Alsager Scouts Coffee Morning and Table Top Sale

One for the bargain-hunters and those who like to buy Christmas presents early - Alsager Scouts are holding a coffee morning and table top sale on Saturday 28 September.

There will also be an information stand for anyone wishing to find out more about joining Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and information will also be available for any adults who may be interested in becoming a leader or helper.  A good opportunity to enjoy a cup of tea and a cake and grab a bargain.

Alsager Civic Centre
Lawton Road
Alsager
Stoke-on-Trent
ST7 2AE

Location map (I think the civic centre is at the junction between Lawton Road and Sandbach Road, but this is as close as I could get).

Holmes Chapel Toy Collectors Fair

Another toy collectors' event, 13 October 2013, this one is the Holmes Chapel Toy and Train Collectors' Fair.  All the usual trains, Hornby, possible some Meccano, Dinky Toys - all that kind of stuff.  If Crewe is too far for you, and your children are interested, it should be a good place to go.  Entrance is typically £1-£2.

Holmes Chapel
Toyfair / Swapmeet
Holmes Chapel Leisure Centre
Selkirk Drive
CW4 7DZ

Sunday 13 October 10.30am - 3.00pm

Location map

Crewe Toy and Games Collectors Fair

An ideal event for collectors of Meccano, Dinky toys, trains and so on, there will be a Crewe Toy and Model Collectors' Fair at West Street, Crewe, on Saturday 12 October.

There's no indication of admission prices at this stage, but this would suit toy and train collectors in particular - they do seem to gravitate to Crewe, which isn't surprising.  There'll be all the usual Hornby stuff, I'm sure, as well as some of the older and more collectable (i.e. expensive) items.  Good for a browse, especially if admission is free or sensibly priced (I'm sorry I can't find details).  You could go to the Crewe Heritage Centre Event as well (or instead) depending on your preference.

Victoria Oakley Centre, West Street, Crewe, CW1 2PZ
Saturday 12 October 2013
10:30 - 4:00 pm

Location map

Crewe Heritage Centre - Model and Miniature Railway Gala

Crewe's Railway Heritage Centre will be hosting a model and miniature railway gala on 12-13 October.  This should be lots of fun - you'll get to see all the usual outdoor exhibits (there are dozens of trains, engines, coaches and other bits and bobs outside) and additional indoor model railway layouts.  There will also be miniature railways - outdoor ride-on trains, and so on.

This will be their third gala of the year, with a range of steam, diesel and battery electric traction.  They will also be running all their own locomotives as well a mix of visiting locomotives.

The Crewe Heritage Centre
Vernon Way
Crewe
Cheshire
CW1 2DB

Location map

12-13 October, 10:00-4:30
Adults £6.00, Concessions £3, children under 5 are free

The Heritage Centre is located behind Tesco Extra.

Classic Car Show, Uttoxter Racecourse

This classic car and bike show on Sunday 29 September features car club displays from the Potteries Capri Club,  North Baam Classic Car Club and the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club.  Also, 80 private entries will represent popular manufacturers such as Triumph, MG, Ford, Singer, Buick, Vauxhall and Austin. The event is organised by James Austin Events.

According to the website, this show also attracts a good number of classic bikes such as BSA, Norton and Matchless etc.  If your children are interested in cars (maybe even classic cars) then this could be a good show.  It's not free (unlike the recent show at Stoke Michelin and the Britannia Stadium) but if it appeals to your children, then it is more likely to be good value.

Tickets:  £6.00 per adult, £2.00 per child (7-14yrs), under-7s are free
​
Sunday 29 September
10am - 3.30pm

Uttoxeter Racecourse
Uttoxeter
Sta ffs
ST14 8BD
Location map

Jodrell Bank: Snowballs in Space

The Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope and Observatory is a great place to visit on an ordinary weekend, but during October half term they have some special events on. The main child-friendly event is 'Snowballs in Space' which runs on weekdays from 21 October - 1 November (covering the early and late half term holidays).  The event looks like lots of fun - they suggest children aged 5+ and if there's sitting down and listening to a presentation, I'm inclined to agree!

There's already plenty to do, as I said, but the shows are on at 11.30, 12.30, 2.30 and 3.30 pm. The telephone number is 01477 571 766, call to reserve your seats.

Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre
The University of Manchester
Macclesfield
Cheshire
SK11 9DL
Sat nav: SK11 9DW

Location map

Fiat: "Dad, get your trousers back"

I have an interest in cars.  It's only a typical Dad-type interest - I don't drool over car magazines, I don't go racing or polish my car to within an inch of its life.  But my car needs to be reliable enough to do the school run and to take my family on Days Out With Daddy, with enough room for everybody to be comfortable, and for the back-seat occupants, to have enough space to play with their various toys without hitting each other.

