Sunday 10 December 2017

Our Theatre Visit to see The Bear at Waterside, Sale - A Review

I have been so excited these past couple of weeks to take Riley to see The Bear, which is taking place at Waterside in Sale until the 6th January 2018. This was a new venue for us all to visit, having never ventured there before, so it was a nice opportunity to enjoy such a lovely production in this beautiful arts centre.

This was to be Riley's first real drama experience and I was a little nervous about how he would take to it, especially with it featuring "The Bear" in large puppetry form. I was a little anxious that he would be scared and demand to leave, however from start to finish, he was absolutely captivated by the whole performance.


On arrival we received a warm welcome from the friendly staff on reception and we made our way over to the cafe area to purchase a couple of cappuccino's and collect Riley's slumber pack. Evening performances are classed as slumber shows, where children can bring along a teddy, enjoy a slumber pack and even wear their pyjamas or onesie! The slumber pack is a really nice idea for younger guests and for a small charge of £2, children can collect a little brown paper bag, containing a carton of milk and a large cookie. Admittedly Riley did eat half of his cookie before the show even began, but it was nice for him to have an evening snack and drink whilst watching the show, which made him feel more relaxed and comfortable.

The entrance area was beautifully decorated with hues of blue and white, which were accompanied by paw prints decorating the floor. Once the doors to the auditorium opened, we followed the paw prints and found our seats, where we made ourselves comfortable for the show. The seating was nicely tiered which made it easy for little ones to see the main stage area without any complaints of not being able to see. The main character of Tilly walked amongst the seating with her teddy bear, taking the time to speak to the children and chat to their teddies too.

The Bear is based on the much loved story by Raymond Briggs and the theatrical adaptation has been brought to life by Pins & Needles productions. Although my older children had heard the story before, it was one that both Riley & I were less familiar with. We both looked excitedly at the set which was visible on the stage and wondered what would happen. After a short while, the show began and Riley immediately began to laugh at the opening performance of Tilly's band.

Photo credit: Jason Lock
The show features three cast members, Tilly, Mum & Dad, with all of them providing an entertaining and enthusiastic performance. Mum and Dad are also the puppeteers of the stunning Bear who comes to visit Tilly one night for lots of fun and frolics. Riley clung on tightly to his own teddy bear when The Bear first appeared on the stage, a little wary of his size and growl, however he soon settled back into the show giggling his way through the various antics that Tilly and her new best friend were getting up to.

We followed Tilly as she and The Bear explored the various rooms of her home, whilst playing hide and seek, enjoying a bath and dressing up. The set was very cleverly designed in that the same objects could be changed or turned to create new scenery. For example Tilly's bed also became the bath and sofa in other parts of the show. This also brought an element of magic to the performance, with Riley questioning just how they did it!

The Bear features the perfect mix of drama and comedic moments, that are subtly supported with enough emotion to bring a tear to your eye in the closing parts of the show. The production had suitable accompanying music, that matched the scenes being portrayed perfectly. From jovial catchy melodies, to eerie and gentle tunes, which were ideal for both the bears arrival and departure.

Riley was mesmorised from start to finish, just waiting to see what Tilly and The Bear would get up to next. It was great to see his reaction to certain moments in the show, as well as being able to hear all the other children in the audience enjoying the production too. There were parts where the children could call out, as well as a very funny scene that saw everyone laugh out loud, when Tilly ran into the audience with a very large......(well I will leave this as a suprise)!

Overall, we had a lovely experience watching The Bear, and found this to be the perfect introduction to theatre for Riley who is 4. I felt that it was just the right length of time to hold his attention and although he was a little nervous of The Bear to begin with, he thoroughly enjoyed the show and the fun and adventure that took place. He couldn't wait to tell his brother and sister about it this morning, which also shows that it has left a good impression with him, that he is keen to share with others. A lovely evening in a nice venue watching a beautiful wintry tale of fun and friendship. Perfect!

