I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Collaborative posts · February 7, 2019

Aviva and Dorking Nursery School building a stronger community | AD

*This is a paid post

Aviva is committed to building stronger communities and one of the ways it implements this, is through the Aviva Community Fund. Now in its fourth year, the fund has awarded millions to projects up and down the country. Open to everyone, groups submit for much needed funding to be in with a chance of securing between £1,000 and £25,000.

Groups enter the Aviva Community Fund under three categories – environmental, health and wellbeing or skills for life. It’s then down to friends, family and supporters to vote for their cause – with a judging panel selecting the overall award winners. Those who were awarded 2018 funding have just been announced!

To find out more about the Aviva Community Fund and the difference it can make to real people in the local community I had the opportunity to visit Dorking Nursery School and Children’s Centre. The school has won funds two years running for different projects that they entered.

Dorking Nursery School and Children’s Centre is the only maintained nursery school in Dorking for children aged 2 to 5 years, which means it relies on government funding and continuous fundraising efforts by the school’s staff and parents to provide new equipment. Like many schools, it uses state funding for operational costs which leaves very little for improvements to the school’s facilities.

Last year, the school was awarded £1,000 from the Aviva Community Fund to improve the outdoor learning opportunities. Research has shown that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to a child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks. Therefore, increasing the sensory opportunities for children outside was a main goal of the project. I was lucky enough to see the outside space that the Dorking Nursery School and Children’s Centre has and the difference the funds have made to them.

I was blown away – I can tell how much time and effort has been put in to creating a learning environment that is as fulfilling and rewarding for children as possible. Everything is geared towards learning through play and as children all learn in such different ways, the school has created an outdoor space where every child will really develop and thrive. All the staff at the school are early years practitioners. They are all highly skilled and, by spending time with them, I could tell that they also really love their jobs and make a real difference to the children at the school.

The funds from last year’s Aviva Community Fund were used to build new ‘mud kitchens’ in the outdoor play areas which are a fantastic sensory experience, helping with fine motor skills and imaginative play, whilst teaching children more about the wider world.

They also used the funding to paint and maintain the outdoor areas, making sure everything was in good condition. They bought outdoor storage units to make learning accessible in the outdoor areas and used them to hold things like bug spotting sheets and magnifying glasses – enabling them carry out fun and educational activities for the children.

I really appreciated the chance to see what a difference the Aviva Community Fund makes, in enabling groups like this to build a stronger community. It really is so much more than just money and is something that I know so many fantastic causes could benefit from.

Make sure you check out the award winners of the Aviva Community Fund 2018 on https://at.aviva.uk/celebrate and don’t forget to encourage your local group to submit in the Aviva Community Fund 2019, expected to be open later this year.

#StrongerCommunities

In: Collaborative posts

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Comments

  1. Emily and Indiana says

    February 8, 2019 at 10:51 am

    This is such a fantastic idea, and I honestly had no idea it existed until today! Definitely going to head over and see what they’re supporting in my area x

    Reply
  2. Lyndsay Gardner says

    February 8, 2019 at 2:45 pm

    I’m such a big fan of the Aviva Community Fund initiative, I’ve visited a few of the projects it’s helped in Brighton and it’s made such a difference!

    Reply
  3. Madeline says

    February 9, 2019 at 2:17 pm

    This was so lovely to read, amazing how much they were able to do and how much it will all benefit the children. My children’s school actually were awarded funding this year to renew the outdoor learning spaces which is absolutely amazing!

    Reply
  4. Tom Briggs says

    February 11, 2019 at 10:29 am

    This initiative is a great idea. A worthy winner too – the kids look really happy. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Fiona Naughton says

    February 11, 2019 at 5:33 pm

    I love this! I’d have loved to have sent my boys to a nursery school like this. Well done to Aviva for supporting such worthwhile causes like this in communities.

    Reply

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Hi everyone! I'm Donna. Mummy. Blogger. Social Media Manager. Traveller. Lover of stars, rainbows and gin. Firm believer that tea and cake can fix most things.

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