T20 Cricket at Essex County Cricket Ground

In 2003 the England and Wales Cricket Board, faced with dwindling crowds and reduced sponsorship of the game, were looking at ways to boost the popularity of cricket with the younger generation.  The intention was to develop fast-paced, exciting cricket to fans who had been put off by longer versions of the game. (This was certainly true for my brothers who aged 8 and 10 had gone to a cricket game with my dad and had to be picked up 3 hours later because they were bored!

The solution was Twenty20 or T20 as it usually shortened to. It is a much shorter version of the game with a maximum of only 20 overs for each team, contrasting with 50 overs for a standard one-day match. A game can therefore be completed in about three hours rather than over a whole day (or days in the case of Test cricket) and many of the games are played in the early evening. This has obvious appeal for families and young people. 

And it has been incrediably successful, revitalising the game of cricket not just in the UK, but worldwide. There is a T20 cup held in England every year, the T20 Natwest Blast, and the T20 World cup is held every two years. This increased interest in cricket at the Twenty20 level has also been credited for increasing the popularity of One day and Test cricket. 

But is it really family friendly? Would our 3.5 year old really enjoy it? The only way to find out was to go along to Essex County Cricket Ground to find out! We went to see the Essex Eagles versus Hampshire and with Essex wanting to maintain their top spot in the South League and Hampshire hoping to reach the second spot and a chance in the quarter finals, it was sure to be a great match.

The atmosphere on arrival was fantastic. Music filled the cricket ground and our seats were easy to find thanks to the really friendly staff. We had taken along a picnic, but food was available at the ground. Friends of ours highly recommended the hotdogs! The bar was also open, much to D's delight. 

 Now I've never actually been to any form of live cricket game before this match so I didn't have anything to compare it to but, having seen Test match cricket on the TV, I was surprised at just how fast paced the game was. With only 20 over in which to achieve the highest score, players attack the ball rather than playing more defensively as they do in longer matches. The boundaries are also shorter in a T20 game and this obviously leads to an increased likehood of the exciting 4 and 6 run scores. Umpires can also penalise teams if they feel that they are wasting time. 

This fast paced game meant that T didn't get bored as there was always movement on the pitch. There were also a lot of other families at the game so weren't made to feel uncomfortable if your child did get up and wander around to have a look at something else that was going on. Cheering, singing and general noise was also encouraged so again it didn't matter if you had a particularly noisy child with you! The Essex mascots, Eddie the Eagle and Ellie the Eagle also made an appearance. 

Unfortunately Essex lost but we still had a fantastic time. I would highly recommend T20 at Essex County Cricket Ground. Families and children were made to feel really welcome and the game itself appeals to all ages from 3 upwards. T really enjoyed himself and I am looking forward to next year's season already!

T20 games at Essex County Cricket Ground are frequently sold out at least a week before so it is highly recommended that tickets are brought in advance. 

(Disclaimer - most technical knowledge of the T20 game must be attributed to D!)

Boys Toys Review

The hugely popular Boys Toys event was held last month and, whilst I was hugely disappointed at not being able to attend, one of our lovely Chelmsford Mumsnetters went on my behalf to write this review:

"Whilst our group could be considered by some to have the incorrect male/female ratio for this event, my daughter (age 3) and I are petrol heads and it was only for the want of maternity leathers and decent motorcycle child seats that I ceased my blossoming motorcycle adventures. My husband is a fan of musical theatre but takes a good piccie so we let him come along too.

We arrived as the gates opened and were the first on the Hylands' Heavy Horse and Carriage ride. Great for toddlers and we were allowed up close to our steed (Joe) for photos after. This was instrumental in my daughter's rehabilitation after witnessing my husband being bitten by a wild horse in a freak carrot incident in February. 

We had just enough time to stroll over to the aerial display area, where we saw the Supermarine Spitfire perform numerous fly overs and stunts. It was stunning to watch the vertical climb in particular. Sadly, due to the weather, the Spitfire had to return to North Weald rather than land at Hylands. After a run of scorching days, this day was rather overcast- it was a shame but the weather didn't impinge on any of the other attractions. The helicopter rides carried on throughout the day. 

Our little unit then went to watch the first of the three extreme stunt shows scheduled. We saw cars driving on two wheels, quad bikes leaping and stunt BMX bikes interspersed with the odd flaming circle. A great show and obviously years' of experience in the creation. I would suggest that you arrive ten minutes early because it does get three deep around the barriers which, if you are 2 metres' tall (or have a Daddy who is) doesn't prove problematic but mere mortals like me had to jostle a bit for a good view. This is probably testament to the show's popularity which is well deserved. We found ear defenders very useful at this show. 