Photo credit: Jason Lock

The Bear will be at Waterside until Saturday 6th January 2018. There are both schools and public performances available and show times vary. For further information please visit thebearlive.com

Listing Details

Show - The Bear
Venue - Waterside, 1 Waterside Plaza, Sale, Trafford, M33 7ZF
Dates - 5th December 2017 to 6th January 2018, with preview, relaxed and BSL performances also available on selected dates. 
Times - Show times vary, so please see thebearlive.com for the most up to date information.
Box Office - 0161 912 5616
Ticket prices - £16.50/ £14.50/ £12.50
School tickets - £10 - 1 teacher goes free with every 9 students booked.
Running time - Approximately 60 minutes with no interval.


Disclaimer: We attended the show as guests for the purpose of providing a review. Opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.


Monday 4 December 2017

Morse Toad Personalised Chocolate Cards - Review and Competition

It is always lovely to receive a card through the post, whether it be for your birthday, Christmas or even a get well soon card, it is nice to know that someone is thinking of you and making the effort to send a card to put a smile on your face. How fantastic would it be though, to receive a chocolate card, a greeting through the post that you could actually eat? Well this is where Morse Toad's Marvellous Messaging Service comes in, a company who believe that "Some things are better said in chocolate" and they're not wrong there!

Morse Toad specialise in the production of chocolate cards and gifts, with a huge range of choice available on their website, that are suitable for all occasions. Their Christmas selection is fantastic with a great assortment to choose from. The gifts can be personalised to your requirements, even including a photograph for the recipient to keep, long after the chocolates have been eaten. If you aren't feeling too creative though, then you can also opt for a pre-designed chocolate card, which vary from loving messages to humourous phrases. In addition, there are some lovely little stocking fillers which start from as little as £2.75!


The website is really user friendly and easy to navigate. It is a lovely site to have a good browse through and look at all the pictures of designs that have been created to give you some inspiration. When you are ready to create your own personalised chocolate message, then this is a really simple process, that also has an easy to understand pricing structure, which is as follows:

1 Row = £11
2 Rows = £14
3 Rows = £17
4 Rows = £19.50

There is then an additional £1 charge to use your own photograph on the card, but this is optional and if you don't want to do this, then you can choose one of the existing Morse Toad images instead.

The first step to get creating is to write your chosen message, using the four boxes which are provided. Each box represents a new row and you can have up to 11 characters in each one. Once you are happy with your message, then you can add a personalised note, which is printed on the card insert. This message can be up to 180 characters in length. In this step you also have the choice of uploading your own photograph or choosing one of the pre-existing images. The last step is to simply check over all the details and place your order.

The prices vary slightly for in stock items, that have been pre-designed by Morse Toad. Again the pricing structure is very simple and the costs are:

1 Row = £9.50
2 Rows = £12.50
3 Rows = £15.50
4 Rows = £17.50

Postage is free of charge for orders over £7.50 and delivery usually takes 1-2 days. Morse Toad also offer a really quick service with orders placed before 1pm being sent out the same day. Next day delivery and international delivery are also available for an additional charge.

Once we had finished creating our design, we completed our purchase and waited for the order confirmation to come through via email. This arrived within a few minutes, however on checking all the details, I noticed that I must have knocked caps lock off at some point whilst entering the letters and so my message was displayed in a mixture of upper and lower case. I therefore wanted to check that they would all be in capitals like the images on the website. It said that in the event of any query then to email support, so I did just that. I was extremely surprised to receive a response back to my question in less than 2 minutes! Amazing customer service.

A few hours later I also received a dispatch notification to inform me that my order was on it's way. The kids and I couldn't wait to see our personalised chocolate card and we decided that they were going to give it to their dad as a pre-Christmas treat.

On Saturday morning, we returned home from shopping, to find a small parcel on the doormat. I love the fact that the packages fit through the letterbox, so there is no waiting in or worrying about missing the delivery. The front of the box featured the Morse Toad logo, along with a large FRAGILE message on the side.


