Where’s Turner?

Last week I paid a visit to The Turner Contemporary in Margate, part of my husband’s birthday treat, and promptly embarked on a game of ‘Where’s Turner?’ It’s a bit like ‘Where’s Wally?’, though with the latter you actually have a chance of finding him!

My husband loves a good art gallery and a good piece of art – he’s a graphic designer and bit of an artist himself – but had not got round to visiting Turner Contemporary. It should have been a great trip out, but I know that he was sadly disappointed.

The first thing that struck us on arrival was the dull design of the building itself. The gallery consists of a series of ‘boxes’ with sloping roofs, which are a very poor representation of the ‘sails’ that we had expected. Rather than enhancing Margate, the structure does it a disservice, as the town actually has some lovely old buildings.

Spot the eyesore!

As it was around lunchtime when we arrived, we decided to check out the café, but were not impressed. We had wanted a light lunch as we had a big dinner planned for the evening, but most of the food served was too substantial (and a bit pretentious), apart from some tired looking baguettes priced at £4.50 each. On to plan B then.

A walk round the harbour revealed a friendly little café where we purchased two toasted sandwiches and two hot drinks for just £7! The sandwiches were delicious, nicely toasted and packed with filling, unlike some of the supermarket offerings that you get. We sat and enjoyed them on the harbour front seating provided, gazing at some of Margate’s more interesting architecture.

Anyway, back to the gallery. The first sight you see on entering is the donation box – admission is, after all, free, but I’m more likely to consider a donation once I’ve seen how the money is being spent. The next sight is the shop – but the gallery is free, so their leaflet assures us!

On the day that we visited, the atrium housed a kind of display of cymbals that you could participate in playing on the hour. Now I know in the art world this was meant to be a poignant piece, but to a mere ‘pleb’ like me let’s face it, it was a bunch of cymbals!

Proceeding along the bottom corridor, we observed a photographic display, by some chap whose name I can’t remember, but which made no impact on me (or my husband) whatsoever. They were no more exciting than viewing Auntie Elsie’s holiday snaps of Torquay.

Venturing upstairs the thing that actually did make a big impact was the large window framing the stunning sea view. Nature’s art at its best, and certainly a reflection on Turner, but where was his work?

The upper floor consists of a series of small galleries and even smaller ‘cinema’ rooms. The current exhibition is entitled ‘Self’ and of course, features an array of self-portraits. The gem of this was the Van Dyck, which I thought was stunning – at last a big thumbs up! Some of the other exhibits were a bit dull, but there were some recognisable pieces from artists such as Hockney and Warhol.

By far, the exhibit that made the most impression on me, in a somewhat haunting way, was Jeremy Millar’s sculpture of his own ‘drowned body’. When I entered the room containing this piece I had to do a double take. I slowly walked up to the ‘body’ not completely convinced that it wasn’t a person that would jump up just as I got near. As gruesome as the subject was, it was extremely effective and a great piece of work!

But where was Turner? Just as we were about to leave the final room, we stumbled upon a small display case containing a fairly disappointing Turner miniature. So small and insignificant that we nearly missed it – and that was it! The audacity of naming a gallery in honour of a great artist and not representing his work or life in any great form!

Sadly our visit was rather disappointing, the exhibits were sparse with so much empty wall space that I was tempted to ask when they planned to finish hanging the paintings! The only saving grace is that we didn’t have to travel that far to get to there.

My verdict – dull, disappointing and an insult to Turner to put his name to it. It was basically a waste of money and prime seafront space, which could have been put to better use to serve the good people of Margate. It earns a Shoppers’ Joy thumbs down!

March Musings

March is always such on optimistic month, heralding, as it does, the arrival of spring. As the nation heads less optimistically towards a general election, we brace ourselves for the onslaught of campaign speeches and backstabbing sessions. What did grab our attention this month, however, was the solar eclipse, sadly not visible to us all because of cloud cover just at the wrong moment! Still, on the whole, the month has seen the arrival of some brighter, warmer weather, which has proved welcome to us all.

Less of this ...

This improvement in the weather saw us going on our first proper outing of the year. Our destination – Quex Park Powell-Cotton Museum in Kent. The museum houses a series of natural history dioramas – stuffed animals ranging from mice to giraffes – disturbing and striking in equal measure. There is also a great hands-on room where visitors can play musical instruments, try on costumes and delve in drawers of secrets. The gardens make a lovely setting for a picnic and postprandial stroll and although not open until 31^st March, there is an historic house to peruse. Admission for museum and gardens combined is £6 for adults, £4 for children (£8 and £6 respectively to include house) and ticket sales operatives do try and press you to agree to Gift Aid donations. We declined, to their horror, as we feel this should be reserved for more deserving charities – also theoretically, the charge should be different to include Gift Aid, as detailed in Gift Aid Explained so technically they’re breaking the rules!

