January/February 2016 Issue 27 FREE! Take me home! ® warwickshire Clubs & Classes Education Days out and more! The really useful magazine for parents www.familieswarwickshire.co.uk Issue 27 | January/February 2016 | Families Warwickshire In this issue Contact details Call: Claire Jones on 01926 335004 3 Snippets E: [email protected] www.familieswarwickshire.co.uk 5 Clubs & Classes Cover by Linda Scannell www.lindascannell.com Design by Caroline Smith www.carolinesmithdesign.co.uk 8 Education All content © 2015 Families Warwickshire Families Warwickshire is a bi-monthly magazine for parents, covering Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick Districts with 21,500 copies. Towns covered include e New Year - New You Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth, plus Studley, Alcester, Bidford, Henley-in-Arden, Wellesbourne, Welford-on-Avon, Shipston-on-Stour, Southam and lots of the smaller r Theatre villages in between. Advertise with us and reach r Half Term Holiday Clubs 40,000+ local parents and carers from just £30 a month! t Days Out Save £50! Next issue: March/April 2016 Deadline: Friday 5 February Free registration in January 2016 57 Fishponds Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1EY Families Warwickshire is part of Families Magazines Ltd, a franchise company. All franchised magazines T: (01926) 857 280 | W: www.tommieschildcare.co.uk 5 in the group are independently owned and operated under licence. Families® is a registered trademark of Families Magazines Ltd, Remenham House, Regatta Place, Marlow Road, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5TD. The contents of Families Warwickshire are fully protected by copyright and none of the editorial or photographic matter may be reproduced in any form without prior consent of the publisher. We take every • Newly refurbished • Home-from-home care preparing this magazine but the publishers and distributors cannot be held responsible for the • ‘Good’ Ofsted environments claims of advertisers nor for the accuracy of the • Heuristic play & education • Extra curricular dance & contents nor for any consequence. • Free induction sessions sport sessions FAMILY LAW WHEN YOU HAVE A FAMILY LAW NoVate Direct Legal Solutions; Direct access to legal experts. ISSUE YOU CAN TRUST NOVATE If you need any help finding advice for a family law issue, we can help. Managed by friendly staff with decades of legal services experience we can refer you to a specialist legal team to suit your budget. Our barristers will provide a free 30 minute conference where appropriate free of charge. T: 0845 201 0160 E: [email protected] www.novatedls.com 2 [email protected] T: 01926 335004 Nails Hair Big Garden Catwalk show Birdwatch Mocktails Last year over half a million people took part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, spotting more than 8.5 million birds across the UK, and the organisers are hoping this year’s watch will be a record-breaking event. This year’s Party packages at survey takes place on 30 and 31 January. To take part, simply spend one hour counting New look museum the birds in your garden or local park, and record the highest number of each bird The British Motor Museum at Gaydon, species seen at any one time. The morning is 7 Augusta Place, Leamington Spa CV32 5EL formally known as the Heritage Motor the best time to look, when the birds are out Centre, re-opens Saturday 13 February and about feeding after a cold winter night. 01926 257280 after undergoing a major refurbishment to To sign up for a free Big Garden Birdwatch [email protected] show off the world’s largest collection of 2016 pack, go to www.raspberryhair.co.uk historic British cars to even better effect. With elevated views, more stories, cars to sit in, www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch new family activities plus an extra 230 cars Anima to see - some that you may not have seen LEt''s Animate before - there is lots more to keep your family entertained on a day out. Stop-motion Animation During every school holiday themed activities Workshops & Birthday Parties add to the fun, with crafts, trails, quizzes and interactive workshops. New for 2016 are www.letsanimate.co.uk family tours with one of the enthusiastic tour [email protected] 0797 3354567 guides who will help bring the cars to life and letsanimateuk letsanimate younger visitors can even cruise along in one of the push along cars. The onsite café has everything to keep you fuelled throughout your visit with hot and cold meals and children’s lunch boxes. Children can also let off steam in the outdoor play area. Getting you back to doing a job www.britishmotormuseum.com you love Courses start in North Oxon including Apple iPads, to create an 19th January 2016 animation studio that can be replicated at home. Participants experience designing, www.back2work.club storyboarding, set building, model making, lighting, animating, sound and