THE GRUFFALO DVD RELEASE

Recently voted the nation’s top bedtime story by The Jeremy Vine show on BBC2 and described as a modern classic by The Observer, children’s and parents favourite The Gruffalo roars into life as this stunning animated film is released this week on DVD by E1 Entertainment.

Lovingly adapted using a combination of model and CGI animation, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s picture book has been brought to life in this charming and beautiful film which aired on BBC1 on Christmas Day with a phenomenal viewership of 9.8 million (Barb)

The film's all-star voice cast features Robbie Coltrane as the Gruffalo; Helena Bonham Carter as the narrator; Rob Brydon as the Snake; James Corden as the Mouse; John Hurt as the Owl and Tom Wilkinson as the Fox. The Gruffalo tells the magical tale of a mouse who takes a walk through the woods in search of a nut. Encountering three predators who all wish to eat him a fox, an owl and a snake the plucky mouse has to use his wits to survive, creating an imaginary monster who then turns out to be only too real.

Winner of The Nestlè Smarties Book Prize, one of the most respected and prestigious prizes for children’s literature The Gruffalo is an international publishing phenomenon.

An entertaining family film that can be enjoyed again and again, don’t miss your chance to bring the magical world of The Gruffalo into your home.

http://www.bbcshop.com/Childrens/The-Gruffalo-DVD/invt/e1e10698

BEN FOGLE LAUNCHES NEW YOUNG ECO DESIGNER COMPETITION
Full of Rubbish Ideas? Ben Fogle inspires kids to create weird and wonderful designs from waste!
Ben Fogle and Britain’s leading ethically sourced coffee brand Kenco today launch the Kenco Eco Refill Young Eco Designer competition, encouraging children and their families to reduce and reuse waste in an imaginative way and become a new generation of ‘upcyclers’. Whether it’s turning old plastic bottles into robots or coffee packaging into origami flowers, Kenco is calling kids aged 6 to 12 to make or design something that can be transformed from waste into a new object and contend for the exciting Young Eco Designer 2010 title.

The search is on!
With an eye for originality and passion for a challenge, Ben Fogle will lead the Young Eco Designer competition, inspiring kids around the UK to embrace their inventive potential and discover a fun way to avoid sending rubbish to landfill. Parents will be invited to send in their kids’ unique upcycled designs to Kenco[1] before 30th April to be in with a chance of winning the Young Eco Designer 2010 title and seeing their own design transformed into a reality!

New York, New York!
As well as the coveted title, the lucky winner will gain a spectacular trip to New York City with their family, where they will have a unique opportunity to visit TerraCycle, Kenco’s ‘upcycling’ partner, and see firsthand where rubbish including Kenco Eco Refill packs is already getting turned into upcycled products such as pencil cases, bags and backpacks.

Bored on your holiday?
Over the Easter holidays, Ben will be touring the country with Kenco in an upcycled London Routemaster bus to get youngsters on board and provide them with upcycling inspiration. The Kenco tour bus will be stopping off at Chester Zoo, London Zoo and Longleat Safari Park[2] , where families are encouraged to come along and get those creative juices flowing!

“Kids have the most amazing imagination so I can’t wait to see what designs they come up with. Young Eco Designer is a fantastic competition for children and their families to be involved in, and shows how we can re-think the idea of rubbish”, says Ben Fogle, head judge on Young Eco Designer. “I’ll even be giving it a go myself!”

“This is a great way of helping children learn about the environment in a fun and creative way. In partnership with TerraCycle, we’re continuously encouraging people to upcycle their empty Kenco Eco Refill packs which have 97% less packaging weight than Kenco glass jars[3]. We’d love to see kids from all parts of the country getting involved too and showing us their best upcycling designs!” says Toby Smart, Kenco Brand Manager.

To get involved, submit your ideas by the 30th April. For more information and an entry form, visit http://www.kenco.co.uk/.

{1} http://www.kenco.co.uk/ or Kenco Young Eco Designer, Freepost RRSS-JEYZ-KCZB, Concorde Building, South Marston Park, Swindon SN3 4TQ

{2} Chester Zoo 3/4/5th April ’10; London Zoo 8/9/10th April ’10; Longleat 17/18th April ’10 - Ben will be on-hand at Chester Zoo on the 3rd April and Longleat Safari Park on the 18th April
{3} Per gram of coffee

BBC GOOD FOOD MAGAZINE LAUNCHES COOKING SERIES FOR JUNIOR FOOD FANS
With Easter approaching BBC Good Food magazine has launched a new campaign to get kids away from the television set and into the kitchen.

The April issue of BBC Good Food magazine sees the launch of the ‘We love to cook’ series; a cut-out-and-keep guide created to encourage youngsters to start cooking. The first instalment is an Easter themed egg-stravaganza, featuring three egg-tastic recipes; baked dippy eggs, easy cheese frittata and iced fairy cakes.