... more of this!

The warmer weather (together with a glimpse of myself in a changing room mirror recently) has set me on a mission to dispense with a few of my ‘flabby bits’ in preparation for wearing all those lovely spring and summer clothes. This has involved cutting down on quite a number of foods, strangely mostly those beginning with the letter ‘C’ – crisps, chocolate, cheese, cake – and eating somewhat healthier substitutes. My current favourite lunch comprises sliced avocado and tomato, olives, cottage cheese and crispbread – it’s surprisingly satisfying and tasty!

March has seen me continue with the campaign that I started back in February, to push for an independent review of Ofsted in light of some very inconsistent and often unfair reports. Many schools commended and praised by parents and students have been deemed as ‘failing’, whilst those on the receiving end of parental complaints appear to have been judged as ‘good’. Just what agenda is Ofsted working from? To add your support to my campaign, please tweet using #OfstedNoConfidence and if you’ve not yet read my previous Ofsted posts do so here and here

Thank you for your continued support! 

Memories At Manston

It’s been a while since we’ve had a family day out, what with trying to arrange our new home into something vaguely liveable (read more at ruraljoy to throw some light on this one) and the weather becoming chillier and gloomier. So when a Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, it seemed a good time to take my son out on a quest for material for his art project on ‘conflict”.

We trawled the Internet to find somewhere in our home county of Kent that would make for an interesting visit, whilst fulfilling the brief, so to speak, choosing the Spitfire & Hurricane Memorial Museum at Manston.

Situated on the old airfield site, the museum is easy to find and both parking and entrance are free, although there is a donation box, which merits your attention! You can also purchase items at the shop (I bought an interesting wartime-related cookbook) and enjoy a cuppa or a meal at the Merlin Cafeteria attached to the museum.

Although small, the museum does have rather a ‘wow’ factor, displaying one of the few surviving Spitfires and a famous Hawker Hurricane, each housed in their own room surrounded by interesting and diverse memorabilia. Indeed, there are some very poignant displays, telling the stories of the men involved in air combat in WWII. There are also examples of everyday items from the World War II era, giving more depth and understanding of the time.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and my son was able to get some great photos to help with his art.

On leaving the museum we noticed another building opposite, which turned out to be the RAF Manston History Museum – another little gem, so we discovered. With admission costing just £1.50 for adults and 50p for children, this contains items representing the history of the airfield between 1916 until the present day, with examples of both military and civil aircraft.

Displays include a section of a wartime street (my son found this particularly interesting), film footage of the bouncing bomb, aircraft of various types and ages and military vehicles. There is even a doodlebug!

We found the two museums very informative and enjoyable and I can definitely recommend a visit to them both, as they each have much to offer visitors – an enlightening experience!    

A Day At Thrigby Hall

During my latest stay in East Anglia, I visited the delightful Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens near Great Yarmouth, which proved to be a real treat.

Thrigby centres on the wildlife of Asia, housing creatures such as tigers, leopards, red pandas, gibbons, crocodiles, snakes and storks. Although not one of the country’s largest wildlife parks, it offers a lovely garden setting, and represents great value for money, with admission costing just £13.50 for adults and £9.50 for children.

One of the things that my son and I particularly liked about our visit was the opportunity to get close to the animals due to the walk-through enclosures, treetop walks and tiger tunnel. The treetop walk near to the gibbons’ enclosure allowed us to watch these fascinating animals swinging through the trees whilst being at their level.

One of the most stunning animals from our point of view, however, was the clouded leopard, which has the most beautiful markings. Other high points as far as my son was concerned were the crocodiles in the swamp house and the snakes (he particularly enjoyed feeding time for these).

Overall Thrigby is very well laid out and I was pleased to discover that the café provided very reasonably priced lunches – soup and a roll for £2.50, hot pasties for £1.80 and a selection of sandwiches, snacks and jacket potatoes. Ice creams were also standard prices, as opposed to the over-inflated ones charged at some attractions.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day at Thrigby and recommend it for a fun, yet educational, family day out.

A Hidden Gem

With the big improvement in the weather recently, my thoughts turned to outings and I started looking for new and different places to visit.

My recent research resulted in a visit to a stunning building virtually on my own doorstep, which I had vaguely heard about but had sadly previously ignored.

