Blogs for August 2015

Top 10 Things To Do On A Rainy Day at Flambards

Posted on Thursday 20th August, 2015

Don't let the weather forecast get you down!  There's absolutely loads of activities to do at Flambards - rain or shine!  But if it's going to be wet then here's our top ten things to do!

1. Victorian Village - at number one has to be the Flambards Victorian Village which creates the atmosphere of bustling streets and alleyways.  Over 50 different shops and domestic situations are authentically recreated with thousands of genuine artefacts and ‘populated’ by very realistic life-sized models of people and animals going about their daily business.  Step back in time and see history come alive!  The attention to detail is incredible and you can discover everything from the village stores, bakers to the dressmaker and dairy, the dentist to the tobacconist - there's even below stairs view of life including the busy kitchen.

2. Britain in the Blitz - a life-size re-creation interpreting war-time.  Hear the air raid sirens and literally feel the floor shake as another bomb hits the target.  A visit will illustrate what life was like on the Home Front.  Peep in to a wartime kitchen, a classroom and an evocative railway platform scene showing children evacuating.  There’ a series of letters to home from children evacuated to Cornwall to escape the threat of bombs.

 

3. Chemist Time Capsule - Discover the world of William White, a pharmacist who lived and worked in Somerset.  When he died in 1909, the shop was boarded up by his son who wasn’t qualified to dispense drugs, the shop remained untouched for more than 80 years.  The walls are lined with medicine bottles, apothecary jars, quartz carboys, demijohns, pill dispensers and mortars and pestles.  This whole shop was carefully installed to Flambards as it was – lock, stock and cobweb!

4. Entertainment on Flambards indoor centre stage - loads for kids every day with Ferdi the Fox entertainments schedule, enjoy everything from magic shows and dance workshops- check the daily schedule for who's appearing when!

5. Hands on science - discover an array of hands on science activities including laser maze and disorientation tunnel.

6. Indoor Play - The Cool Zone & Sea Legs Soft Play - fun for little ones in the indoor play areas - lots of room for parents to sit and chill out too.

 

7. Wild Entertainment – Get up close to wild animals in The Creepy Crawly Show or test yourself with our new Bush Tucker Bug Challenges. Check the weekly schedule for dates and times.

8. Concorde - There's loads more indoor exhibitions including a simulation of Concorde, The War Gallery and Pioneers of Flight - there's even a display of historic wedding dresses including one made from parachute material!

9. Space race - dare you go on the indoor 'dark' ride - journey into the unknown for thrill-seekers.

 

10.  Colorado log flume - well it's wet so you may as well get even wetter!

Flambards - the best day of the week - whatever the weather!  

Plus there's a free 7 day return offer.

www.flambards.co.uk

Angelo the Bateleur Eagle at Paradise Park in Hayle

Posted on Wednesday 19th August, 2015

Curator David Woolcock comments “ Angelo is only one year old and so still has his juvenile colouring. It will take 7 to 8 years for him to fully mature by which time he will look quite different, with mainly black plumage and red facial skin. Since his arrival here at the park back in January we have been training him and now he is able to take part in our 12noon Eagles of Paradise Display. It is a popular daily event as some of the birds fly very close to the crowd, with fantastic photo opportunities.”

The Bateleur is a snake hunting eagle. Bateleur In French means ‘tumbler’ like a circus acrobat, and this comes from the birds’ aerial acrobatics including turning somersaults high the sky and taking dramatic dives.

It has been classified as Near Threatened due to habitat loss, pesticide, international trade and nest disturbance. Decline has been noted over the past three generations but it is reasonably common in conservation areas.

Planning your holiday car journey to avoid the jams

Posted on Wednesday 5th August, 2015

Planning your holiday car journey to avoid the jams

For most families the summer holiday will start and end with a car journey. And you won’t be the only ones on the road.  It can seem like everyone is heading in the same direction at the same time.  T

According to a recent internet survey by Highways England almost 60 per cent of holidaymakers said they would be travelling on a Friday or Saturday. At peak getaway times there can be 4,000 vehicles an hour heading down the M5 through Somerset, over 5,000 an hour leaving London via the M3, 4,000 an hour making their way up the M6 towards the Lake District and a steady 2,500 on the M20 towards the Channel Tunnel and Dover ferries. These aren’t the only busy routes either as people head for the beaches and other tourist destinations every summer.

When is the best time to set off?

As well as planning the route, make sure you know how long the journey will take. Then give yourself plenty of time, allowing for when the roads might be busy and a break every two hours.

For longer journeys (and especially with young kids) plan a bigger break: a lunch stop, somewhere with a playground perhaps, or even a mid-way tourist destination to make the journey feel even more like part of the holiday.

It may be easier said than done, but decide what time you need to set off and do your best to leave on time.

An earlier or later start could help you avoid some of the crowded roads. Think about arriving outside the early evening peak, then work your timings back from that.

Final checks

A few basic checks before you set off such as tyre pressures, engine oil, radiator coolant and making sure you’ve enough fuel can reduce the risk of breakdown (or worse) spoiling the first day of your holiday.

If you’re using a roof rack or bike rack make sure everything is well and truly secured. If anything falls off it’s inconvenient to you and very dangerous for the traffic behind.

Wherever you travel there will unfortunately always be a risk of traffic incidents causing unexpected delays. Most journeys are problem-free, but it’s not a bad idea to build in a safety margin if you have a critical deadline such as a flight or ferry to catch.  Remember too that any incident will have a greater effect on traffic if the roads are already busy.

