P F le R a E a s e E c o ta - p k y e Thames Valley West July/August 2016 Issue 84 www.familiesonline.co.uk Try before you buy! In this issue: 01628 660 893 Summer Special! Everything you www.justoutdoortoys.co.uk need for a fantastic family summer BIGGEST Display in the Thames Valley (just 5 mins from M4 J7) Abbey Rose Nursery, Nashdom Lane, Burnham SL1 8NJ Holiday Clubs and Camps Win Tickets to Odds Farm Park Free Days Out Plus: The only What’s On guide you’ll need for 0-12’s in Henley, Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell, Newbury and West Berkshire 2 www.familiesonline.co.uk Tel: 0118 9745 398 JULY/AUGUST 2016 ® Contents Families Thames Valley West • Issue 84 • JULY/AUGUST 2016 • Visit us at www.familiesonline.co.uk 4 News & Views 7 Education Feature Back to school Hello from the Editor checklist Thames Valley West July/August 2016 9 Education News Education Feature Don’t Miss these great offers and 11 competitions: How to help your child • Book a free trial session with Perform before 30 Sep and get a £30 discount transfer to – see p.30 secondary • Try out French or Spanish with your Hooray! Summer is finally here! There were times I thought school little one at a free Bilinguasing class – it would never arrive this year! Welcome to another see p.6 packed edition of Families Magazine. There’s so much 13 Summer Days Out • Free trial session with Explore going on this summer in our area and we’ve hand-picked Learning – see p.2 Ideas and inspiration • Free child ticket to Odds Farm Park the best family days out and things to do, to suit all – see p.19 budgets. If you’re looking for some extra help with 17 What’s On • Free child ticket to The Look Out childcare this holiday, check out our guide to the best Events in July and August Discovery Centre – see p.18 summer activity camps for kids, whether you’re looking for • WIN! A family ticket to Odds Farm 22 Health Park – see p.17 a week of sport, tech, drama or multi-activity you’ll find How to keep • Barracudas Holiday Camps something to suit your children. your child cool discount offer – see p.25 Some of you will have children starting at primary or in the sun • Exclusive Families discount – get secondary school in September. Don’t do what I did and 10% off a Star Hotshots Birthday Party leave the uniform buying to the last week in August (trust – see p.27 me, it’s all gone!). Read our ‘Back to School Checklist’ on To Advertise: Page 7 to help get you organised for the Autumn Term, or 23 Family Life We can help you reach an audience of over 45,000 parents in Reading, if your child is starting secondary School, read our guide Free fun over Henley, Wokingham, Bracknell, on what to expect on Page 11. the summer Newbury and surrounding areas. We’ve got some great ideas for family day trips to some Give us a call on 0118 9745 398 for a of our fabulous local attractions, starting on Page 13, and no-obligation chat, or email [email protected] look out for special offers and ticket competitions throughout the magazine, plus some budget friendly ideas Designed by: on Page 23. 24 Summer Activities Directory Ridgeway Press Ltd, 01256 300 420, www.ridgewaypress.co.uk Finally, our much anticipated brand new Families Day Camps & Holiday Cubs website has gone live. If you haven’t already visited us Next Issue: Sports & Outdoor Fun online, check out www.familiesonline.co.uk. Performing Arts September/October – Education, Schools, Clubs & Classes Whatever you’re doing this summer, I hope it’s Museums & Libraries Advertising deadline 1st August. a great one for you and your families. May/June Competition Winner: 30 Clubs & Classes News Lucy Legoland: Jessica Duce Professionals with the personal touch... We are dedicated to finding the perfect childcare solution for you and your family Live in or live out nannies | Temporary or permanent Maternity Nannies | After School Nannies Please get in touch to discuss your individual requirements Nutkin Nannies [email protected] 07468 417 050 www.nutkinnannies.co.uk JULY/AUGUST 2016 3 News & Views Get Set for IKEA! Your Local Families Reading store opens Team is Recruiting! 