Temple Manor in Strood was originally built in 1240 by the Knights Templar and was used as a stopping point for travelling dignitaries. Today, following restoration by the Ministry Of Works in the 1950s, it stands proudly in a leafy garden, nestled between business units on an industrial estate. Incongruous as this sounds, the surroundings do not spoil the peace and charm of this lovely building.

Cared for under the English Heritage umbrella, the property is open weekends between April and November and admission is free (although donations appreciated).

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Temple Manor, the building has been lovingly restored and there are some very interesting information boards not only about the building and local area, but the Knights Templar too. Although unfurnished, the building has some interesting details, including traces of original wall paintings, grand fireplaces and a vaulted undercroft.

This really is one of Kent’s hidden gems.

What ‘hidden gems’ have you found where you live?

To The Tower!

I’ve visited many tourist attractions over the years, a number of which I have blogged during the past year or so, but somewhere that I had never got round to visiting was The Tower of London.

But now I’m back fresh from a visit to said tower, full of enthusiasm and information about my day.

As with all the London attractions that I visit, I tend to go on a Sunday, when there is no congestion charge and parking can be found cheaply or even free. When there are several of us going together it is cheaper and more convenient than using the train.

For our visit to The Tower we parked in The Minories Car Park, details here, a multi-storey just a few minutes walk from the attraction, which costs £2 per hour during the week, but on a Sunday costs just £2 for the whole visit.

Arriving by 10.30 we found that there were no ticket queues (on this particular Sunday at least) and instead of paying the admission fee of £19.50 for adults and £9.75 for children (higher rates if you include the voluntary donation) we exchanged Tesco Clubcard Days Out Vouchers for tickets.

Once in the grounds I was pleased to find plenty of benches to pause and picnic on, several blocks of well-kept toilets and a restaurant providing drinks, meals and snacks at quite average prices, as opposed to the more inflated ones found at some attractions. We paid just over £9 for a Latte, an Americano, a bottle of 7Up and three delicious pieces of shortbread.

I loved seeing The Crown Jewels, especially the dainty coronet sported by Queen Victoria and thought the moving walkway system past the main jewels a clever way of keeping visitors moving.

Other highlights included St Thomas’s Tower above Traitor’s Gate complete with bedchamber and small chapel with a lovely stained-glass window, The Coins and Kings Exhibition with fun interactive displays and the small monument at the Scaffold site.

The White Tower is full of armoury, which I confess to becoming a little tired of by the end, and whilst the climb up was not bad, ascending one floor at a time largely via reasonable staircases, the climb down was by way of one long spiral staircase leading to a cellar before depositing us in the gift shop.

There are plenty of other exhibits to see and a great view of Tower Bridge, the Yeoman Warders were helpful and informative and the ravens a powerful presence. We had a really great day.

For more information see http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

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Head For The Hills

Amongst the most recent round of trips to visitor attractions that I made this summer, was a great day spent at Pleasurewood Hills, a family theme park in East Anglia.

Those of you who have been regularly reading my blog will know that I’m not a big fan of thrill-seeking rides, but I was largely drawn to this attraction by the shows that it provides.

Fans of Britain’s Got Talent may remember Sean Alexander, a past contestant on the programme and a very entertaining illusionist. His twice-daily shows performed at the park’s Castle Theatre are definitely worth a mention. My son and I were spellbound by the series of surprising illusions performed by Sean and his ‘Angels’ and highly recommend his show.

We were also greatly entertained by the park’s sea lion duo, performing a string of antics both in and out of the pool. The pair obviously enjoyed the limelight, ‘smiling’, ‘clapping’ and executing a number of clever tricks. I was particularly amused by the sea lions’ impression of a seal!

Not to be outdone, the Pleasurewood Hills parrots put on a fun show too. From counting to skating, they certainly had mastered a fair few tricks to perform.

Shows aside, there are plenty of rides to choose from – there’s certainly something available for all ages and levels of daring. Traditional dodgems, roundabouts and a carousel sit alongside thrilling rides such as the 120ft tall ‘Wipeout’ and 600m long ‘Enigma’. There are even a few more unusual attractions such as chair lifts and pedalos.

Although Pleasurewood Hills is smaller than many of its counterparts such as Chessington and Thorpe Park, it still provides a good day’s entertainment at very reasonable prices. Tickets cost £19 on the day for adults and £16 for children, with youngsters under 1m high going free. There is a reduction of £1 per ticket if you book online, with group tickets also available if you choose to buy them in this way. Or you could do as we did, and use Tesco Clubcard Days Out Vouchers to pay for admission.

Pleasurewood Hills is currently open at weekends only, with a full week of opening at October Half Term holiday.

For a fun family day out, then be sure to ‘head for the Hills’!