The event has plenty to attract the under 5's- as well as the older child/bloke (excuse my bias- it is based on our group's composition). There was an entire area given over to free inflatables, a number of kiddy friendly rides and lots to look at in the display arena. I did harp on hubby to have a go on the hovercraft ride but he wimped out- there were a number of stands and displays including jetskis and the Essex Advanced Motorcyclists Group which he "hovered" lustfully over instead. 

This isn't a place to go and eat at if you're on a diet. Very lad orientated- fair enough! We settled on the German sausage offerings as the least "wurst" option. (Sorry) There were food stalls there that I recognised from the usual Hylands Farmers' Market which provided a contrast to the fried fodder though. We would have liked to have stayed and watched more of the music but nap time beckoned."

The 3Foot People Festival

This week Chelmsford Cultual events very kindly invited me and T along to the 3Foot People festival. We really enjoyed the event last year and were excited to hear about the move from Central Park to the much larger venue at Hylands Park. The festival, the largest of its kind in the UK, has been growing in popularity every year and this year was a sell out weeks before the event. 

A Cardboard Castle

I think the move to Hylands Park was a hugely successful one. With more space, the set up of the various tents and activities seemed to flow much more naturally through the different zones and it was much easier to find things as they were stated on the map. There was also so much more space for families to sit down, have picnics and generally enjoy the atmosphere. More space also meant that there were more options for food and drink in comparison with last year. I’d opted not to take a picnic purely because I didn’t have a buggy and didn’t want to carry anything! We enjoyed lunch in A-Canteen and I paid less than I thought I might have to and was pleased with the quality of the food. 

There was a larger range of things to do this year and even though we crammed a lot into one day, we certainly didn’t get to do everything. All of the usual baby and toddler classes were there giving taster sessions of their classes but there were plenty of activities that you wouldn’t normally get to do. It was also nice to see that some local charities were represented there. 

Highlights of the day included watching an Alien theatre show, which included huge amount of audience participation, playing with everyday objects at Natural Foundations, getting involved with the arts and crafts tent, crawling through cardboard tunnels in the Lightbox tent and of course getting T’s face painted. The face painters were fantastic and the dragon that T demanded was amazing. 

Dressing up!

Another positive change to this year was to the program given out on entry to the festival. The centre fold had a timetable of everything that was happening, which meant that it was much easier to see what was happening and to plan your day around some of the bigger events, like the the shows and story telling in the main tents. 

On a practical note, parking was easy and very well planned and marshalled. Queuing to get in did seem to be an issue but I think the introduction of sending out wrist bands with the tickets meant that the process was much quicker than it potential could have been. Toilets were plentiful and clean and there was no litter anywhere thanks to a team of staff who were regularly seen patrolling the event. 

(My only problem with the whole day was the cost of ice cream - £2 each seemed very expensive. But to be fair the ice creams were the same price at our recent trip to Diggerland)

A really fantastic event that made me proud to live in Chelmsford. Well done Chelmsford City Events - can’t wait for next year!

Chelmsford City Events are looking for feedback to make next year’s event even better. You can complete a feedback form here and be in with a chance to win a family ticket for 2015’s event. 

What was your favourite part of the 3Foot People Festival?

Boys Toys at Hylands Park

Boys Toys, the biggest Fathers Day event in Essex returns this year to Hylands Park and I've got a family ticket to give away! 

The Boys Toys event is being held at Hylands Park on 15th June 11am-8pm and there is something for everyone: 

• The Extreme Stunt Show:  running THREE DIFFERENT shows throughout the day. Whether you’re a fan of monster trucks, motorbikes, BMX or just general mayhem, the Extreme Stunt Show has it all.
• Helicopter flights
• Monster truck rides
• Live music
• Car displays
• archery, 
• inflatables, 
• giant robots
• laser clay pigeon shooting & much more..

However the highlight of the day will be the aerial display over Boys Toys by a Hawker Hurricane and a Supermarine Spitfire, both with their original engines. 

The world’s only Supermarine Spitfire MK XI is also set to land LIVE during the event. 

Event organisers from Hylands Estate, Chelmsford City Council, are thrilled to bring this unique attraction to Essex. They believe this truly is a world-wide, one-off opportunity for visitors to witness this once in a lifetime experience; to hear the engine roaring overhead, performing incredible showcasing manoeuvres before landing beside the event to join us for the day.  

A spokesperson from the Hylands Estate Events Team says “This has never been attempted before and the team are incredibly excited to be making history, right here in Chelmsford.”

To win a family ticket to this event click here 

For further information: http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/BoysToys

Colchester Zoo

I have always loved Colchester Zoo and seeing it again through my children’s eyes has been great. This was a bit of an impromptu visit, as we had nothing planned for the day. I had been considering getting annual passes, as they seem to work out cheaper if you plan to visit a lot, so I used this visit to make a decision. 