The specially designed series features fun, and easy to make recipes to get kids cooking. Every recipe was cooked by children shown in the guide, and tested in the BBC Good Food kitchen, with the aim of getting kids to make their very own ‘We love to cook’ recipe book.

Each guide will feature a different main ingredient and contain simple step by step instructions; complete with photos and bolded sections flagging up when grown-up help is needed with all the recipes carrying an age rating, allowing both youngsters and adults to select a suitable recipe with ease, with recipes aimed at 3-6 year olds, 5-9 year olds and 8-14 year olds.

According to Lulu Grimes, food director at BBC Good Food magazine: “The Easter holidays can be a long holiday to fill for restless children, and what better or more constructive activity than to get kids into the kitchen and learning what could turn into a fantastic skill for life? We promise our triple-tested recipes are fun, easy to make and really work.”

The April issue of BBC Good Food magazine is on sale now, priced at £3.40. Next month our junior cooks will be cooking with chicken.

EASTER AT THORNTONS

Easter is a time for family fun, and what better way to celebrate than with your own ready-made Easter Treasure Hunt Kit (£6.50 or 2 for £10). It contains: eight hollow milk chocolate eggs, 22 foiled milk chocolate mini eggs, a milk chocolate bunny and a selection of Easter clues that are suitable for indoor or outdoor use. All that’s left for you to do is hide!

If you’re looking for that egg-stra special, personalised Easter egg then you’ll be please to hear that back by popular demand is Thorntons milk, white and dark chocolate 160g eggs (£3.50 each) which can be iced with any name for free and are on offer at 2 for £5 along with many other favourites in all Thorntons stores.

Also part of the 2 for £5 offer are these adorable new chocolate characters Bella Bunny and Charlie Chick, which will be very hard to resist! They are made with delicious milk chocolate and come with a either a bag of milk chocolate buttons or mini eggs (£3.50 each). They’re just right for little hands…
Lenny Lamb with buttons, also available.

For the perfect alternative to an Easter egg, new this year is Benji Bunny (£6.50), who is sure to be a popular choice. Comprising 200g of Thorntons signature milk chocolate, kids big and small will just adore him. Available as part of the 2 for £10 offer in-store along with many other delicious Easter eggs.

Thorntons even has smaller treats all wrapped up this Easter, with a range of lollipops, individual filled eggs and the Nibbles Bunny – all of which are priced at just 69p each. You’ll have to act fast though to get your hands on these … at these prices they’re guaranteed to be hopping off the shelves!

Or if it’s a tasty chocolate Easter egg for adults you’re after, then you’ll be pleased to hear that Thorntons has extended its Easter egg range this year with no less than five exciting new Easter eggs. One of these is the Deliciously Dark Easter egg (£9.99), lovingly hand decorated and complete with 12 tantalising chocolates, including a selection from the new Continental Milan City Box.

Love toffee? Then you’ll love the Special Toffee Easter egg! This milk chocolate egg has lots of crunchy yummy Special Toffee pieces in the shell and is accompanied by a 125g bag of Special Toffee (£6.50).

ABRACADABRA! EASTER FAMILY FUN MADE EASY WITH SCOOBY-DOO & PLANET HOLLYWOOD
This Easter, families can spend the long weekend with everybody’s favourite crime solving hound at London’s Planet Hollywood for a special Scooby-Doo Weekend, 2 – 5 April.

To celebrate the release of the new feature length animated movie “Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra Doo” on DVD, kids eating at Planet Hollywood, along London’s Haymarket, can enjoy a magical, mystery Scooby-Doo Easter experience including a delicious choice of Scooby Snacks, fun puzzles, crosswords, film clips and special Mystery Inc. action figures to take away.

On Saturday 3 April (12.30pm-4.30pm) Scooby-Doo will be making a special appearance to join the fun and say hello to all of his fans.

“Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra Doo” is available nationwide from 29 March at all good retailers. RRP £12.99.

About Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo
Join the gang as they set out on a trip to visit Daphne’s sister Madelyn, who has been studying magic at the Whirlen Merlin Magic Academy. However, when they arrive, they find out that the school has been troubled with strange disturbances and a lot of the pupils have run away after being scared by a mysterious giant Gryphon. Mystery Inc. smell trouble and go to investigate!

DVD bonus material includes the cool featurette “Scooby-Doo and Puppets Too” where you can learn how to make your own scary Gryphon puppet. It’s a great introduction to puppet-making for all ages!

EXPLORE NATIONAL MUSEUM WEEKEND IN AMSTERDAM WITH SUNPARKS
London, 22nd March 2010: National Museum Week is hitting Amsterdam from the 10th – 11th April 2010, with free entry or reduced rates to some of the most popular museums in the Dutch capital. Holiday village specialist Sunparks is celebrating by offering nearby accommodation from just €320 (£290) per villa for a three night break.

Participating museums, mostly grouped around the Museumplein on the south side of the city, will hold a number of special events over the weekend, including film screenings, guided tours, demonstrations, workshops and even treasure hunts for children. Many will also have extended opening hours.