Riley was very excited to open up the parcel and inside found our chocolate card box, which had been carefully wrapped in tissue paper, along with a discount voucher for future orders. We couldn't wait to see our message and printed photo, so I set about doing the big reveal to the kids and showed them the lovely chocolate treat enclosed.


The product itself comes beautifully presented in a Morse Toad gift box, with a top opening lid. The chocolate is then covered by a clear protective plastic covering, so you can open the box and see the message inside, without actually having to remove any of the chocolates. This is great if you want to check inside before giving it as a gift, to make sure everything is correct.


The kids had created a Merry Christmas card for their dad and had also added a selection of hearts and stars. They had chosen their favourite photograph of them together and used this as the image for the card insert. On the reverse of the photo, was a message written especially for Mr F, wishing him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I was very impressed with both the presentation of the product and also the quality of the photograph we had used on the card. It was really clear and also the perfect size for Mr F to keep in his wallet. This actually made our Morse Toad chocolate card, two gifts in one!

The reverse of the packaging featured a full ingredient listing, product weight and best before date. The bottom also featured the companies contact address, telephone number and email address. The top line also features a clever slogan which is "Eat Your Words With Morse Toad", which is exactly what we did when Mr F got home and was proudly presented with his gift.


The chocolates are really nice and chunky bite size pieces and the fact that they are made with belgian milk chocolate, made them all the more delicious. Each mini solid block of chocolate tasted absolutely divine and we all enjoyed sharing the chocolates out between us on Saturday evening.

Overall we have been really impressed with Morse Toad and have found the service and quality of the product to be absolutely fantastic. The design process was not only easy, but also great fun too and I love the fact that you can add a photograph to give it that extra personalised touch. The combination of tasty chocolate and beautiful presentation makes it a lovely unique gift and I would definitely recommend to others. 

If you would like the chance to create your own Morse Toad chocolate card or gift, then we have a fantastic competition to give you the chance to win £15 to spend on the Morse Toad website. Please read the terms and conditions and enter using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Win £15 credit to spend online at MorseToad.com

Terms & Conditions
  • Entry is open to UK residents aged 18 years or older
  • No bulk or third party entries
  • There is 1 (one) prize of £15 online credit to spend on the Morse Toad website. 
  • There is no cash alternative
  • Winner is responsible for any additional spend over the £15 credit provided
  • Competition closes on the 11th December and the winner shall be drawn at random from all eligible entrants.
  • The winner shall be notified by email within 2 working days of the draw date.
  • The winner will have 5 days to reply to the winning email to confirm their acceptance of the prize, before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entrants.

Disclaimer: We were received our Morse Toad personalised chocolate card on a complimentary basis for the purpose of writing an honest review of the product. Opinions are my own unless otherwise stated.

Saturday 2 December 2017

Christmas at Dunham Massey - A Review

Last night we had the absolute pleasure of attending the opening night of Christmas at Dunham Massey and what a spectacular evening it was. Leading events producers Raymond Gubbay have teamed up with the National Trust to transform Dunham Massey into a beautiful winter wonderland, with a magical, after-dark illuminated trail.

Our evening began with a short introduction into why the Christmas event had been created and how hard the two teams had worked together, in order to help their vision become a reality over the last six months. Dunham Massey is such a beautiful venue, but it is a location that is normally closed to guests in the evening, so what better way to welcome families to a night of festive fun, than with a beautiful display of lights, that lead you through the stunning grounds.


The trail has been specially designed to appeal to visitors of all ages and there is definitely something for everyone along the sparkling one mile path. Accompanied by the sights and sounds of Christmas, you can follow the winding path through the woodland whilst adoring the marvellous illuminated canopies, trees and oversized snowflakes, reindeer and baubles.

Although it was very cold outside, our family wrapped up warm in our hats, gloves and scarves and made our way out to the trail. As we entered the main courtyard, we were welcomed by a selection of food and drink stalls, as well as some traditional fairground rides including swings and a carousel. Riley absolutely loves carousels, so we purchased a token for him to have a ride at a cost of £2.


