Scunthorpe Editor

Don't Overlook Safety At Christmas!

scunthorpe@localparent.co.uk — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:19:34 GMT

Christmas is a fantastic time of the year for both young and old alike but today has made me realise how easy it could be to overlook the safety aspects of this festive holiday period.

Due to work/family commitments, I’m a little late in putting up our Christmas lights and trimmings this year. They are normally in place, flashing and twinkling away, keeping the kids amused and full of excitement until the eve that the ‘man in red’ comes to deliver his wares! Over the last few years it’s been a case of trying NOT to get frustrated with the kids ‘lending a hand’ and offering to untangle the miles of Christmas lights, attempting to hang the garlands WITHOUT the cat swinging from the other end, and tip-toeing around the floor trying to avoid that last drawing-pin that you dropped but cant find anywhere! So this year I decided to be sneaky and complete this job while the kids were at school!

Ahh, piece and quiet! I could work at my own pace, do it the way I wanted it, didn’t have to keep my eyes on the Christmas light strings, that inevitably get stood on when there’s kids around, and last but not least……felt calm and collective!

As a safety conscious person, I always check, double check and check again when it comes to any form of electrical fitting, especially having small children around, so away I went and checked all light sets BEFORE fitting them to the windows etc. All seemed fine and worked as they should. I checked the wires for breaks, cracks etc…… you know the story, cant be too careful! Everything went very well…………………… or so it seemed!
After completing the fitting, I plugged in the lights and stood back to admire my handy work. They looked fantastic, made me feel rather warm inside and couldn’t wait to see the kids faces when they returned from school. A few seconds after they had been turned on I started to hear a faint bubbling noise! Our Christmas Rope Light, that was bought new only last year, was developing a ‘bubble’ on one side of the control box. The plastic casing was starting to melt and the smell was horrendous. I couldn’t believe it, in fact it was quite scary to see sparks coming from the box and the ‘bubble’ growing bigger by the second!

This photo was the result of what had happened in approx 15 seconds! Just think what could happen in 5 or even 10 minutes!

Please, please, please enjoy your Christmas. I’m not posting this blog to scare anyone, I’m just hoping that it makes people more aware that some electrical items can and do fail, whether they are old or new. This Rope Light was also bought from a major retail chain, not a ‘pound shop’ or one of the ‘bargain basement’ shops and has been stored in a dry, safe box in one of our back bedrooms.

Here’s some advice from Lincolnshire County Council:

Please Click to view larger image.

So there we have it……………

Christmas is a great time of the year, lets all have a safe and happy one!

Christmas Lights In Lincolnshire

scunthorpe@localparent.co.uk — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:30:25 GMT

Yes, I admit it! I'm a big kid at heart when it comes to Christmas.

Sarz & I decided to take Dunk, Drew & Josh down to Church Square (Scunthorpe) to see the Christmas Lights being turned on. LincsFM Roadshow and the cast of Jack & The Beanstalk were on stage and there was a brief appearance by the news crew from BBC Look North. (I tried to get my face on TV but let's face it, at 5'4" small, I didn't stand a chance! LOL)

I've got to say, we all enjoyed it much more than last year as the weather was terrible. There seemed to be a very good crowd, which always adds to the festive spirit, although I feel the street traders always over-charge for the toys and flashy dummies etc. At £3 a toy it can soon work out an expensive evening, as we soon found out!

All in all, it was a great evening. We had a chance to do a bit of late night shopping, had fun with the kids, took a steady stroll through the High Street viewing all the different craft stalls and just to top it off.............FREE CAR PARKING TOO!!

We are now planning a trip to Barton Upon Humber this coming Saturday afternoon, (29th Nov) as they have Live Bands playing, magic shows, craft stalls and a Farmers Market until 3pm, amongst many other types of street entertainment. It looks like it's going to be well worth the journey to take a look around and, of course, catch another glimpse of Santa before the Big Day!!

P.S. Dont forget to check the EVENTS section to see where all the Christmas Entertainment Venues are in your local area!

A Family History To Be Proud Of!

scunthorpe@localparent.co.uk — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:58:03 GMT

As another Remembrance Sunday passes us by, it gives us a chance to recall the good of our past family members.