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Colchester Zoo

Ahead of my son’s birthday last week, we allowed him to choose a venue for an outing, and he picked an old favourite of ours, Colchester Zoo in Essex.

You really need the whole day to work round all the areas of Colchester Zoo, we were aided by the fact that on the day we visited they were offering late night opening until 9pm, a fact of which we were unaware until our arrival.

Colchester Zoo is very much an ‘all round’ zoo, with a wide variety of animals from across the world as opposed to a particular speciality. However, we certainly have our favourite areas that we love to visit.

The ‘Edge of Africa’ experience is one of my personal favourites, as amongst its inhabitants it features giraffes (much loved by me), which you are actually given the chance to feed (you can feed the elephants as well) at special, keeper-supervised sessions. Many animals are free to roam together on the ‘savannah’ as they would in the wild, including the giraffes, zebra, ostriches and rhino – talking of which we were thrilled to see a baby rhino on our visit.

Another of our favourite areas of the zoo is the sea lion tunnel: here you can wander through a tunnel underneath the sea lion pool and watch these fascinating creatures swimming above and around you. In turn, this tunnel leads to the orang-utan area. Orang-utans are my son’s favourite and he loves visiting Rajang and Tiga (the zoo’s resident orang-utans) to see how they’re getting on.

Other animals that we enjoyed seeing were the meerkats (complete with tiny babies), red panda, Asian short-clawed otters (who were fighting over a fish), aardvarks and one of the most amazing to our minds, the anteater. What an incredible creature!

However, we must remember, many of the animals in the zoo are endangered in the wild and Colchester is involved in conservation work and animal rescue.

As usual, we had a great time at Colchester Zoo. There are lots of picnic areas and benches (understandably these got very busy at lunchtime), shops selling refreshments (ice creams reasonably priced) and plenty of toilet facilities.

Admission costs £19.99 for adults, £13.50 for children aged 3-14, with a slight reduction if you purchase an e-ticket, and Tesco Days Out Vouchers are accepted. Parking is free.

I can certainly recommend Colchester Zoo for a fun, family day out.

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Penshurst Place and Gardens, Kent

Situated near Tonbridge, Kent, Penshurst Place is a great example of a 14^th Century house – ancestral home of the Sidney family and birthplace of Elizabethan poet, Sir Philip Sidney.

Today the ‘set’ for many films and television programmes, such as The Other Boleyn Girl’, the building and gardens make for an interesting and enjoyable visit.

We had a great time on a recent day out there, wandering around the stunning, fragrant grounds, which include formal gardens, ponds, rambling orchards and the odd little ‘secret garden’ tucked away. The house was very impressive, boasting many original features, furnishings and artefacts, whilst there is also a great little toy museum. My son was interested to discover that the sound of the creaking floor in the Long Gallery was actually recorded and used in the Harry Potter films.

In between all of this, you can pause with the kids at the adventure playground – a mixture of traditional swings and seesaws and a little ‘assault course’. Ice creams and coffee are a reasonable price (there is a kiosk by the play area) and there are plenty of picnic benches, although there are also two restaurants if you fancy treating yourself to a meal.

Admission prices are good value: Gardens, adults £8, children £6; House and Gardens adults £10, children £6.50. Under-fives are free and family tickets are available.

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June’s Blog Review

‘Flaming June’ it may not have been, but at least some warm sunny days have enabled us to get out and about to various visitor attractions and enjoy some traditional family picnics.

With this in mind, this month I wrote several reviews about places that I have visited and would recommend. These have included Bressingham Steam Museum and Gardens, Norfolk (a great fun family day out), The Hop Farm, Kent (offering free admission and reasonably priced rides) and some lesser-known English Heritage sites, such as Burgh Castle.

One of the main irritations that I addressed this month was the way that certain companies ask you to ‘hold for a moment’ then proceed to abandon you for what seems like ages. Comments from readers included stories of extremely long waits, tales of being passed between a series of unhelpful people and complaints about the cost of such lengthy calls. At least companies that use 0800 numbers allow you to listen to their annoying music, stony silence or intermittent recorded messages for free!

Some of the other topics that I wrote about this month were camping (great fun, low cost holidays), moving your static caravan (easier than you would think) paying for public toilets and the worst shops as defined by a recent consumer survey.

It was thumbs up for Avon Eyeshadow Primer and Bookstart, but thumbs down for Belvita Breakfast Biscuits.

Next month there’ll be more visitor attraction reviews, more verdicts on products and no doubt a bit more ranting about life’s irritations.

Thanks for reading.

