I work for JB Pelham PR and we represent a new children’s book called Custard and Crayons with Polly and Jago. It contains recipes and fun, hands on activities set out in a tweleve month format. It celebrates all of the rituals that bind a family together ans well as the creative play so vital to childhood.

We’d love to send you a copy, so could you let me know your address?
Many thanks
Kara

We met many years ago on a cruise where you were working, and had your father with you for company. you were also pregnant.

I have a request and need to contact someone at the BBC about a documentary – are you able to help ?

Could you email me and I will give you full details of the cause.

It’s so good to see you are doing great, and Kate and I will pick up some of your articles and let you know what we think … hehe

I read your article on reining in presents for children’s parties and thought you might be interested to hear about a venture which I started with another Mum in 2001, when we were becoming increasingly concerned about the spiralling costs of children’s birthday presents and what effects all this extravagance was having on our kids’ expectations.

It’s called the Big Birthday Appeal and is quite a unique charity which aims to educate children to help other, less fortunate children, using birthdays as triggerpoints. We designed special, child-friendly stickers to be used in place of birthday cards at 50p each – ie much cheaper than a card – with all proceeds going to charity; the UK’s first charity wrapping paper and a host of other products, all designed to be ultra-convenient for mums.

To date, our committee of 10 mums (based in Manchester but now with offshoots in London) has raised £90,000 for children’s charities and has funded, for example, holidays for local kids whose special needs mean they would never normally have a holiday.

A big part of what we do is educating ‘normal’ kids to appreciate how fortunate they are and how important it is to help others. We believe that it’s crucial to convey this message as early as possible (before the rot sets in!) so we start at nursery age. We’ve taken older kids round local hospitals to hand out Christmas presents and taken them to a holiday camp we fund in Wales to see the kids with special needs who are on their only annual break. This comes as a real shock to children who are used to jetting off to Spain 3 times a year.

There’s loads more we’ve done but difficult to relay all in an email. If you’d like to know a bit more, I can pop a few samples of our charity products in the post so you can see for yourself – just drop me an email with your address.

Best regards,

Suzy Glaskie
……………………………………
Suzy Glaskie
Peppermint PR
T: 0161 941 4252
E: suzy@peppermintpr.com
W: http://www.peppermintpr.com

Peace & Happy
Ying

Houses for cyclists – is this a UK first and is there a market? George Ferguson and Sustrans think so….
Bristol has recently won a share of Cycling England’s £47 million pot to promote cycling and become the UK’s first Cycling Demonstration City. It is also set to become the first city in the UK to have dedicated cycle housing, conceived for cycle orientated families if preliminary designs get the go ahead from the City Council. The proposed cycle housing, which aims to meet Sustainability Code 5, open directly on to the UKs busiest cycle path which runs from Bristol to Bath. They are also part of an extensive mixed use regeneration project at the Elizabeth Shaw Chocolate Factory which borders the cycle path at Greenbank. Accessibility to the cycle path is a key part of the scheme, which also plans to include a cycle station, repair shop and café on the development.

Architects Acanthus Ferguson Mann are responsible for the development of the cycle house concept. George Ferguson who came up with the idea said, “The design is still evolving in consultation with Sustrans. The three bedroom, 3 to 4-storey homes will have dual aspect, but are designed to front on to the cycle path in contrast to the tradition of backing onto what was a railway line. We plan to use a palette of materials and colours that complement the site and natural environment of the cycle path”.

Developer Steve Storey of Squarepeg said, “We see this as potentially making a serious national contribution to the drive for sustainable housing and to the natural surveillance of the paths. The roof terraces create private outdoor spaces for families and there is a natural rhythm to the shape and style of the design which can be clad to suit any location. The sedum roof will also encourage wildlife, reinforcing the vision of an urban greenway.

The homes aim to meet high sustainability standards. So far, feedback on the cycle homes has been very positive. An exhibition to showcase the cycle houses and development is being held at The Pickle Factory, Easton on 18th/19th July.

How the devil are you? I guess I could write anything here but I’ll keep it to, Good to see you doing so well – 4 kids! Amazing.
Keep it up.
LOL
Tim

I read your article on Terence Conran’s Barton Court with interest as my own backside may have contributed to “a smell of smacked bottoms”! (para 5). I was a pupil there from 1957 to 1963, and can confirm that various forms of novel corporal punishment were rife. I boarded from the age of seven, although my parents only lived about three miles away. There is a wonderful story to tell about this strange short lived prep school, as it was run on lines which would not seem out of place in an Ealing comedy! I was actually very happy there for most of the time, although I did make two escape attempts, the second one only failing because the tunnel we dug came up directly under the master’s common room – a bit of an exageration, but there is an awful lot about Purton Stoke Preparatory School that would be just as unbelievable today. I do believe that there is good book in the pre-Conran era of Barton Court trying to get out and you are a pretty good, well established writer…..? Please get in touch if you would like to know more.