And I like looking at car adverts periodically, and we go to motor shows.  I have no intention of swapping my car, but I like to window shop occasionally.

Which brings me to the latest advertising campaign by Fiat.  What are they thinking?

Do they really think I'm going to 'get my trousers back' by driving a car that's bright marigold yellow? Seriously?

Bargain Book Sale, Hanley Library

Starting 23 September at Hanley Central Library (location), there'll be a bargain book sale.  And not just books, but CDs and DVDs too.  I can't recall the prices, but "bargain" is accurate.  At the last sale, I think it was £1 for DVDs and 50p for CDs - the books were variable depending on fiction/non-fiction, and children's books were particularly cheap.  In fact at the last one in Tunstall Library a few months ago, they got to the stage where they were offering a bag of books for 50p - choose your own books and fill a bag.

Highly recommended for your younger readers (and for parents too!).

Sale starts 23 September, and it's first come, best read.  Finishes Saturday 5 October.

Odeon Kids Films Update

Just a word of warning to add on to my recent post about the Odeon Kids' Club which runs on Saturday and Sunday mornings:  Odeon shows a number of children's films at around the same time in the morning, but only one of them is Kids' Club and has the lower price.  We recently went to watch Despicable Me 2 which started at 10:50, and made the mistake of assuming that because it was a kids' movie, it would have the special rate.  The Kids' Club movie is the one that start at 11:00 am, and it's the only one that is discounted.

Otherwise, a family outing that you think will cost £10 (£2.50 x 4) will cost closer to £25.

Mike The Knight at Warwick Castle

Mike the Knight will be visiting Warwick Castle on the weekends of 21-22 September and 28-29 September. There'll be a range of chivalrous activities and a multitude of medieval missions, including an opportunity to meet  Mike himself, so your little knights in training won’t want to miss out!

Whether it's trying out their archery skills at Mike’s Target Test, setting off on an adventure of discovery with Sparkie and Squirt in the Dragon Egg Hunt, or exploring the castle and grounds of Britain’s ultimate Castle, it will be a  magical medieval day of fun for the whole family!

This is on the southern edge of the area this blog normally covers, but it's worth a trip out if your children can handle the journey, and if they like castles, or Mike the Knight... or both.  The normal admission fee for Warwick Castle applies.

Warwick Castle website
Warwick Castle location

Warwick Castle, Warwick CV34 4QU

Ipstones Fire Station Open Day

Ipstones Fire Station Open Day
Ipstones Fire Station Location
Ipstones Fire Station, Froghall Road, Ipstones, ST10 2NA

Saturday 7 September 12:30 - 5:00

Another fire station open day!  It seems as if they're like buses; you wait ages for one, then two or three come along at once.  If this one is closer to you than Macclesfield Fire Station (with its open day on the same day), then it'll be worth a look.  There are all the usual fire station attractions - the fire engines; rescue demonstrations and so on- with the added drama of an animal rescue (a horse) from a trailer.  There are two road races, at 2:45 and 3:30, so watch out if you're in the local area.

Stoke Steam Special, Apedale Railway

Stoke Steam Special, Apedale Valley Light Railway
Apedale Valley Railway location - near Chesterton
14-15 September

Apedale Valley Light Railway runs steam trains most weekends, but on 14-15 September they're running some special trains.  There will be steam and diesel trains, model railway layouts, vintage vehicles (cars, I'm assuming) and various other things.

It's £6 for adults, £3 for children 5-15 and under 5s are free.  There are unlimited train rides once you have your ticket, so if the weather's good, or your children really enjoy trains, this could be a good day out.  The brochure for the day is downloadable from the AVLR website, or you can use this direct link to the Steam Special Brochure.

I've been before, and there's plenty to see, less to do.  There's a small museum showing the history of mining in the area, and a small cafe, which overlooks the station (so it doubles as a waiting room).  The train ride is good, about 10-15 minutes if I recall correctly - out and back along a straight line, and with the variety of trains, should be even better!

Macclesfield Fire Station Open Day

Macclesfield Fire Station Open Day
Sunday 8 September, 10:30 - 4:00
Macclesfield Fire Station location

Cheshire Fire and Rescue continue their series of open days with Macclesfield; later in the season than Staffordshire (for which we are all very thankful).  This may be slightly further north than our usual readers would travel, but Macclesfield town centre is also worth a look around for the shops, and if the weather's good, Macclesfield park is also very pleasant (and has lots of swings, slides, etc).

The website doesn't give many details, but if it's like the Congleton open day, it should be good, especially if you have a Fireman Sam in your family!