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The Hop Farm, Kent

Over the years we’ve made many visits to the Hop Farm at Paddock Wood, Kent and during that time it’s undergone many changes.

In the early days of our visits it was known as ‘The Whitbread Hop Farm’ with the emphasis on the Shire Horses, but was later taken over by Southern Water, then Hop Farm Trading.

Over the years many attractions have been added, with some remaining (including various children’s rides) and others falling by the wayside (such as the dubious waxworks display).

This year new owners have taken over the Hop Farm, and admission is now free! In view of this we decided to revisit the attraction, picking a sunny Saturday afternoon for our trip.

It now costs £1 to park your car at the Hop Farm, which is a bargain, in view of the free admission. Once inside, certain attractions, such as the farmyard, play area and crazy golf can be enjoyed at no additional cost, whilst you need to buy tokens for other rides and exhibits. These tokens cost £1 each, with different attractions requiring 1, 2 or 3 tokens.

How did we do this?

The best value of these, to my mind, was the Magic Castle, costing just one token per person. The ‘castle’ is full of optical illusions and fun tricks to try out, before leaving via a mirror maze. Kids will love the driving school and giant jumping pillows, whilst we noticed there is now a 4D cinema, though we have not tried this out as yet.

What is really great about the new free admission offered here, is that it’s now possible to dip in and out of what the Hop Farm has to offer, making more frequent short visits to view a couple of attractions at a time.

On the day we visited there was also a polo tournament in progress, which was free to watch. A full list of events is available on the website www.thehopfarm.co.uk

The only downside of the day was the price of the ice creams. A van parked on the site was charging £3 for an oyster (my favourite ice cream), needless to say I didn't bother buying one!

If you plan to visit from further afield, then you’ll be interested to know that there are camping/touring caravan pitches available at very reasonable prices.

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Another Bank Holiday

Here we are again, another Bank Holiday, another long weekend – what are you doing with your ‘extra’ time?

I’m currently relaxing in my much-loved coastal retreat, aka my static caravan by the sea. I love to come here to enjoy the peace, the walks by the sea, the chance to lounge by the pool and to generally take time out form day-to-day life.

Maybe you’ve been spending time in your ‘happy’ place this Bank Holiday Weekend, be it your garden, your shed, your hobby room, your favourite holiday destination, a quiet part of the countryside or wherever.

When it comes to places to visit I have my particular favourites that I love to return to from time to time, and which I highly recommend. Audley End in Essex is a stunning stately home set in beautiful grounds, where I love to wander. Run by English Heritage it is free for members to visit, or costs £13.40 for adults and £8 for children over five and is a really lovely setting for a family outing.

I also love to stroll round the grounds of Hever Castle in Kent, where the gardens are lovely and we can all revert to being big kids, by trying to dodge the water jets in the fun water maze. A ‘gardens only’ ticket costs £12.50 for adults and £8.00 for children, but you can use your Tesco Clubcard Reward Vouchers (exchanged for Days Out vouchers) to gain admission.

But I have to say, one of my all-time passions is for clocks. I love the sound of them ticking and chiming and just love being surrounded by them. (I’m not weird, honestly) So somewhere that I love is Belmont House, Faversham, Kent, (adults £8, children £5) where there is a very impressive collection of clocks to view as part of a guided tour. If you love clocks, you’ll love Belmont.

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Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse

On my travels last week I visited Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse (near Dereham, Norfolk) with my son. We had a great day, helped by the sunny weather, and recommend that you add it to your ‘places to visit’ list.

Gressenhall is a former workhouse where you can get a taste of the life of the ‘inmates’ from the displays, films and artefacts on show. We were surprised by the strange, wedge-shaped beds, shocked by the rules and harsh punishments recorded and intrigued by the graffiti wall ‘signed’ by former residents.

We enjoyed exploring Cherry Tree Cottage, the old School Room and the ‘shops’ in Village Row, but there is more to Gressenhall than just the fascinating museum displays.

Across the road from the workhouse is the farm, where you can see horses, pigs, sheep etc, as well as visit the old farmhouse and shepherd’s hut. If you’re lucky enough to experience good weather on your visit (as we did) then you can wander along the river and farm walks. On these trails, children have the opportunity to stamp a card that they are given – a full cards results in a badge. You can also enjoy a tractor and trailer ride around the farm.

Other attractions include the centenary wood, where you can take a stroll, a woodland playground, to allow the kids to let off steam and a café, for some well-earned refreshment.

