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!)

Make, Do and Mend

Since taking over as editor of Mumsnet Chelmsford, I have been amazed at just how many small, independent, businesses are being run in and around Chelmsford. Some of them are run purely online, whilst others have taken the plunge and opened their very own bricks and mortar shops! 

One of the aims of Mumsnet Chelmsford is support all things Local and so this is the first in a new series of blog posts showcasing some of these businesses and their owners. First up is Hannah Elgie from Make, Do and Mend. Make Do and Mend has already gained a reputation for running a wide range of creative and craft workshops & classes. 

And I highly recommend the courses, but they should come with a warning - you may become obsessed! Two years ago I took a beginners patchwork course at Make, Do and Mend and produced my very own pincushion. The course was the beginning of my (journey) in patchwork and I’ve since made several patchwork quilts. There is another one I’m currently working on and a huge bag of my favourite baby clothes that I’m planning on turning into a quilt (just need to be 100% sure that I’m finished having children before I can bare to cut them all up!). And it’s probably best not to mention the huge stash of fabric that D has no idea is currently living in the loft!

My most recently finished quilt.

So having met Hannah through the newly formed New City Girls Women’s Institute group (more on this later in the year!) I asked her a few questions about Make, Do and Mend...

1. What qualifications and experience led you to open Make, Do and Mend?

I did an Art Foundation course, then a BA in Photographic Arts, but really my experience is probably through sewing with my mum from when I was a very young child.

2. What’s the idea behind Make, Do and Mend?

The idea behind Make, Do & Mend is to promote the traditional crafts that are at risk of being lost in our busy modern times.

3. How long did the idea take to become a reality?

Not long, I just did it (I can be quite impulsive!). After the beginning of our knitting club, which is where it all began, it took about 6 months to set up.

4. Why did you choose Chelmsford to open Make, Do and Mend?

Well I moved here from London for love! I wanted to connect with my local community, and noticed there was a gap in the market in Chelmsford.

5. What is your favourite part of running your own business?

The look on peoples faces when they leave the shop having created something new, developed a new skill, had a lovely time learning in a friendly happy environment.

6. How have you found combining being a parent and running Make, Do and Mend?

It is the hardest thing I have ever done! I would never have been able to do it without my amazing friend and brilliant colleague Hayley. Through the help and support of my family it has got easier as Beatrice has got older and more independent.

7. What’s next for Make, Do and Mend?

We hope to continue working with some fantastic tutors & as you may have heard, we have the lovely Chinelo Bally from the Great British Sewing Bee coming to teach workshops here, which is very exciting! Our repertoire of workshops is always expanding and we are always making room for more haberdashery items, wool and fabric. We are also hoping to be involved in the Essex Business Excellence Awards.

8. And finally, what’s your favourite biscuit? (For those of you who aren’t regulars on the main Mumsnet site, this question has been asked in all interviews ever since Gordon Brown famously refused to answer the question!)

 A simple and humble custard cream! 

To find out more about the courses and workshops being run by Hannah at Make, Do and Mend see here.

Are you a local business owner? If you would like to find out more about appearing as part of this series please contact me.

Diggerland in Kent

We were invited to along to review Diggerland in Kent and, being obsessed with anything construction related, T was very excited. Diggerland opens at 10am and we arrived shortly after that. (It’s just under an hour’s drive from Chelmsford). The Diggerland website promises to be 'the UK's most unique attraction where children and adults have the chance to ride and drive REAL full size construction machinery, under the guidance of our trained staff - no driving licence required!'

I would definitely recommend arriving earlier in the day as it meant that we were able to go on some of the rides before any queues built up. The park was smaller than I have expected but there was more than enough to keep us occupied for the day. 

All of the rides have a height minimum; some have a minimum of 80cm whilst others have a minimum of 1m and some rides have different minimums for drivers and riders, so adults can go on some of the rides with their children. All the rides and their height requirements are available on the Diggerland website and you are strongly advised to check this before visiting as, although children under 90cm gain free entry, they are restricted on the rides that are available to them. Staff are vigilant in checking heights of children before allowing them to ride too. 