14th July Work Opportunity with If you live anywhere near Junction 12 of the M4 you cannot have missed the Families Online in West giant blue building that has been taking Berkshire shape next to the motorway over the last year. The much anticipated IKEA We are preparing to celebrate the Reading store will finally open its doors launch of a fantastic new website this on 14th July. summer. Destined to become the IKEA is the largest home furnishing number 1 resource for local families, company in the world and the Reading www.familiesonline.co.uk will soon have store is the first to be built in the UK in over 300 local sites across the UK. Like seven years. Occupying a 32,000 square our magazines, the local sites in West metre site on Pincents Lane in Calcot, Berkshire are guaranteed to give users the store will create up to 350 jobs in a the very best ideas for spending time Responsibilities wide range of roles including customer with their family locally. • Posting daily online and on social relations, sales, interior design and in the We have a number of highly flexible, media with great ideas for your IKEA restaurant. Recruitment and home-based work opportunities readers training of newly-appointed co-workers available for Area Managers to run our • Populating and updating your site has already begun with just 130 roles left local sites. As an Area Manager you will with useful and timely local content to fill at time of going to press. for families Store manager Johanna Heuren said, enjoy a fun and flexible role which fits • Marketing and selling your site to ‘We are still on the lookout for passionate around you and your family life, whilst local businesses and families and curious co-workers to be part of the affording you a great challenge – and • Building relationships with your team that brings IKEA to people in the the opportunity to make money! There Thames Valley and I encourage anyone are no set up costs involved, you will be clients and users and helping them who shares our passion for home trained by industry experts and you will get the most from your site furnishing and people to get in touch.’ develop valuable new skills in the To register your interest, please email digital, print and social media Lucy: editor@famili estvw.co.uk marketing industry. You Should Be: The Big Friendly • Enthusiastic and knowledgeable about what's on locally for families Summer Reading • Interested in working flexibly from Challenge is here! home at times that suit you This year’s Big Friendly Summer Reading • Online savvy and a regular user of Challenge is linking up with the global Facebook and Twitter year-long Roald Dahl 100 celebrations, • Able to write great articles which honouring the world’s number one capture the imagination of local storyteller. families The Big Friendly Read will feature some • Have good networking and of Roald Dahl’s best-loved characters communication skills, and and the amazing artwork of his principal confidence when speaking to illustrator, Sir Quentin Blake. It will customers/the public encourage reading on a giant scale and will feature themes such as • A motivated self-starter who takes invention, mischief and friendship as ownership and pride in your work explored in Roald Dahl’s books. Children can sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge at their local library as the school summer term ends and the holidays begin. There’s no charge to participate so why not pop down to your local library and get reading? 4 More Families news at www.familiesonline.co.uk JULY/AUGUST 2016 News & Views s! Mum g all Callin Looking for an extra income? Work the hours that suit you, be your own boss, full training New Website for Families and support given, and have fun at the same time :-) Contact Hayley on Look out for the launch of the You can look forward to seeing the fantastic new Families website in best of the current site, including 07717 511171 early July. places to go and what’s on events The areas covered by this and activities, education, childcare, [email protected] magazine will now be covered by 5 classes and clubs and parties, as well websites covering the local areas of as some great new features including Reading, Henley, Bracknell, eating out and local services. Bradfield Ironing Wokingham, Goring & Streatley, The site will be more Call today and get your first kg of ironing FREE! Finchampstead, Crowthorne, comprehensive than ever and easier (minimum order of 3kg) quoting BA47. Newbury and surrounding villages of to use, offering inspirational ideas for By Weight or by the Hour! We have highly competitive rates, enabling you to choose which is more economical. West Berkshire. This new hyper-local things to do with the kids locally and 1) £4.00 per kilo with a minimum order of 3kg. (excluding men’s shirts). approach will allow Families Online to helpful parenting tips and advice to 2) £15 per hour of ironing completed bring you information about a wide support you and your family. Special Offer Mens’s Shirts Washed & range of things to do both close to It’s in the same place, so come Ironed at £2.00 per shirt or ironed only where you live – and across your and visit us at familiesonline.co.uk at £1.50 per shirt.