Museums taking part in the scheme include Rijksmuseum, with its collection of Renaissance and medieval art, The Vincent Van Gogh museum, the NEMO science centre and the Dutch Resistance Museum that recreates the atmosphere of the streets of Amsterdam during the German occupation during World War II.

Sunparks Zandvoort aan zee is ideally located close to the vibrant capital but in a peaceful setting on the Dutch coast. Amsterdam is just thirty minutes away on the direct train from Zandvoort station and is a great option for families who want to leave the car behind to explore the city. As well as visiting the capital, guests at Sunparks Zandvoort aan zee can also cycle the local trails or relax in the village’s very own ‘Aquacinema.’ Children are well looked after with tennis and mini golf facilities, as well as an Aquafun water park on-site. The local beach at Zandvoort is also great for a family stroll. http://bit.ly/5afgUo

A three night break from the 9th – 12th April 2010 starts from €320 (£290) for a standard villa sleeping two people, or €369 (£335) for a family of four in a two bedroom exclusive villa. All villas come equipped with a kitchen and living area and an outdoor terrace.

Bookings can be made at http://www.sunparks.co.uk or by calling 0904 0110 011

About Sunparks
Sunparks offers eight comfortable and well-equipped holiday villages in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Sunparks is an all-weather holiday concept, with facilities for all ages and all seasons, including indoor and outdoor sports facilities; ‘Aquafun’ water parks; children’s play areas and numerous restaurants and cafés on-site. Sunparks is part of the Pierre & Vacances Group.

Each village also has a dedicated tourist information centre, the Tourist Guide, where village guests and online visitors can view the best tips and event listings for cultural, gastronomic, shopping and recreational activities in each region. These include hurtling across abandoned railway tracks on a rail bike in the Ardennes, racing in the Nurburgring, or trying beauty creams and sampling liqueurs made from horse milk in De Peel in Limburg. The Tourist Guide also provides a complete overview of special restaurants and cafés in the regions. For further information, please visit:
http://www.sunparks.co.uk/EN/GB/promotions/tourist_guide

BUILD A GREAT DAY OUT WITH LEGOLAND® DISCOVERY CENTRE
THE ULTIMATE FAMILY ATTRACTION OPENS IN THE NORTH WEST
THE GROWN UP builders have now cleared out and the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is looking spick and span and awaiting the arrival of children keen to start building their own LEGO® creations this Easter holidays.

Opening in Manchester on 22 March 2010, the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is a passport to a LEGO world of colour, creativity and fun.

The unique, indoor attraction featuring over two million LEGO bricks will open in the Trafford Centre’s Barton Square just in time for Easter.

Perfect for kids aged three to 12 years, the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is like jumping into a giant box of LEGO with a series of interactive features to immerse them into a world where their imagination can run wild with creative inspiration at every turn.

Featuring a whole host of exciting attractions from the LEGO City: Fire Station to an amazing recreation of the North West’s most iconic buildings, the centre will not only provide fun for LEGO fans young and old, but fantastic educational benefits too.

On entering the centre kids will be taken on a LEGO Factory tour, which will reveal the secrets of how the famous bricks are made. Some components of the machinery will also be missing and will require help of the children to create new LEGO bricks.

A fantastic MINILAND will include all of the iconic landmarks from the north of England including The Trafford Centre, Blackpool Illuminations, Peak District and the world famous Coronation Street cobbles. Visitors will be encouraged to make their own versions of MINILAND, which can even be tested on an earthquake machine to see how their structure would stand up if an earthquake was to suddenly strike in Manchester!

Kingdom Quest, an interactive LEGO laser ride, will offer the chance for kids to battle with trolls and skeletons to free the beautiful princess or they can feel part of the story in LEGO Studios - the 4D cinema where the wind will rush around their feet and LEGO bricks will fly around towards their heads.

The master model builder, interviewed for the job by children from Manchester, will teach all visitors top tips on to how to build the best models. Celebrations can be made even more memorable in one of the special party rooms, which can be personally themed to create the ultimate birthday party celebration!

Other features of the attraction include a LEGO Racers build and test track, LEGO Belville area - a DUPLO Village featuring a soft play section, plus a café to ensure your batteries remain fully charged, and a shop featuring a fantastic range of LEGO products.

Neil Crittenden, General Manager of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Manchester said:
“The Manchester LEGOLAND Discovery Centre will be the first in the UK and the best so far. We are very excited about the launch as it has taken a huge team to get the Centre ready. The Centre is just asking to be played with so we look forward to welcoming all LEGO fans, both young and old.”
The centre will involve just one entry fee, with all attractions included in the cost. Tickets for the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre will cost from £9.30 and are now available - call 0871 222 2662 to book.

The Centre is open from 10am seven days a week. Closing times vary from 5pm – see http://www.legolanddiscoverycentre.co.uk/ for details.

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