Upcoming Events, 2021

 No, 2020 has not gone to plan.  I'm currently filling in our family calendar for 2021, using 2020's as a starting point:  birthdays, holidays, and so on, and looking at all the events that got crossed out as we all realised how significant COVID was to become.

Still, I've started looking at 2021's events and I've already found some optimistic events managers who have set dates for next year.  As the vaccine gets rolled out, these events should go ahead - it's a very exciting time.

So, here are the events that I've found with published dates for 2021.  Obviously, the further ahead they are, the more likely they are to go ahead!

April
10 April - Northwich Comic Con 10-4

June
5 June - Nantwich Comic Con 10-4
13 June - RAF Cosford Airshow

July
16-18 July - Fairford Airshow, Royal International Tattoo

I will be on the lookout for announcements from:

Stoke Con Trent - twice a year, typically April and October
Staffordshire University Big Biology Days (October) and Inverterbrates Science Fair  (March)  
Burton on Trent Science Fiction Fair - scheduled for February 2020
Crewe STEAM or STEM day - scheduled for March 2020 - this was a town-wide event that was very enjoyable and should be good when it restarts.

Stormtroopers in Newcastle in December

 Assuming that we're able to go out and shop and meet outdoors in December (and as I write this, it's still not clear), then there will be Star Wars Stormtroopers in Newcastle Under Lyme town centre on Saturday, 12 December.

I'm sure many of us are missing our dose of sci-fi conventions, and this may be the closest we'll get to seeing some Star Wars in real life this year.

Source:  Newcastle BID website.

May the force be with you, and stay safe!

October 2020: Foxfield Steam Railway

 It's been a while, but I'm pleased to be back and supporting local events wherever I can find them.  The first one of the new season is Foxfield Steam Railway, which is running its steam trains on Sundays 11, 18 and 25 October.

Better known for their Christmas events, Foxfield Railway is a local steam enterprise that will certainly benefit from your support - and it's great fun.  Even if you don't go on the steam train, there's plenty to do and see (especially the sights and sound of a steam engine).  They have COVID-19 certification, and you'll need to take your face masks, but it's great to see them back up and running again.

RAF Cosford Museum: Post Lockdown Review

We continued our post-lockdown return to normality with a family visit to the RAF Museum at Cosford, and in short, it was a flying success.


We booked online in advance - entrance is free, but it's £5 for parking. If you're not taking a car (i.e. walking or cycling) then the day is free, but you'll still need to book. One of the many advantages that Cosford has over many of the other trips we've been on since lockdown is timed entry slots. 

This is becoming a basic necessity in our day-trip planning, and yet it's still missing from many of the other places we've visited (Chester Zoo and the Blue Planet Aquarium in Chester being two key examples). In time, this is becoming more common, and it's always reassuring to see that a location has a timed entry process (it significantly reduces queuing outside the venue and crowding inside).

Our slot was for an 11:00 am arrival, but our family had a minor meltdown before we set off, and we arrived at about 11:20. We were fortunate there - the staff at the entrance directed us to the car park and instructed us on what to do next. The car park was easily half full, and we had no trouble booking in. One key area where Cosford does extremely well is in staffing. There were staff at the entrance to the car park; staff at the entrance to the visitor centre and another member of staff booking us in (with our tickets) inside. There were people strategically placed at key locations around the site helping to keep people moving forwards, following the one-way system and directing people who were getting lost.

The toilets are still all available in the visitor centre and the hangars, and they work on a one-in-one-out basis (which works very well).

Cosford gets a significant number of bonus points from me for the way they've approached social distancing in their signage.  They've struck exactly the right tone - reassuring but direct.  There are Vulcan-shaped arrow stickers on the floor, spaced at two metres, withing the hangars, and spray painted Vulcan logos on the tarmac outside.  

The signs reminding groups to stay together, and showing areas that are out-of-bounds are very good examples of the way they're following social distancing guidelines.  The one-way system is clearly laid out, and there are helpful reminders to keep everyone in the group together.  It may not seem like much, but it's very well done, and far better than anything I've seen since (or before).

The cafe at Cosford now provides food for take-out only, but there is no indoor seating. Having said that, there is plenty - and I mean a huge amount - of outdoor space which is ideal for sitting and eating. There are some picnic benches available, and I would recommend taking a picnic blanket to make the most of the grassy areas.

The shop in the corner of the second hangar is very well laid out, with a one-way system that is logical and easy to follow. Staff were wearing their PPE and there were sneeze screens in place at the checkout.

All in all, we had a fantastic time, and we really appreciated all the thought and planning that Cosford have put into their social distancing strategy.  Highly recommended.