What I particularly like about Gressenhall is that there are plenty of areas with picnic tables and benches to pause for a rest, and toilets are plentiful too, situated in many of the buildings. However, there appeared to be a shortage of bins for the rubbish from our picnic, although we did eventually spot one by the chapel. I was impressed that ice creams were not over-priced as at some attractions, with a Magnum costing £1.60 as opposed to the £2+ that we have paid at some places.

Overall we had a really great, reasonably priced day out (admission for adult accompanying young person £8.30, young person £6.30), with lots to see and do.

I would have liked to be able to share some photos of our day out with you, but unfortunately I experienced a camera mal-function that day, sorry!

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Easter Holiday Fun – Down On The Farm

Children always seem to love visiting farms and petting the animals or feeding them. Here are a couple of suggestions of where they can do just that – and more.

South Of England Rare Breeds Centre, Ashford, Kent adults and children from £5.45 (winter ticket price without Gift Aid). Plenty of animals to see, including some rare breeds no longer bred for commercial farming, alpacas, a walk-in aviary and a selection of insects, snakes and lizards at Creepy Crawly World. There is also a butterfly tunnel, but this doesn’t open until May. Other attractions include trailer rides, play parks, woodland walks (which we really enjoy on a warm day and have discovered grass snakes along the way) and the Mysterious Marsh Trail, which you are meant to negotiate without your feet touching the ground – quite a challenge! This makes a really fun day out, especially on a warm, dry day when you can take a picnic and enjoy all the trails and activities on offer.

Knockhatch Adventure Park, East Sussex, admission adults £1.99 - £7.99 (depending on day) children £4.99 - £9.49 (Tesco Days Out vouchers accepted). The children’s farm has a large number of animals including alpacas, chinchillas, deer, goats, guinea pigs, wallabies, pigs etc, whilst there are a number of activities on offer too. Have a ride on the Go-Karts or a row on the boating lake; children can enjoy adventure play or get daring on the ‘devil-drop’ slide; or have a game of crazy golf or relax while the children enjoy the soft play area. With all this and more to do, it’s a great family day out with something for everyone. 

To find a great farm attraction near you, visit http://www.farmattractions.net

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Gift Aid Explained

Have you, like me, become a bit confused about the whole Gift Aid process, especially when applied to visitor attractions?

Gift Aid as a basic concept is quite straight-forward when it applies to charitable donations. The explanation given on the HM Revenue and Customs website is that “Gift Aid increases the value of donations to charities by allowing them to reclaim basic rate tax from your gift.”

 

Simple, you make your donation, declare yourself as a UK taxpayer and your donation is worth more as the tax is claimed back.

However, the concept becomes somewhat more vague when applied to visitor attractions, which often have charitable status. I have visited attractions where I have paid the standard entrance fee and just signed a form to agree to Gift Aid. Yet I have visited others where if I want to agree to Gift Aid I have to pay a higher admission charge for this to take place. This got me wondering why that is.

Apparently, in 2006 the law surrounding Gift Aid on admission charges changed, stating that as Gift Aid was aimed at donations, it was not appropriate for it be to claimed on standard admission charges payable by all. Instead, in order to qualify for Gift Aid, visitors had to make a donation on top of the standard fee of at least another 10%. Providing the donation element of the charge has been paid, the whole amount of the admission fee can then qualify for the tax benefit. For example, if the admission charge is £10, providing you pay at least £11, Gift Aid will be given on the whole £11.

However, there are some conditions attached to the Gift Aid pricing strategy. The difference between standard admission charges and the Gift Aid inclusive price must be clearly stated/displayed, with the visitors choosing for themselves whether they want to pay the higher amount, rather than be coerced.

On a visit to a National Trust property (Bodiam Castle), we were automatically charged the Gift Aid price, without being asked, let alone volunteering it. This was wrong and we stated as such, insisting that they reissue standard tickets, amidst much groaning on their part.  Sorry guys, but the law says that we must volunteer the donation amount – otherwise it’s hardly a donation!

I can’t help thinking charitable status is issued a bit too freely anyway; with organisations/attractions qualifying for Gift Aid when I don’t think it’s appropriate. If too much tax is claimed back, that leaves the public purse a bit short for other essentials, like education and healthcare. We should really only agree to Gift Aid in situations where we think it is wholly appropriate and most needed.

What are your thoughts on Gift Aid? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

Easter Holiday Fun – Adventure Trails

Continuing with my suggestions for Easter Holiday outings, today I’m recommending a few fun trails to follow.

Groombridge Place Gardens and the Enchanted Forest, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, adults from £8.95, children from £7.45, family of 4 from £29.95 (slightly higher charges apply event days and Bank Holidays. Follow a woodland trail, discovering models, activities and play areas along the way. We love the raised wooden boardwalk that weaves through the woods, the Blue Pool with its exotic plants and Dinosaur and Dragon Valley. In addition to this fun trail, you can take a short boat ride on the canal, stroll round the formal gardens and visit the Conan Doyle museum. Lots of opportunity to use up all that extra energy!

