance, music and theatre.”

The new show, which is a re-imagining of the much-loved tale of a Tortoise who, tired of being teased for his slowness, challenges a speedy Hare to a race, has been choreographed by the duo who created Ugly Duckling in 2012, dancers Dreda Blow and Sebastian Loe.

It also includes an original score composed by Bruno Merz, set designs by Ali Allen, and live music performed by members of the Northern Ballet Sinfonia.

The 40 minute production – which was praised as “delightfully performed and expertly staged” by The Stage magazine – will be performed in Durham on Wednesday 3rd February at at 2.00pm, 4.00pm and 6.00pm.

Tickets cost £5 per child and £6 per adult. To book, call Gala’s box office on 03000 266 600 or visit www.galadurham.co.uk.

Free Road Safety Training Offered To Young Drivers In County Durham

By on 18th January 2016in In & Around

Young drivers in County Durham and Darlington can benefit from extra road safety training thanks to a free voucher scheme…

 

The Excelerate programme is designed to target the three main types of crashes young people are involved in by providing training at five key stages.

Durham County Council co-ordinates and delivers the training on behalf of the County Durham and Darlington Road Safety Partnership.

A new scheme has now been launched giving young people aged up to 25 the opportunity to download free vouchers to use for the training after they pass their driving test.

The vouchers, which have no expiry date, will also be available during 2016 from a number of outlets throughout County Durham and Darlington.

Paul Watson, road safety manager, said: “We would urge any young drivers who have recently passed their test to take advantage of the free safety training on offer. It’s free and can reduce the risk of accidents. We would also encourage any family members and friends of young drivers to let them know about the scheme.

“Nine per cent of all driving licences are held by young drivers, but according to research they are involved in 40 per cent of fatal road crashes on our roads.

“The Excelerate young driver course looks at the three main kinds of crashes involving young drivers, and works with them to help them protect themselves and others while they’re behind the wheel.”

Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg funds the Excelerate programme, and has lent his support to the voucher scheme.

He said: “Improving road safety is one of the key areas I am focusing on in my Police and Crime Plan.

“This is an excellent course for young people as it will help them to forge a sensible attitude to their driving, and prepare them for a safer future on our roads. This is also an ideal opportunity which parents can take advantage of and enrol new drivers in their family on to the free training course.”

For more information, and to download a voucher, visit www.exceleratedurham.com or www.durham.gov.uk/roadsafety.

Tyne & Wear Museums Announce Groundbreaking Creative Technology Workshops

By on 18th January 2016in Lifestyle

Do you know a Future Maker?

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums has teamed up with Manchester-based digital art organisation FutureEverything to deliver an exciting new programme of creative technology workshops at museums and galleries across Tyneside.

The Future Makers programme is a series of events that will enable children – and adults – to use new technologies for design and making.

From Minecraft sessions at Arbeia Roman Fort to a coders’ ‘hackathon’ at Stephenson Railway Museum, Future Makers seeks to inspire a new breed of creatives whilst challenging preconceptions of what museums and their collections mean in the digital age.

John Coburn, Digital Programmes Manager for Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, explains: “We’re thrilled to be working with the internationally acclaimed creators and thinkers FutureEverything on this programme.

“Our nine museums and galleries showcase collections that were the work of pioneering inventors, artists and designers. With Future Makers, we want to invoke the spirit of these creators by using our museums as spaces for playful experimentation and creative thinking.

“It’s about ingenuity from the past inspiring people to imagine and create new futures.”

Drew Hemment, Artistic Director and Founder of FutureEverything, adds: “It is an absolute pleasure to be working with Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums on this brand new programme, inspiring the next generation of makers, creatives, collectors and visitors within some of the North East’s best galleries and museums.

“FutureEverything are always looking to bring innovative creative technology to a wider audience, helping to imagine bolder, smarter, futures.”

The programme gets underway at Gateshead’s Shipley Art Gallery on Wednesday 17th February with the Gadgets: Adventures in Design day for 7–11 year olds. Using the gallery’s outstanding collection for inspiration, children will design wearable objects for the people of the future before getting hands on with materials and the starter electronics kit Little Bits to realise the creations.

The main event for adults follows on Sunday 21st February at North Tyneside’s Stephenson Railway Museum. Railway Codes is a 10-hour hackathon for developers, makers, engineers, data scientists, artists and train enthusiasts.

Participants will follow in the footsteps of Robert and George Stephenson and join a team of 30 to experiment with historic data from both the museum collection and the UK rail network before creating new digital prototypes and artworks.

New Inventors on Saturday 27th February takes place at Newcastle’s Discovery Museum, home to some of the region’s most celebrated inventions, including the world’s first lightbulb. This event brings together two fun introductory electronics workshops for 7–11 and 12–14 year olds. The younger children will experiment with conductive dough, bringing it to life with light and sound, whilst older kids create electronic sounds by building their very own synthesiser.