Once Riley had finished his carousel ride, we enjoyed a bite to eat, before continuing on the trail. Our adventure began by being welcomed by Father Christmas himself, who saw us on our way through the sparkling hedgerows. There were also plenty of staff on standby to help guests and provide a friendly hello. The huge building looked absolutely magnificent, lit up with stunning snowflakes.


We spent a short while simply admiring the amazing mansion, which looked extremely impressive, before embarking on our journey through the festive twinkling trail. We were fortunate that the last couple of days had been dry and so the path was very clear without a hint of mud in sight. However, we had come prepared with wellies in the car just in case, as I can imagine that with a bit of rain and a lot of footfall, it could get quite muddy throughout December.


Riley was immediately captivated by the tress and branches adorned with sparkling lights. It would be extremely hard to not be impressed by the beauty of seeing the woodland lit up so spectacularly and even as an adult, I could not help but say 'Wow' numerous times whilst walking down the path. Staff members continued to be a visible presence throughout the walk, always happy to help and guide you in the right direction. Several of the staff also interacted with the kids, engaging in conversation and asking them about what they had seen so far.


In addition to the lights, there were numerous benches and wooden huts, selling a selection of mulled wine and cider. These were placed at regular intervals along the path, so that you could treat yourself to a nice warm tipple whilst taking in the sights.


The giant baubles and Christmas decorations were stunning to see, but my children's personal favourite was the fascinating giant reindeer, who I believe has been named Cranberry Sparklesnaps, through a competition held by Dunham Massey on their facebook page. A wonderful name to go with what is truly a remarkable reindeer.


Mid way into our walk, we came across a fire lit wonder, which looked fantastic. This led us to the fire pit, where you could purchase a wide range of weird and wonderful flavoured marshmallows and toast them over the pit.  The marshmallows cost £1.50 and were extremely popular amongst guests with a short queue to purchase these delightful treats. This really added to the experience and it was lovely to see so many families enjoying themselves together.


The finale of the Christmas trail, was an astonishing water spectacular, that saw brightly coloured water jets, dancing in time to some music classics. There were benches placed along the walkway here and it was a delightful place to have a sit down and watch the display. My photo of this really doesn't do it justice and is something that really needs to be seen, in order to appreciate it's enchanting performance.


Overall, we had an absolutely amazing time and we are even hoping to return again before Christmas with other members of our family as we loved it so much. Whilst we enjoyed our walk as a family, I feel that this event is also very suitable for both individuals and couples too. I would definitely return here for a lovely Christmas evening just my husband and I, to spend a couple of hours taking our time around the trail and enjoying the offerings available in the courtyard. All of the staff we came across were extremely courteous and we were made to feel welcome by everyone. We would like to say a huge thank you and also well done, to everyone at Dunham Massey & Raymond Gubbay for putting on such a wonderful event, that left us all feeling magical and ready for the festive season ahead.

For further information on Christmas at Dunham Massey, please visit their website or social media channels which can be found here:

Website - National Trust - Dunham Massey
Facebook - DunhamMasseyNT - Facebook
Twitter - @DunhamMasseyNT

Event Details

Attraction - Christmas at Dunham Massey, the magical after-dark illuminated trail.
Location - Dunham Massey, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 4SJ
Dates - 1st December to 30th December (the event is not open on all dates so please check for availability).

Admission

Advance - Adult £16.00, Child (5-16) £10.00, Family (2 adults, 2 children) £48.00
On the day - Adult £18.00, Child (5-16) £12.00, Family (2 adults, 2 children) £56.00
National Trust Member - Adults £14.50, Child (5-16) £8.50, Family (2 adults, 2 children) £42.00

Disclaimer - We attended the opening night of Christmas at Dunham Massey as guests for the purpose of providing an honest review of the experience. Details are subject to change, so I would always recommend obtaining the most up to date information from the attractions own website.

Friday 1 December 2017

Letterbox Cakes by bakerdays - A Review & Competition!

For the next 12 days we will be bringing you some fantastic competitions! Each giveaway will run for 7 days and you have a great chance to win some lovely prizes this December.