editing, directing and producing their very own stop- motion animated movie that can then be Helping mums downloaded, viewed and shared. Let’s Animate’s most successful venture is the get back into Animation Birthday Parties. Supplying parties to ages 7+, these 3 hour sessions cover every the workplace aspect of creating an animated film, whilst eating birthday cake! Parties can be tailored An innovative idea has led to The to any theme; Brad aged 9 chose a Minecraft Back2Work Club™; geared towards party: helping people to return to work after Lights, camera, “Our 9-year-old son was joined by 5 friends a career break, such as mums who have plus his brother and sister. Everyone had a had time off to raise a family. Held at action! great time. The children split into 3 groups - Bloxham Mill in Banbury, The Back2Work each building a set, creating the characters, Club™ offers courses, workshops and Let’s Animate was founded by Gemma Amos, agreeing the script, capturing the stop online forums to help with confidence an industry professional with a passion for motion images on iPads and then adding the building, securing new posts, freelancing, implementing animation as a creative tool. sounds. launching new ventures and more. This mobile stop-motion animation company has been delivering fun-packed creative It was great to see the children working www.back2work.club animation courses, workshops, holiday clubs, together and exploring their imagination. birthday parties and much more throughout Most of all though, they were totally engaged Coventry and Warwickshire since 2012. and having fun! The iPad software was really rather clever and the resulting movies are Let’s Animate works with a variety of groups - actually excellent quality.” schools, galleries and museums, families and youth groups to name but a few - and uses For more information about the courses, animation to enhance expression, team skills, clubs and workshops Let’s Animate offers, problem solving, imaginative investigation please visit: www.letsanimate.co.uk and confidence, and above all, to have fun! email [email protected] call Gem on 0797 3354567 The Let’s Animate ‘hands on’ animation Your show is about to begin… experience uses a range of equipment, @familieswarks familieswarwickshire www.familieswarwickshire.co.uk 3 Top Tips to avoid a stressful and expensive divorce Traditionally, more people file for divorce you may consider if this is the case. Moore Do not hide information – it will come out! in January than any other time of the year. & Tibbits offer the collaborative process and Sometimes a client may think it is ingenious After the Christmas lock-in with a spouse, work alongside several good mediators. to conceal important information that they tensions often rise to the point where the think may work against them and that their idea of divorce makes its way onto the New Talk to friends and family spouse/solicitor will never find out. The Year’s resolution list. Moore and Tibbits’ Whilst you should always seek the advice of truth invariably comes out and, if in the divorce expert, Carline Gayle-Buckle, gives a professional, asking for support and advice middle of court proceedings, will adversely some simple advice on how to avoid a from friends and family can also really help. affect your outcome. Let your solicitor do stressful, expensive and drawn-out divorce. With almost half of UK marriages ending in their job properly by giving them all the divorce, you are bound to know somebody information. Seek professional advice who has been through the process. Find Emotions are often the driver in the divorce out what worked well and learn from their Take advice process and the angrier and more hurt a mistakes. Why pay a solicitor to give you legal advice client is, the more likely that the divorce will and simply ignore their guidance? If a be acrimonious. Speak with professional Don’t let others cloud your judgment solicitor has indicated it is a poor deal, it counsellors and family therapists at the Be wary of people who are quick to criticise usually is. very beginning to help you process your your ex-partner as they may make it more If you have a query regarding a family thoughts. This will help you make sensible difficult for you to keep things on civil terms. issue, please call Carline for free initial decisions that will protect you in the future Always remember it is in your best interests advice on 01926 491181 or email and save you money in the long run. to keep things friendly. [email protected]. Be clear on costs Research your finances The most common concern amongst first- If you have already begun to investigate time divorcees is the likely cost. Don’t be your finances - mortgage capacity, afraid to ask your solicitor for a clear price alternative accommodation cost - this at the start of the process once you have sets the initial meeting with the solicitor agreed the support you require of them.