Archived News - Children
Young Childrens' Interactive Musical Entertainment every Monday from June
Cha Char Chimps are a young childrens' interactive, musical entertainment show and they will be coming to Eaton Bray Village Hall every Monday from 8th June (except school holidays & 29th June when it's being used for something else).
From 10:30-11:30am. Mums, dads, grandparents, childminders all very welcome. No need to book, just turn up (£4 for 1 adult & child or £5 for a family). Drinks and cakes included in the refreshment break.
They have been running in Milton Keynes for 7 years and have noticed ladies travelling all the way from Dunstable, so we are coming over to your way now! Hope you enjoy it!
For more information, please see the Cha Char Chimps website.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Warns of Fancy Dress Fire Risk
Chief Fire Officer of Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Paul Fuller, is warning parents about the fire risk to children from fancy dress costumes. "These costumes are not covered by current children's clothing regulations," he says, "and the safety standard for them can be as little as a 'keep away from fire' label. This is not good enough and is putting children's lives at risk."
To raise awareness of the risk to children from dressing up costumes CFO Fuller has taken part in BBC TV's Watchdog with a segment of the show dedicated to the issue broadcast at 8pm on Thursday 14 May. The programme will show just how quickly some children's costumes burn if touched by a naked flame like a candle.
CFO Fuller is a trustee of the Children's Burns Trust, a charity that has become concerned by inadequate regulation of children's fancy dress clothing whose popularity has grown in recent years, partly sparked by film tie-ins with animated films and blockbuster action films.
Paul Fuller continues: "People do not realise just how quickly a princess costume will catch fire and the fire spread. The design of costumes, with flowing robes, capes or petticoats means they could easily catch fire from a candle or flame and swiftly engulf a child in flames.
"At the moment fancy dress costumes are not necessarily fire proofed or fire retardant. They are classified as toys, not clothes. Fire safety for toys is based on the ability of children to drop a burning teddy bear or doll or to run away from a burning play tent or wigwam. It often amounts to no more than having a 'keep away from fire' label on the package but you can't drop a burning costume or run away from it.
"Burn injuries are difficult to treat and once a child's skin has been burned it does not regain its flexibility and grow as the child does. This means a young burns survivor may have to endure years of painful surgery as they grow and develop.
"We are not asking for new legislation. We want fancy dress costumes to be included in same safety standards as children's nightclothes. It is a simple classification change from toys to clothes and will help protect our children from this preventable risk. We also want manufacturers to understand the risk and bring their costumes up to the standard of children's nightclothes.
"This is not a matter of cost, more expensive costumes are not necessarily safer. Parents should be aware that costumes do not meet the same safety standards as clothes. They should treat them as a high risk particularly around the open flames that you might find at Halloween, a birthday party or an outdoor barbeque."
New classes aim to keep kids fit and healthy
Fitkid aims to put the fun back into fitness through games involving physical activity and play, and helps children learn the importance of being fit and healthy - instead of eating junk food and sitting much of the time in front of a TV or games console.
Caroline, who is a mother and grandmother, and her instructors are qualified to a national standard and hold appropriate certificates.
There are around one million obese children under 16 years of age. The soaring rates have led to an increase in childhood type II diabetes and will lead to more cases of heart disease, osteoarthritis and some cancers.
If parents choose to ignore their children's expanding waist lines and allow them to be couch potatoes, at least one fifth of boys and one third of girls will be obese by 2020.
The British Medical Association recommends improved access to sport and recreation facilities within local communities, so Caroline and her team have launched the classes in Leighton Buzzard, Eaton Bray and Dunstable to encourage children, aged five and over, to feel motivated by the sessions and, most importantly, enjoy taking part in fitness activities.
Children who attend the club at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre or Eaton Bray Village Hall can achieve badges and certificates and other awards, including baseball caps and t-shirts, for their individual progress. Play is noncompetitive.
"All children are welcome - even the non-sporty ones," says Caroline, who lives in Totternhoe . "We want to show kids that fitness is fun."
Totternhoe Beavers tried out Caroline's session and put their new-found skills towards Health and Fitness badges.
Caroline is offering a free introductory Fitkid session for all children and parents who are interested in fun fitness. For more information call Caroline on 08445 606 432.
Source: Leighton Buzzard Observer, 23 January 2007