Young fans of the phenomenally popular computer game Minecraft won’t want to miss the TimeCraft event at Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields on Saturday 23rd April. In this workshop for 7–14 year olds, they will recreate Roman ruins in Minecraft, and imagine what it was like to live in a fort like Arbeia. They will also get to play digital architect and archaeologist and transport themselves 2000 years into the past with the technology of today.

Places for Future Makers events are limited and should be booked in advance via www.twmuseums.org.uk/future-makers.

A further private event exclusively for Newcastle University students – The Museum as Medium – will see the creation of novel sound and visual digital artworks using data from the Great North Museum: Hancock’s vast natural sciences collection. This takes place on Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th March.

North East Youngsters Represent UK In Euro Photography Exhibit

By on 13th January 2016in Have Your Say

A free photography exhibition featuring young people from across Europe revealing their hopes and wishes for the future is now on display at Gala Durham…

The Portrait of a Continent exhibition features pictures of youngsters from 23 countries across Europe along with their inspirational messages. The UK is represented by two pupils from St Mary’s Primary School in South Moor, Jack and Katie, both 10. They call on the other youngsters to inspire and shape the world around them, and many of the children are hoping for a more peaceful future for the next generation.

Funded by the European Union, Durham County Council hosts the Europe Direct Information Centre and the council’s International Relations Team invited the youngsters to take part. As well as the pictures and messages, a selection of free publications are also available to browse as part of the exhibition for people who would like to learn more about the work of the European Union.

The photographs are also available online here to allow the participating countries to see the exhibit. There’s also a quiz aimed at young people that can be downloaded from the site.

 

Durham County Council’s Brian Stobie, Europe Direct Information Centre Manager, said: “The exhibition provides a fascinating insight into the hopes and dreams of the next generation across the continent. The European Union was initially created as a means to prevent further war, so it’s both fitting and inspiring that peace, understanding and working together are recurring themes in the wishes of young people across Europe.”

North East Campaign Searches For Over 450 Foster Carers

By on 12th January 2016in Lifestyle

Durham County Council’s fostering service has launched a campaign to encourage more people to become foster carers…

 

More than 450 foster carers are needed across the North East, and as part of the campaign ‘Make a Difference in 2016 – Become a Foster Carer’, which runs from January 4th to 18th, information sessions are being held to help people find out more about fostering.

The sessions take place at County Hall in Durham on Saturday 16th January between 10.30am and 2pm, and Monday 18th January between 11am and 6.30pm.

The council’s fostering team and foster carers will be available to answer any questions and help people find out how they can get started.

People will also be able to learn about the wide range of professional support and extensive training that is available to foster carers in County Durham.

Florence Coulter, fostering team manager, said: “We know that foster carers make a real difference to the lives of the children and young people that they care for and we would like to encourage more people to find out about how rewarding a career in fostering is.

“Lots of people have the skills to become a foster carer, but aren’t quite sure what’s involved. Our information sessions are a great way for you to meet our foster carers and hear what it’s like to foster.”

To find out more about becoming a foster carer or the information sessions, visit www.durham.gov.uk/fostering, email fostering@durham.gov.uk or phone 03000 269 400.

Members of the public can also find out first-hand what it is like to foster with Durham County Council by watching this video.

Willy Wonka Leads Kids To A Healthier Future

By on 10th January 2016in In & Around

Pupils from Peases West Primary School in Crook have enjoyed a Willy Wonka walk of pure imagination…

 

Caitlin Holiday, 10, won a MEGA Motion competition to decide the theme of a special walk by writing about having a lie-in while Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant carried her to school in his pocket.

As her prize, however, she asked for her very own golden ticket and chose another Roald Dahl favourite, Willy Wonka, to join her and her classmates as they walked, cycled and scooted to school. Once there, the pupil’s enjoyed a tasty treat with a special assembly from Willy Wonka highlighting the benefits of healthy and environmentally friendly ways of getting to school.

The special day was the latest Durham County Council supported MEGA Motion event, which comes under the wider Local Motion campaign promoting sustainable transport throughout south Durham. The campaign aims to encourage children to walk, scoot or ride to school, and to make them aware of the health and environmental benefits from an early age.

As well as the fun walks, pupils earn points every time they use sustainable travel to get to school, aiming to collect enough points to become MEGA heroes by the end of the year.

Cllr Neil Foster, Cabinet member for economic regeneration, said: “MEGA Motion is a brilliant scheme that encourages our children, in a fun way, to be healthier and more environmentally friendly every day. It’s great to see the kids enjoy such a memorable day, and we’d like to wish them all good luck in their quest to become MEGA Heroes!”

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