Everything's Rosie Character Appearance, Potteries Shopping Centre

Rosie Character Appearance
Potteries Shopping Centre (intu Potteries)
Sunday 29 September

"Rosie" (from the CBeebies series "Everything's Rosie") will be appearing at intu Potteries (the new name for the Potteries Shopping Centre) on Sunday 29 September, and meeting and greeting younger visitors.  She will be making personal appearances at 11:00 am, 12:00 noon, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.

The booking page to meet Rosie will be live from Sunday 15th September on the intu Potteries website (link above). You will need to book a FREE slot in order to meet Rosie. You will need to take your booking email along with you on the day, and don't forget your camera.

A word of warning:  we recently attended one of these with Titan the Robot, and the queues were extremely long.  The queue started outside River Island and went past the adjacent store and out along the exit corridor; we had to queue for around 35-40 minutes (arriving 15 minutes early, and then having to wait in the queue).  You can get good views and decent photos just by loitering around that area when Rosie makes her appearance.  If, on the other hand, your children are massive Rosie fans, and will wait patiently, (or you have somebody who will queue for you while you take the children around the shopping centre to keep them entertained) then it's worth the wait to get a better photo with Rosie.

Toy Fair, Fenton Community Hall

Toy Train and Model Collectors Fair 
Fenton Community Hall
Saturday 21 September (and 30 November)
10.30am to 2.00pm

£1 admission, free parking, with refreshments available.

An opportunity for enthusiasts of new and used model railways (almost all sizes, scales and gauges are catered for) as well as die cast model cars, trucks, buses to get together and buy, sell or trade.  It depends if your children are interested in model vehicles - and many of those on sale can tend to be quite expensive, but if you or your children are interested in collecting, or like the idea of a search through the various stands and stalls, you might enjoy this.  £1 admission is comparatively cheap, and you'll probably while away an hour or so going through the various stalls (depending on your children's attention span and how many stalls they get - usually well attended), then the rest of the day (or weekend) playing with your new acquisitions!

Tel Tony Oakes for information on 01270 652773 or 07825 631323

Lunar Eclipse, 18-19 October

Lunar Eclipse visible in Stoke on Trent (and the rest of the UK)
18 October 10:53 PM start
19 October 12:50 AM maximum darkening
19 October 2:48 AM ends
All times are UK times.

This is about as far as you can get from a Day out With Daddy... a night in with Daddy instead.  There's going to be a lunar eclipse (the Moon moves into the Earth's shadow and appears darker) on 18-19 October.  You'll have to stay up (or get up) late to see the largest part of the eclipse.

It's a good opportunity to talk about eclipses (if your children are old enough to understand) or otherwise make up stories about it...

Stoke 10k Run

Stoke 10k Run
Sunday 29 September
Start and end at Hanley Park (ST1 4DX)
Start Sunday 9:00 am

You might want to watch this, alternatively you might want to avoid it as it is likely to cause traffic congestion!  The route goes in a large figure-of-eight, down to Fenton in the south, and up to the city centre in the north, before looping back to Hanley Park.  The run is likely to take the faster runners about 40 minutes, the slower runners could take double that length of time.  If you're on the route, you could always spectate and cheer!

"Odeon Kids" - every weekend at 11:00

At 11:00 every Saturday and Sunday morning, Odeon cinemas screen "ODEON Kids" films at selected cinemas (Stoke is included).

Chosen especially for the little ones, all ODEON Kids tickets are only £2.50*.  They also run ODEON Kids every day throughout most school holidays – please check your cinema listings for more information. Here's the link to the Odeon website - but please be aware, I found it very difficult to get any useful details out of it.  For more details, I'd suggest ringing them.  The Odeon Stoke (Festival Park) telephone number is (01782) 215805.

*Prices at the cinema are £2.50 except at: Weston Super Mare (£2), Dundee, Bristol and Belfast (£1.50), Worcester and Dorchester (£1), Dunfermline and Muswell Hill (£3). For tickets booked online, by phone, through the app, or on the mobile site a Remote Booking Fee of 50p applies to every ticket.

ODEON Kids line-up (subject to change)

September
7th Sep - 8th Sep - Despicable Me 2
14th Sep - 15th Sep - Despicable Me 2
21st Sep - 22nd Sep - Epic
28th Sep - 29th Sep - Monsters University

October
5th Oct - 6th Oct - Smurfs 2
12th Oct - 13th Oct - Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
19th Oct - 20th Oct - Planes
25th Oct - 31st Oct - Despicable Me 2  (half term holiday)

November
1st Nov - 3rd Nov - Monsters University
9th Nov - 10th Nov - The Croods