Dinosaur Adventure, Lenwade, Norwich, from March to September admission is £10.95 for adults and £15.95 for children. Walk through the woods on the lookout for dinosaurs (you will find them), and then visit some live creatures at the Secret Animal Garden. For a small extra charge you can also take a safari through the deer park. Play a game of Jurassic Putt, a fun crazy golf course, and allow the kids to let off steam in the adventure play area. My son loved the 23 metre climb-a-saurus – we ‘lost’ him in there for ages.

Bewilderwood, Wroxham, Norfolk, admission charges depend on height varying between £10.50 and £12.50, although under those under 3ft are free and over 65’s are charged just £8.50. Though we’ve not actually been there ourselves as yet, this has been highly recommended. A feast of outdoor adventure including treehouses, zip wires, bridges, boat trips and marsh walks. Apparently you get to meet Crocklebogs, Twiggles and Boggles – let me know how you get on.

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March Blog Review

With double-figure temperatures and sunshine one day and snow blizzards and freezing temperatures virtually the next, March has certainly been a right old mixture weather-wise. It’s been rather a mixed bag on my blog too – hopefully providing something for everyone.

I’ve had quite a lot to say about Travelodge this month, sharing my experience of stays and offering tips to help your stay go smoothly. Travelodges are basically cheap and cheerful (although occasionally lacking the cheerful), but let’s face it, you get what you pay for and they do make very handy stopover points without breaking the bank.

Following the horsemeat scandal, the focus has been on buying British meat, so I was pleased to hear that Tesco are aiming to stock more meat from British producers, as recent visits to the supermarket chain had revealed a huge selection of meat from all over Europe. We really should be supporting our own British farmers. At least fresh meat tends to be clearly labelled with the country of origin, whereas frozen meat does not always display where it is from with any clarity. New government guidelines really do need to be introduced for frozen food packaging.

Other topics that I felt strongly about this month included high cathedral admission charges (I feel that these buildings should be free and accessible to all) and self-serve checkouts (I’m really not a fan). Some responses to the cathedral charge post suggested that those of you who were tourists interested in viewing the architecture, did not mind paying a fee, but it seems agreed that those wanting to visit for some quiet reflection or to light a candle quite rightly did not expect to pay a high admission charge. Suggestions for aiming charges at tourists only include asking visitors to pay for audio or guided tours, photography permits, information leaflets and booklets or to enter special exhibition areas. No doubt the debate will continue.

I’m really hoping that April will see the weather become much more settled and definitely warmer. With the start of the school holidays in reach, I’m now looking at places to visit to keep the kids amused. Many attractions are reopening after their winter break, so hopefully you’ll get to visit a few.

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Easter Holiday Fun – Outdoor Museums

Now that spring has arrived (nominally at least) and the school Easter holidays are about to start, many visitor attractions will be opening their doors following their winter closure. Even attractions that remained open during the winter months tend to increase their opening hours and available facilities once we get into spring.

With warmer, drier weather, it’s a great time to get the kids out and about and make good use of their energy. If you enjoy museums, but don’t want to be stuck indoors, then why not visit some of the outdoor museums around the country?

The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, West Sussex, (7 miles north of Chichester on A286, adults from £10.40, children from £5.70, family from £29.50 (higher charges if agreeing to Gift Aid). This is a great rural location, with plenty of space for the kids to run around (50 acres), with over 50 buildings that have been rescued from various locations around the South East and rebuilt for visitors to enjoy. We particularly loved the Tudor kitchen, where we literally got a taste of some interesting Tudor fayre and enjoyed having a picnic lunch overlooking the lake, which we supplemented with hot drinks and cake from the café. It makes a really great day out.

East Anglia Transport Museum, Lowestoft, (at Carlton Colville, 3 miles outside Lowestoft), adults £7.50, children £5.50, with tickets valid for 1 year if you consent to Gift Aid. What’s great about this little museum is not only do you get to see the exhibits, you get to ride on them too (included in admission price). It’s great fun riding the trams, trolleybuses and light railway, as well as wandering round the recreated street complete with shop fronts. This is a great place to take the grandparents too for a bit of nostalgia.

Other places to try:

Museum of Kent Life, Maidstone, Kent, combines historic buildings with farm animals and children’s’ play areas, also hosts a number of special events.

Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, County Durham, a recreation of a small rural town, with a selection of shops, farm, mine etc – lots to do!