Chester Zoo: Post Lockdown Review

Our household celebrated the start of transition to post-lockdown life with a trip to Chester Zoo.  Chester Zoo had been featured on the media asking for lockdown restrictions to be lifted in order to support their business, and so it seemed logical to go along and visit them, buy tickets and support them.  We made the ~40 mile trip through some particularly heavy rain, and had our first family day trip since February (sitting together on the B&Q car park while Mum does a Click and Collect doesn't count).

CHANGES

There are one-way systems in place around most of the park, especially at the entrance, with social distancing being operated at the entrance turnstiles.  Where the staff were present, at locations such as turnstiles, toilets and the food outlets, social distancing was constantly observed and there were often markers on the ground.

All of the indoor attractions (the reptile house and the aquarium for example) are closed.  However, there are still plenty of outdoor animals to see.  

You have to remain a safe one-metre distance from all glass surfaces - and there's certainly no touching the glass.  Staff are present at locations such as the lion area and the penguin tank, reminding customers to stay back and stay apart.

FOOD AND TOILETS
There are various food outlets available, but none have indoor seating.  A number of them have outdoor seating (picnic tables, socially distanced), and there was enough seating when we needed it.  The toilets we used (near the ice-cream stand and by the main entrance) had queue markers on the ground, with staff supervising a one-in-one-out system.

SAFETY

It's always been the case in zoos that the best animals get the most interest.  Best could be biggest, tallest, most dangerous or most cuddly.  On the day we went, the best animals were in The Islands, and this meant crowds of unsupervised people, who had walked along a long path through a one-way system, gathering around windows and fences to see pigs, or baby squirrels, and so on.  It was unfortunate that there were no staff in this area, as any attractions which are - well, attractive - need staff to help keep people moving.  

There were several points through the Islands where we came to a complete standstill as we waited for people to move on (the paths weren't wide enough to have space to move past people and skip certain attractions) and try to pass them later on.  There were a couple of occasions where I loudly reminded my children about two metres - and if the people nearby heard me, then it was because they were too close too, and there weren't enough staff around to tell them instead.

Other areas, such as the penguins, which were also very popular and very animated when we visited them, were well-staffed, with staff calling to visitors to remind them to keep apart.  The staff at the penguin tank were also very knowledgeable, telling us (from a safer distance) about the penguins' names and ages (did you know that some of the penguins are eight years old, and some are even older?).

So - yes, it's well-staffed, but would probably have benefited from more staff being more vocal in some of the busier areas (since some of the visitors were determined to stare at bare trees, trying to find animals who were definitely sheltering from the rain).

OVERALL
This was our first family day-trip post-lockdown, and I think it's fair to say none of us were sure what to expect.  I wasn't expecting so many other visitors to be so lax about social distancing, and it was unnerving to see how many people would remain socially distanced while they were moving, but forget all about it when it came to standing in a queue. The changes and adaptations that Chester Zoo have made so far certainly helped - making it easier to eat outside, markings on the pathways and so on - and I would recommend more staff around the site for now, especially until people become more adjusted to social distancing.

Would we go again?  It was enjoyable, but it's 40 miles away for us; it's on the expensive side, and some of the biggest attractions for us (the aquarium) were closed, so no, we probably won't be going again soon.

Back Out With Daddy

It's been difficult trying to run a 'days out with Daddy' blog when everywhere's been shut, but it's given me the opportunity to look at activities you can do at home (I should have blogged about them, but I was too busy trying them out!).

However, as the situation starts to move to a new normal, I shall start highlighting activities and events (such as they are) here and on Twitter.

There are a few places I'll be lining up to review in this new post-lockdown world:

Chester Zoo
Trentham Gardens
RAF Cosford Museum
Bridgemere Garden Centre
Blue Planet Aquarium (visited earlier this year, but now ready for a return visit)

The local Douglas Macmillan Charity shop

...it's a varied and exciting bunch :-)

Look out for the upcoming reviews, and stay safe!

Free Lego at Smyth's Stores Nationwide - 14 March

As seen on the Smyth's Store Events page:  free Lego activities at all stores nationwide on 14 March.

We've been to a few of these before, and they're really good.  For the Lego Movie 2 promotion, they had a a large (and I mean LARGE - think household waste) bag of Lego parts that you could just free-play with, poured out over a large table.  Whatever you could build, you could keep.  Like I said, these events are amazing (your challenge, of course, is to get you and your children in and out of the store without buying anything else ;-))

This looks to be about the same; Lego are promoting their new Lego Dots range with 'workshops'.  Dots are just 1x1 tiles that you can use to make mosaic images of whatever you like...

So, the larger the image, the more pieces you'll end up with, and as always with Lego, your imagination is the only limit.

Preview: Staffs Uni Invertebrate Science Day, 7 March

I've previously previewed and reviewed Staffordshire University's Big Biology Day, which is an annual event in October - it's one of the best (if not the best) day out event of the year.  A very close second (or possibly even joint first) is their Invertebrates Science Fair (known in our house as "Bug Day").

