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?

Dragon Hunt at Hylands Park

One of the things I enjoy about having children is being able to revisit all of the places of my childhood. Having grown up in Chelmsford, I have many fond memories of Hylands Park. Childhood walks, picnics with friends after my GCSE's and of course, before they really hit the big time, the 1994 Take That concert*! 

Since Chelmsford became a City and V Festival proved that Hylands Park can handle large scale events, there have been many changes to the Park to make it even more accessible to families. There are ongoing changes to the play equipment as the team have responded to feedback and there has been an increase in specific events for families. 

Entertainment by Arthur, his Queen and Lancelot

This weekend I was invited to review one of these events, the Dragon Hunt. The Dragon Hunt is now in it's second sell-out year but with the forecast of rain and a last minute change in the plans to accommodate the rain, I wasn't sure of what to expect. 

One of the clues! 

On arrival we were greeted by the King and Queen and given our 'Quest'. After the dragon had stolen the princess he had left clues dotted around the park and we had to find letters and solve the riddles in order to reveal the password that would let us into see the Princess. There was a nice mix of easy clues for the younger one and more difficult clues to make the adults think! The clues followed a circular route near to the house and it was a good way for the children to burn off some of the chocolate excess from the morning. There were just enough clues to keep you occupied for an hour before going into see the Dragon. 

Waiting for the Dragon!

The Dragon was to be found in the Pavilion next to the house and, after a short queue to get in, all the children were seated in a large U shape to await the Dragon. The actors were really good at reassuring the children that the Dragon was a friendly dragon and not one who should be slain!  I think this was a really nice thing to do as there could easily have been some very scared children in the audience. Everyone (who wanted to) could pet the Dragon and care was taken to ensure that everyone had equal opportunity to meet the Dragon. The Dragon was fantastic, breathing smoke and gently roaring as she made her way around the crowd. Her owner had also brought along the Dragon's egg and everyone got a chance to stroke the egg and encourage the baby dragon out! After the Dragon left, the actors entertained the audience with a story. 

Up close with the Dragon 

It was such a shame about the weather as it would have been lovely to take a picnic and make more of a day of it. The inflatables that would normally accompany the event had also had to be postponed until the next day. However it was a fantastic event and we will be going again next year - well done Hylands Park!  

The next event at Hylands Park will be the Boys Toys event on Father's Day 21st June. From what I've read so far - it's not to be missed! Tickets are on sale now. 

*I know I went this concert and wanted to prove it with a photo but Google has failed me this time! Mind you this well before the internet and social media had taken off. If anyone has got any photos of what would be a very youthful Take That from the concert I would love to see them!