You can check the live traffic situation for England’s motorways and major A-roads before you set off at www.trafficengland.com. Then keep up to date via the car radio, mobile traffic services (as long as you’re not driving) and digital information screens in motorway service areas.

Check the weather forecast too.  A hot car can make the driver more tired (and little passengers more irritable), so pack cold drinks and allow more frequent breaks. Wet and windy weather on the other hand will slow down traffic and increase the risk of incidents.
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You can find more journey planning information, traffic and weather forecasts on the website www.metoffice.gov.uk/summerhighways

 

Summer Fireworks at Flambards

Posted on Tuesday 4th August, 2015

Don’t miss Flambards Famous Fireworks displays this August! On Wednesday 12, 19 & 26 August the iconic fireworks will be lighting up the sky over the Theme Park.

On 12 & 26 August Flava and the Big Dance Company with be headlining the Fireworks event and will be performing throughout the day from 12pm.

The Cornish hip hop troupe will be hosting dance workshop and flashmobs keeping everyone entertained before their big show in the evening.

Flava are a group of talented 17-24 year olds, born and raised in the county, before taking the nation’s televisions by storm in 2008 as they reached the live semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent. Since then they have toured all around the world and featured on national television promoting their own unique brand of hip hop cool.

Fiona Richardson, Big Dance Company, says “What a great opportunity for our talented young dancers from Cornwall to entertain in their home turf. We perform all over the country and it is such a treat to be featured in the programme of Cornwall is treasured flambards theme park.

“We were overwhelmed with the huge crowds that came to watch last summer and the atmosphere was electric!!! Our dancers were buzzing after their performance and we’re looking forward to showcasing some new routines and some surprises!

Entertainment Coordinator Dean Woods says, “We are really excited for the Big Dance Company to return adding a contemporary and interactive experience to our entertainment programme at Flambards. Everyone loves Ferdi and fireworks on a Wednesday but adding music and dance makes for a memorable day – and night!”

Concluding the fabulous evenings will be Flambards famous fireworks which start at 9.20pm, 9.10pm and 9pm respectively. 

Flambards will open at 10am, rides and attractions will close down from 8pm ready for the fireworks at dusk.

The full event schedule can be found at www.flambards.co.uk

FIREWORKS

Wednesday 12th August – Last Admission 6.30 with Fireworks at dusk approximately 9.20pm

Wednesday 19th August  - Last Admission 6.30pm with Fireworks at dusk approximately 9.10pm

Wednesday 26th August – Last Admission 6.30pm with Fireworks at dusk approximately 9.00pm

Holiday car journeys: how to arrive happy!

Posted on Saturday 1st August, 2015

Holiday car journeys: how to arrive happy!

Here are five tips from Highways England to help you get your holiday off to a good start. 

☼  Don’t break down!

You need your car to get you there safely. Just a few basic checks such as tyre pressures, engine oil, radiator coolant and making sure you’ve enough fuel can reduce the risk of breakdown (or worse) spoiling the first day of your holiday.

☼  Journey timing

As well as planning the route, make sure you know how long the journey will take. Then give yourself plenty of time, allowing for when the roads might be busy and a break every two hours.

For longer journeys (and especially with young kids) plan a bigger break: a lunch stop, somewhere with a playground perhaps, or even a mid-way tourist destination to make the journey feel even more like part of the holiday.

It may be easier said than done, but decide what time you need to set off and do your best to leave on time.

Wherever you travel there will unfortunately always be a risk of traffic incidents causing unexpected delays. Most journeys are problem-free, but it’s not a bad idea to build in a safety margin if you have a critical deadline such as a flight or ferry to catch.  Remember too that any incident will have a greater effect on traffic if the roads are already busy.

You can check the live traffic situation for England’s motorways and major A-roads before you set off at www.trafficengland.com. Then keep up to date via the car radio, mobile traffic services (as long as you’re not driving) and digital information screens in motorway service areas.

☼  Packing and racking

Four out of five families say they get their packing done the night before and most make themselves a list of things to take. But it’s often those last minute items you almost forgot that can make you late setting off!

You might not want to pack the car itself the night before (especially if it’s left outside overnight), so pack loose items into foldable crates or boxes that can be quickly lifted into the car in the morning.

If you’re using a roof rack or bike rack for the first time, have a practice before departure day. Then make sure everything is well and truly secured. If anything falls off it’s inconvenient to you and very dangerous for the traffic behind.

☼  Sunshine all the way?

Let’s hope so! Remember though: a hot car can make the driver more tired (and little passengers more irritable), so pack cold drinks and allow more frequent breaks. Wet and windy weather on the other hand will slow down traffic and increase the risk of incidents.

Check the weather forecast so you know what to expect. It also means you’ll know whether to have the swimsuits or rain macs handy for when you arrive! 

☼  Make it fun!

Most holiday car journeys are over three hours and almost a quarter are over five hours long. That’s a long time for anyone, but especially for excited children.

Long car journeys don’t have to be boring though. Make sure the kids have a supply of games, toys, comics etc. You can also play story-time CDs, family word games, I-spy, number plate bingo or even sing songs!  Yes, a survey by Highways England found 23 percent turned their holiday journey into a family sing-along for at least part of the way.

You can find more journey planning information, traffic and weather forecasts on the website www.metoffice.gov.uk/summerhighways

Highways England patrols and control rooms will be working round the clock to help keep the motorways and major A roads as clear as possible during the holiday getaway and, rest assured, they will be on hand in the event of an incident or congestion our to help get traffic moving again.

You can help too by preparing your vehicle. A breakdown, collision, overturned caravan or insecure roof rack that closes a single lane for just half an hour can delay as many as 2,000 other families heading off on their holiday.