There’ll be some more Easter Holiday outing ideas coming next week.

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Cathedral Charges

Cathedrals (and churches) have historically been regarded as places of refuge, calm and contemplation. As such I believe that they should be accessible to all – places we can pause to think, suck up history and enjoy the calm. So why are some cathedrals slapping on whacking great admission charges?

Today I’m looking at a few of the Cathedrals that charge admission fees and others that don’t, looking at their reasoning behind their decisions.

I love the tranquillity of cathedrals, their amazing history and architecture and often stunning stained glass windows, and have visited a fair few.

My local cathedral, Rochester, Kent, does not charge admission and states on its website that it is “committed to free entry”, which I believe is the correct stance. If you’d like an audio tour it costs just £1 each, and whilst donations are welcome, there is no obligation to pay to enter.

In contrast, my next nearest cathedral, Canterbury, charges £9.50 for adults and £6.50 for under 18s, unless you are attending a service. I used to like to ‘pop in’ when in the area to light a candle (giving a donation) and pause for a bit, but with current charges, it’s not longer feasible to do this on a regular basis.

I love Chichester Cathedral, where admission is free, with a statement on their website declaring that they “do not charge as we believe this beautiful building should be available for all” I quite agree. It’s a great building, manned by some friendly volunteers and well worth a visit.

Meanwhile a recent visit to Norwich Cathedral proved a bit odd. On the website it clearly states that there is no admission charge, although donations are welcome. This statement was repeated by a lovely lady in the atrium on our arrival. However, as we entered the main cathedral, we were confronted with a prominent sign declaring a ‘suggested donation’ of £5 per person and treated to an icy stare from an individual behind a counter, defying us to pass without paying. Although we gave a donation, it was a sum that we felt reflected the extremely short visit that we were able to make that day.

Finally, if you don’t mind paying a hefty admission fee, then take a trip to York Minster. Charging a whopping £14 (yes that is £14) per adult to visit the Minster and Tower (£9 for Minster only), it could prove an expensive day if there are a few of you. The York Minster website explains that the cathedral costs “£20,000 per day to run”. Are they serious? However, the website also says that it’s free to enter to light a candle, although I don’t know how this works in practice, and admission is free to York residents, so it’s only visitors to York that get ‘stung’.

I realise that as historic buildings, cathedrals require a certain amount of upkeep and maintenance, but there are alternative ways to raise funds without introducing a hefty admission charge, as many of the free ones demonstrate. If I visit a ‘free’ cathedral I always make a donation and am sure many others do too. Many cathedrals have tearooms and shops creating income, and I consider certain ‘paid for’ events acceptable.

I am certainly far less likely to visit a cathedral that demands a set charge, which means that they get no funds from myself, or like-minded people, whereas if I could just choose to donate, I would visit and do just that. Cathedrals really should be usable by all, whether you can pay to go in or not.

What do you think? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk

Half Term Holiday Ideas

With half term now well underway for many children, you may be looking for places to take them for a fun day out. Following last week’s suggestions, here are a few more ideas.

The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent – admission adults £17.50, children £11.00, (you can use Tesco Clubcard vouchers) with tickets valid for 12 months from date of purchase (excluding entry to a couple of their big events). The Dockyard re-opened on 16^th February following its winter break, and from now until 24^th February is offering visitors the chance to produce artwork for its current art project. The Dockyard has some great exhibits and activities: explore the lifeboat exhibition; take a tour of a submarine (one of our favourite bits); board the HMS Gannet and the HMS Cavalier; get involved in rope-making at the Victorian Ropery (we still have our piece of rope). This makes a great day out for all the family.

Framlingham Castle, Suffolk (English Heritage). A stunning castle that is well worth the visit, with the added attraction of a ‘Family Fun Trail’ during half term. Follow the clues and solve the puzzle to win a prize. Entrance to the castle is £6.50 adults, £3.90 children, £16.90 for the family. Don’t forget that you can get a couple’s annual membership for £82, allowing free entry to EH properties (and discounts on entry for some non EH attractions, including The Historic Dockyard above) for yourselves and up to 6 children (under 19) per adult. Other membership packages are also available, visit english-heritage.org.uk

Oceanarium, Bournemouth, Dorset – adults £9.95, children £6.50, family of 4 £25.50 (other family deals available), with a 15% discount for online bookings. Marvel at the great collection of sharks, turtles, clownfish, otters etc. During half term week there are also special “Meet The Creature” and “Feed The Turtle” sessions as well as competitions and quiz trails.

For more ideas of places to visit during the half term go to dayoutwiththekids.co.uk

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