Kent & Medway

Acorn Dell at Hever Castle: A day in pictures

We were recently invited to the opening of a new play area for children under 7 at Hever Castle, which took place yesterday. This new playground, fittingly called Acorn Dell, blends in with the Tudor Towers play area. It continues the castle theme, with castellations featuring in both the play area and the seating area at the top. The natural aesthetic of the playground is fantastic and encourages children to use their imagination.

JB Gill, formerly of JLS, who presents Down on the Farm on CBeebies was the guest of honour to cut the blue ribbon before the playground was opened. His wife Chloe and 3 year-old son Ace also attended. Of course, the new playground needed some little testers! 

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Exploring Animals of the Ice Age at Howletts

Despite living in Kent all my life, I’ve never actually visited Howletts before. However, I was recently invited to visit and check out the new Animals of the Ice Age exhibit. Opened at Easter, this new attraction consists of a woodland walk in which there are life sized animals from the ice age to marvel at. It certainly provides yet another reason to visit Howletts for a family day out!

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Rochester Dickens Festival 2018

One of the reasons I love where I live is because I live on the doorstep of such a beautiful city, steeped in history. Rochester has major links to Charles Dickens, has a castle, an array of fantastic shops and is next to the River Medway. There are three major festivals during the year which I always enjoy, too. These are the Sweeps Festival, the Dickens Festival and the Dickensian Christmas Festival/Market. Last weekend was the Dickens Festival and we made sure we squeezed it into a super busy weekend.

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Review: The Copperfield Stonehouse pizza & carvery

Like many locals, I was intrigued when I found out that The Copperfield was changing from a Crown Carveries to a Stonehouse Pizza & Carvery. With its great location on Gravesend Road in Shorne, it’s a perfect meeting place for families like ours who are spread between Gravesham and the Medway towns. As such, I have visited many times over the years. Recently, I was delighted to be invited to visit the newly refurbished restaurant to sample the menu and write a review.

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A fun family Saturday in the sun in Broadstairs

Last week was so grey, cloudy and misty, I felt I really couldn’t take it anymore. When the weather is so gloomy, I find that it really affects my mood. When I read in the news that it was the longest London had been without a single hour of sunshine for 8 years, I couldn’t say I was surprised. However, the sun finally made an appearance on Saturday and we grasped the opportunity to make the most of it!

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