But you really do get to ride on the diggers! I was surprised at the size of some of the diggers that we were allowed to use and to drive. Obviously they have restricted the speeds of the machines but this really didn't detract from the enjoyment of the ride. Being completely honest, I am not that interested in diggers, but even I felt a huge sense of accomplishment as I drove a dumper truck round a track and managed not to bump into anything! They are also much more difficult to drive than you think. The vehicles have a huge number of buttons and levers and even with just one or two levers to control it still took a lot more concentration than I had anticipated. 

There were other vehicles (I really should know the different names after spending a whole day on them - if you know the names of them please let me know and I will amend this post) that didn't move but you could use the levers on these ones to use the front loader (I did learn something!) to knock down skittles or to find buried treasure. We could take L (over 80cms) on these ones and  it turned into a bit of a race between two teams to see who could knock down the skittles fastest! Again it was much harder than it looked. 

We could also all go on the Tractor train ride around the park and L loved this. The train ride was interesting as we got to see the part of the park where the 'Diggerland Experiences' take place. On the day we were visiting there was some JCB racing going on and it was watching this that I realised the speed limit that had been applied to some of the other vehicles. JCB racing did not appear to be for the faint hearted! Other experiences offered by Diggerland include using a giant excavator and JCB's. They also host birthday parties for children. 

Alongside the rides there were is also a small climbing frame, a soft play area with arcade machines. and a restaurant, where we had lunch. The food was of reasonable quality and was good value for money. It is worth noting, however, that there are a number of coin operated toys and rides at Diggerland that are not included in the entry price, the dodgems being one of these. 

Another big positive of the day was that the staff in all areas of Diggerland were very polite, friendly and really looked as though they were enjoying their jobs.

Diggerland is now open for everyday through the summer. It is open rain or shine so if you know that rain is expected make sure you’ve got your wellies and rain macs! 

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?

Win a Family Ticket to Latitude!

Mumsnet Suffolk has organised a fantastic competition to win 2 x Latitude weekend tickets (adult) and up to 3 x Latitude weekend tickets (child) in conjunction with Latitude Festival - the most family friendly and eclectic of all, held in the beautiful surroundings of Henham Park close the the famous Suffolk Heritage Coastline.

Latitude was names the Best Family Festival of 2012 and has a huge array of family-friendly activities available for children and parents alike from Thursday 17th to Sunday 20th of July 2014.

Arranged around the banks of the central Latitude lake is the incredible Kids Area, where children are entertained all day and into the night with everything from pond dipping and star gazing to crafting funky headdresses, French knitting and pizza making workshops, to sticker art, sculpting willow branches and giant model making.

There’s also theatre to watch and take part in, including a performance of The National Theatre’s The Cat in the Hat! Books play a key part for Latitude Kids with Suffolk Libraries and Macmillan’s Children’s Books bringing along The Gruffalo! A real hive of activity, it’s the place where children never want to leave and parents wish they could stay!

The Inbetweeners’ Teen Area is for kids who may be too old for the Kids Area, but still want to get involved. Teenagers can enjoy taking part in music, media, fashion and technology workshops, or tackle wildlife survival skills and assault courses suspended in the trees.

In terms of accommodation, families can choose to stay in the Family Campsite where like-minded people, early morning activities such as Family Yoga and face painting and easy access to the Kids Area are guaranteed.

Family, teen and child tickets are on sale now!

TO ENTER THIS BRILLIANT COMPETITION CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

Enter here.

"Which theatre company is putting on The Cat in the Hat at Latitude Festival?"

The competition will run from Wednesday June 25th to Midnight on Tuesday July 7th 2014.

Terms and Conditions

The editors decision is final.

NB child tickets are for ages 5 – 12 (parents can of course bring small children under 5 free), so teens won’t qualify for the free child tickets but could go under one of the adult tickets.

The editor retains the right to redraw the prize should the winners fail to respond to our email within 36 hours of the competitions end date.