The Zoo opens at 9.30am everyday (apart from Christmas Day) and is only 30 minutes from us so we got there just after it opened. This worked really well as we were able to watch the red pandas getting their breakfast. The otters were also particularly lively!

There has been so much work done at the zoo recently to give the animals in their care the very best enclosures they can that the Zoo is very different to the zoo I visited as a child. The Sun Bears have recently moved into their new enclosure and work starts soon on the new home for the chimpanzees. The newly revamped Familiar Friends area also gives you a chance to get up close to wallabies. There are also different animal encounters throughout the day, letting you see the animals interact with their trainers and giving more information about the animals. My two loved the Sealion presentation and feeding the elephants. 

The Zoo is fantastic for families. A suggested route is given for those in wheelchairs and with buggys - just follow the yellow line!. There are plenty of toilets, including areas for baby changing, and all of the food outlets have the facility to warm milk or food. There is a soft play area and a huge outside play area near to the entrance to the zoo so there are lots of opportunities for the children to let off steam if they aren’t already tired from all the walking! Food outlets are dotted round the zoo and there are numerous picnic benches. You can leave the Zoo to get your picnic from your car but just make sure that you have got a stamp so that they will let back in! 

Colchester Zoo is a fantastic day out - in fact I’ve now got the Platinum Passes which give free entry for 2 years so we will definitely be going back! 

Information About The 3Foot People Festival 2014

Tickets go on sale this week for the UK’s largest event for preschool children! Following last year’s sell out success The 3foot People Festival returns for its ninth year and takes place from Tuesday 24 to Thursday 26 June at Hylands Park, Chelmsford. The Festival will welcome nearly 13,000 children and their carers. Exclusively for 0-5 year olds, the event features hundreds of activities to help stimulate curiosity, imagination and play. From 9am to 4pm each day, little people can enjoy a live music stage, arts and craft-making sessions, a giant sandpit, a mini farm, storytelling, and much more.   

The general release of tickets is on Wednesday 30 April (online from 7am and in person from 9am). Adult carers (aged 16 and over) £8.50, children aged 2 to 5 years £8.50 and under 2s (including babies) £3. Further details can be found at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/3foot, on Facebook or via Chelmsford Theatre Box Office. Please note that tickets always sell out very quickly and please remember that tickets will not be available on the gate so book early to avoid disappointment. There are no telephone sales available for The 3foot People Festival until Thursday 8 May.

There will be free parking onsite and dedicated buses running from the city centre directly to The 3foot People Festival. Bus tickets need to be bought in advance from the Festival box office or via the festival website. 

(Please note: The organisers are aware of a possible planned Teachers strike during the week of the event. Should this lead to school closures, any children aged 6-15 will not under any circumstances be permitted to enter the event.)

RHS Hyde Hall

Every so often the Royal Horticultural Society has a 'Free Day Friday' allowing free entrance to their gardens, including Hyde Hall in Rettendon.  So last month I took T (3) and L (16 months) along to explore the 360 acre estate. 

It was a dull and grey March day on our visit but we still had a lovely time. There were lots of scarecrows dotted around (they had been made during a previous family activity day) and T had a wonderful time running around them, looking at the differences between them, including a Darth Vader scarecrow! Being the middle of March there were very few flowers in bloom but I can imagine that the gardens would be stunning in full bloom. All of the flowers and trees are labelled so green fingered visitors can easily tell what they are looking at. The map you are given on entry clearly labels all the various areas of the estate, including the ponds, rose garden, beehives and vegetable plots. However T's favourite part was watching the digger at work!

I was surprised at how child friendly the gardens were. At the information desk there were maps with themed trails available and sheets to help children play I-spy as they walked round. We followed the main route around the gardens which, with a wide pavement, was very accessible for buggys and wheelchairs. There are some steeper paths and stairs but there was always an alternative route. There is a children's play area near the visitors centre, two toilet blocks (including a baby changing room) and the two restaurants have plenty of high chairs. With rain threatening on the day we visited the two restaurants were very busy but on a sunny day there is an outside courtyard with plenty of table and chairs. 

There are also lots of events for children and families throughout the year. The Little Acorns gardening club takes place every month for pre-schoolers, special themed events are planned during each school holiday and they even have a survival skills day planned on Father's Day.

I really would recommend Hyde Hall as a day out, especially for your pre-schoolers in term time. Under 5's get in free all year round and, even on a grey day, we were there almost three hours. 

Keep an eye on our Things To Do pages for the next Free Day Friday and other special events at Hyde Hall!