You may think that limiting the scope of a science event to just invertebrates (insects, mostly, though I'm sure I'll get into trouble for saying it) might mean there is less to see and do.  You would be wrong.  There are so many diverse bugs that the event space is completely filled with national experts on bees, flies, moths, grasshoppers, pond life and so on.  You can go pond dipping (on a small scale), look down microscopes (always a hit in our family) and meet welcoming, enthusiastic and informative experts in their field. Actually, they've come in from their fields to share and present...

There is a wide range of stands, and they're aimed at different audiences so there is something for everyone - from cutting, colouring and sticking model butterflies to the microscopes, to booklets, leaflets and even lectures.  The lectures are aimed at a more mature audience, so if you have young children you'll be better off sticking to the cutting and gluing.

The best news: the 2020 Bug Day is this coming Saturday, 7 March. I'll write up a full review after we've been, but this is one event that comes with an unreserved recommendation.

Links
Staffordshire University event on Facebook

Nurturing Nature promo

Review: Blue Planet Aquarium, near Cheshire Oaks, Chester

The Blue Planet Aquarium, near Ellesmere Port, is one of the largest aquariums in the north-west of England.  It features two floors of aquatic wildlife, a gift shop and cafe area.  It's a little on the expensive side, but it does offer great value for a family day out (and Blue Peter badge winners get in free).

The aquarium is well-stocked and spacious, so even when it's busy there is still plenty to see and plenty of opportunity to find a quiet corner.  It's well equipped for families, with baby change facilities and good toilet facilities.  There are also lockers available for stowing bags and coats while you enjoy the wildlife. 

There's plenty to see, too.  The attractions include turtles, caiman crocodiles and eels, as well as the piranhas, electric eels and sharks.  The main attraction, though, is the shark tank, which can be viewed through a four-metre high window and two separate underwater tunnels.  The window can be seen from a seated area across two floors, and has a small stage in front of it, where the staff give presentations and talks.  These appealed to our 10- and 8-year-old, but only held our three-year-old's attention for about five minutes.   The presenters are extremely enthusiastic about the fish they present, explaining each individual shark by name and personality, and sharing details about each of the species of fish.  There are regular talks throughout the day, and the presentation at the shark tank, with two divers in the tank at feeding time, is a definite highlight.  The presentations start at 11:00 with the Pelican Feed, and the diver presentations are at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30 and so on until 3:30, with other talks on the hour and at quarter past the hour.

The two underwater tunnels through the shark tank have a moving conveyor belt along one side of the path, so it's possible to stand still and glide through the tank.  There are around six sharks (including some over two metres long), plus a number of stingrays, and there is always something to see as you go through the tunnels. Having the water really well stocked like this really kept all our children interested and occupied, instead of impatiently waiting for the next highlight.  A definite bonus - and it's easy to go through the first and second tunnel (the conveyor belt is continuous), then cross the viewing area and rejoin the conveyor belt again, at the first tunnel, in a loop. We certainly did!

The cafe area is one of the weaker parts of the experience; the food is nothing special, and is a little on the expensive side.  It gets busy at mealtimes, as you would expect, and when we visited the staff were struggling to cope with demand, and we had a long wait in the queue.  I'd suggest visiting Cheshire Oaks, which is about a quarter of a mile away and is home to a Sainbury's (with a cafe), McDonalds, Pizza Express and others too.

There is a wide range of wildlife to see - apart from the normal aquatic life.  We enjoyed the spider exhibit in particular. The crabs, lobster (bright blue) and the turtles were very eye-catching, and throughout the whole visit we were pleased by the number of fish in each tank.  It was great to see large numbers of brightly coloured fish swimming, drifting, and showing off, and our younger children found it fascinating.

The gift shop has a wide range of souvenirs and merchandise, at typical gift shop prices.  One of the hidden highlights of the aquarium is an outdoor playground, tucked in behind the far corner of the gift shop.  In dry, pleasant weather, this is a definite bonus, and despite the number of fish we'd seen, all of our children described it as the best part of the visit! 

I can certainly recommend this to children of all ages, from this who will like the brightly coloured tropical fish, to those who will enjoy seek g the huge sharks, through to those who are too cool for all that but will enjoy seeing the piranhas and the electric eels.
Blue Planet Aquarium Website

Events for February 2020

As January draws to a close, it's time to take a look at some of the events coming up in February 2020 (which includes half term - I'll have a separate post for that nearer the time).

15 February - Burton on Trent Library - Sci Fi and Fantasy Convention - a little further afield, but worth a visit because (1) it's free, and (2) it's in a library, so if the event isn't what you were expecting, you can still take a good look at the books! ;-)