My mother has recently been trying to piece together our Family Tree and after many attempts to trace our ancestors she felt as though her efforts had come to an end. That is, until last week when she 'stumbled' upon someone on the Internet that was willing to help her. After only 2 days, she was back in touch with family from South Africa that have been looking for our family in the UK for many years. This has come as an enormous shock to us all as it also appears that we have relatives in New Zealand and America, those of whom are living in the Native American Choctaw Tribe!
Once we gather more information, we will gladly keep you all updated. I'm sure this is going to be a really interesting part of our lives, and of course, our children's lives.

Another piece of our family history that I would love to share with you all is the outstanding dedication that my Great Grandfather showed working for the NSPCC. I have managed to acquire a copy of the Certificate of Appreciation he received from the NSPCC for nearly 30 years service as Chief Inspector and the Newspaper Article announcing his retirement.

It also transpires that he had a pet dog named 'Bruce' that performed with him on stage in front of children in order to raise hundreds of pounds for charity! As we all know, 'hundreds of pounds' way back in the 30's, 40's & 50's was an enormous amount of money! To this day we still have the Ebony Walking Stick that he used on stage but unfortunately nobody knows what happened to Bruce's Tophat.

As you can Imagine, I'm extremely proud of my Great Grandfather and feel that the caring and nurturing instincts within our family are still as strong today. Most of my childhood was spent growing up with short-term foster brothers & sisters, 15 to be precise! We had to endure some terrible sights and situations when taking these children into our care and helping them to transform their lives, but it was always for the good. These children have now grown up, some of them into parents themselves I guess.

I also dedicated 2 1/2 years of my time to North Lincolnshire Homestart as a voluntary home visitor. I found this extremely rewarding and would encourage anyone thinking of becoming a volunteer to contact their local office.

I am now running my own business as the Local Parent Editor for the North Lincolnshire Region. It is my hope that our family's dedication to local parents and their children will continue for many future generations and that our Family History will never die.

Playgrounds Or Play-Centres?

scunthorpe@localparent.co.uk — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 23:56:23 GMT

Are open air playgrounds the way of the future or could the money that's currently being injected into these
projects be more wisely spent?

"So What's It Like Being A Parent?"

scunthorpe@localparent.co.uk — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:25:03 GMT

A question asked by so many people, I really wonder what sort of answer they expect!

Let's face it, we all dream of the gurgling, giggling, bouncy bundles of joy that they are but if we are truly honest, it must be one of the most worrying developments of our adult lives. But never fear....... If I can get through the trials and tribulations, then anyone can!

Here's my story..........

I became a parent living in Scunthorpe when I was 25 years old and after my initial excitement of becoming a dad, it wasn't too long before the worries started.
"Was it fair of me to bring a child into a society that seemed so cruel at times?"
"Life has changed so much since I was a child, what hope is there for our children?"
"How are we to protect our children against crime & poverty?"
These were just some of the questions that worried me and have probably troubled may other parents too.

From the age of 2 years, I was raised on a remote Lincolnshire farm. Most of my childhood was spent growing up in a 'Natural Environment' which taught me how to fully appreciate what life offered. I learnt about how the changing seasons affected every part of our lives. The weeks running up to Winter was spent ensuring we had copious supplies of fuel (Coal & Logs) and food (Vegetables & Non Perishables) because we knew that when Winter came, we were 'cut off' from all towns and villages and it could be for weeks at a time! As children we also learnt of the dangers of farm machinery but at the same time became 'helping hands' when it was Harvest time or when the fields needed ploughing ready for the next seasons crops. We also helped when it came to feeding and caring for the herd of cows, ensuring there was plenty of dry straw bedding for their sheds for those cold winter months.

Looking back, the foundation of my worries should have been expected but I didn't really know what it was like to live in an urban area with bricks and mortar surrounding you, with so many people and unfamiliar faces passing you by without a spoken word. It almost felt as though everyone was 'missing out' of what life was truly about. After a few months of living in Scunthorpe, I then realised that it could be 'Me' that was 'missing out'. I was introduced to computers and IT, to the convenience of shops and community services, and it wasn't long before my 'worries' turned into a brand new chapter of my life. A journey of self discovery had started and it was exciting to say the least.

Reflecting back over my life has made me realise how Important it is to be a parent. If it wasn't for me, my children wouldn't be able to experience those feelings of 'change' in their lives, the excitement of 'self discovery' when trying something for the very first time or the satisfaction of making a difference to the lives of others around them. After all..... Who am I to deny others of such wonderful experiences?

So there we have it! That's what it's like for me being a parent! No matter what kind of childhood we were raised in, I'm sure we can all relate to how important it is that our children are given the right to learn, to grow and to experience those wonderful changes that life brings us every day.