The first competition we are bringing to you, is thanks to the lovely people over at bakerdays, who have kindly offered my readers the chance to win one of their personalised letterbox cakes. If you haven't heard of bakerdays before, then read on and take a look at the beautiful cake that my children chose for our family.


The wonderful cake company bakerdays, create delicious and personalised cakes for all occasions. Their cakes are available in a range of sizes and not only do they look fantastic, but they are extremely tasty too! Our favourite product that they offer is the innovative letterbox cake, which is a fantastic and unique gift idea for friends, family or even work colleagues that you may want to surprise. Measuring at approximately 5 inches in diameter (12cm x 2.5cm), they fit nicely through your letterbox and can provide 3-4 nice sized portions.


The bakerdays website is really easy to use and features a huge selection of different cake designs to choose from. Everything is clearly displayed and you can navigate through the website, simply by selecting one of the categories at the top of the page. Once you have found a design that you like, then you simply select the size you want, decide on the flavour and then add a special message of your choice. Some cakes can even feature one of your very own photographs, for that added personalised touch!


Due to the process being so simple, I decided to let Emma and Ben choose which cake they would like. After much deliberation they chose a fun festive reindeer design and wrote a personalised message to their little brother Riley. My children thought that the reindeer was really funny with its big wooly socks and they knew that Riley would love it! For the flavour they chose rich chocolate chip, which sounded delicious.


We completed our order and Emma and Ben were very excited to wait for it to arrive in the post. Fortunately they didn't need to wait for too long, as our cake came in the post the very next day, which I thought was extremely efficient.


The website offers a range of delivery options and bakerdays assures customers that your cake will arrive fresh and in perfect condition. They have created special packaging to protect the cake which makes the product suitable for both national and even international delivery. Our cake arrived in a sturdy box, along with a lovely card and mini cracker. It was carefully wrapped and enclosed within a mini cake tin, which made the product look really presentable, which is exactly what you want when purchasing as a gift for someone.


There was a sticker on the inside of the lid which provided a full list of the ingredients, so you know exactly what has gone into your cake and I also really liked the fact that I would be able to re-use the tin again in the future. Even though we had seen a preview of the cake when ordering on the website, we were surprised by just how fantastic it looked when it arrived and the kids couldn't wait to get tucked in.

The image on the cake was very clear, as was the text and the whole presentation of the product was lovely. The cake tasted just as good as it looked too and despite the guide being for 3-4 portions, we managed to have a nice slice each between the five of us. The cake was excellent quality, with delicious chocolate chip sponge and icing.

Overall, we were thoroughly impressed with the bakerdays service. The ordering process was extremely simple and I loved the wide range of designs on offer. There really is something to suit everyone and I saw so many designs that I know my family members would love, so I will definitely be purchasing more in the future.

To find out more about the great range of cakes that bakerdays offer, then you can visit their website or social media channels on the links below:

Website - www.bakerdays.com/
Facebook - facebook.com/bakerdays/
Twitter -  @bakerdays
Instagram - @bakerdays

If you would like the chance to win your very own Letterbox Cake from bakerdays, then please read the terms and conditions and enter our competition using the gleam form below. Good Luck!

Win a Letterbox Cake from bakerdays
Terms and Conditions
  • There is 1 (one) prize of a bakerdays Letterbox Cake
  • The approximate prize value is £14.99 & no cash alternative is available.
  • Whilst every effort will be made to have your prize with you before Christmas, this cannot be guaranteed, so please allow up to 28 days for delivery.
  • Competition is open to UK entrants aged 18 or over.
  • No bulk or third party entries.
  • Competition closes 8th December 2017 & the winner shall be drawn at random and contacted within 2 working days.
  • The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning email to confirm their acceptance of the prize, before an alternative winner is drawn from the remaining eligible entrants.
  • The winners details will be shared with bakerdays, for the purpose of prize fulfilment.
Disclaimer: We were provided with a complimentary letterbox cake for the purpose of providing an honest review of our experience. All opinions and photographs are my own, unless stated otherwise.