|
DELAMERE FOREST IS ROOTING FOR A TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS....
TAKE a trip
back to Christmas past at the Forestry Commission’s Delamere Forest
Park in Cheshire, this festive season.
Delamere Forest is one of the two largest Christmas tree outlets in
Britain and last year, a record 14,000 children visited Santa’s
Delamere Forest grotto.
From Monday the 1 December 2008, Delamere is offering visitors the
chance to enjoy a traditional old fashioned Christmas complete with
Christmas carols, real trees, wreaths and a magical woodland grotto.
People in Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire can choose from the
biggest selection of Christmas trees in the North West, including
around 8,000 fir, pine and spruce varieties, ranging in sizes of up
to 30 feet high. Forestry staff will also be on hand to give advice
on the best tree to buy and how to care for it.
Around 43,000 real Christmas trees are sold by the Forestry
Commission every year at its 21 Christmas tree sales centres around
the UK, and for every tree harvested, at least one other is planted.
Delamere Forest Manager, Vernon Stockton, says:- “Delamere
Forest offers the perfect antidote to the commercialism of modern
day Christmas. There’s such a lovely festive atmosphere in the
forest at this time of year and kids and adults alike can’t help but
feel Christmassy here.
It’s a great place to start Christmas and get in the mood for the
festive season ahead. Bring your walking boots or bike to make a
real day of it.”
A Santa's grotto will also be open at Whitefield Car Park every
weekend in December from 9am until 5pm, and weekdays from 3pm until
5pm.
The Christmas tree sales centre will open daily between 9am and 5pm
from Monday the 1st until Sunday the 21st of December. Late night
openings will be available on 11th and 12th until 8pm.
Hot food and drinks will also be available on site during opening
hours and there will be school bands and Christmas choirs joining in
the festive fun. This year’s official charity fundraiser is in aid
of the Neuromuscular Centre at Winsford.
Delamere Forest is packed with opportunities for walking, cycling
and horse riding. With more than 950 hectares of mixed deciduous and
evergreen forest, it’s the largest wooded area in Cheshire.
For more information on where to buy real Christmas trees in your
area, visit
forestry.gov.uk/northwestengland
and
forestry.gov.uk/christmas .
There’s also lots of tips about how to pick the perfect tree and
look after it, as well as Christmas tree traditions, forest walks,
bike rides and festive events.
How to keep real Christmas trees looking good:-
► Store in a cool place before bring the tree indoors
► Keep away from direct heat
► Cut half and inch off the stump and stand in a container full of
water
► Water regularly – a Christmas tree can ‘drink’ up to
a pint of water a day
Top tree facts:-
► The custom of putting up a decorated fir tree in your home at
Christmas began in Germany in the 17th century.
► Prince Albert made Christmas trees popular in Britain, when he
introduced them to England from Germany.
► Around six million trees are sold in Britain each year.
► The Forestry Commission provides around 43,000 trees each year
► Growing times: Pine (five years); Spruce (seven years); Noble Fir
(10 years).
► More than 90% of families put up a Christmas tree.
West Lancashire Light Railway Santa Specials - time is running out
for advance bookings
THE West
Lancashire Light Railway at Hesketh Bank is confidently expecting
Santa to appear on Sunday, 14 December, Saturday, 20 December, and
Sunday, 21 December 2008.
Two narrow gauge locomotives will be in
steam, hauling trains to Toyland where Santa will be waiting with
presents for the children.
Hot drinks, hot soup, and hot dogs will
be on sale in the engine shed. Trains run from 11.00 through the
afternoon, with a last scheduled departure at 4.30 and maybe one
more if needed.
Advance booking is not absolutely
essential, but is strongly recommended for this very popular event -
it ensure that you travel on the train of your choice and it's
cheaper!
Booking forms can be
downloaded from the railways website at:-
www.westlancs.org - or phone
Preston 815881 and leave your name and address on our answer phone -
or call at or phone the Railway on Sunday, 7 December 2008 or
Saturday, 13 December 2008 between 12 and 5pm. |
AVOID HOUSEBLING HAZARDS FOR A SAFE CHRISTMAS
LOVE it or
loathe it, if you haven’t embraced the ‘housebling’ phenomenon, the
chances are that your neighbours have with more than one in four
households set to decorate the outside of their homes this
Christmas, according to research from the Electrical Safety Council.
Whether indulging a few twinkling white icicles around doors and
windows or a full on festive light extravaganza that covers every
inch of brick, complete with flashing reindeer on the roof, if you
are adding some festive bling to your home, says the Electrical
Safety Council, make sure you do it safely.
Phil Buckle, Director of Charitable Affairs at the Electrical Safety
Council told the media that:- “Many people enjoy cheering up
the outside of their homes with festive lights in the run up to
Christmas but using electricity outdoors carries increased risks
because of the damp conditions. Our research also revealed that more
than 50% of people regularly leave their lights on for long periods
of time when they leave the house or go to bed, creating an
overheating hazard.
We want to encourage people to make some basic safety checks before
putting up their decorations this year to make sure they have a safe
and happy festive season.”
The first thing is to make sure your lights are designed
specifically for outdoor use. Christmas lights suitable for outdoor
use should display a ‘waterdrop’ symbol or IP Code on
the packaging. The higher the IP number the greater the protection.
To ensure that lights are safe for use outside they should have a
minimum ‘rain-proof’ or IPX3 rating.
The safest Christmas lights operate at extra low voltage (sometimes
described simply as ‘low voltage’ on the packaging)
significantly reducing the risk of electric shock, even if there is
a fault or the bulb breaks.
“Your Christmas lights have probably been stored away for the past
11 months so it’s important to check the wires and connections for
any signs of damage or wear and tear before putting them up. Broken
bulbs should be replaced to prevent overheating. But, any
damage to the cable or the light fittings is dangerous and the
lights should be disposed of and replaced with a new set.”
says Phil.
Lights should be connected to the electricity supply indoors via an
RCD protected socket so that if a fault does develop the power will
automatically cut out. If the wiring in your home isn’t RCD
protected you can buy plug-in (portable) RCDs from DIY outlets for
around £10.
The Electrical Safety Council also recommends the use of LED lights
over traditional filament bulbs. Not only do these use around 10 per
cent of the power of conventional lights; saving energy and money,
but they generate less heat and so reduce the risk of fire. LEDs are
also made of special plastic so there’s no worry about broken glass
bulbs either.
Phil added “Make sure you switch your lights off and unplug
them before you go out or go to bed; even Christmas lights need a
break.”
The Electrical Safety Council has a free leaflet about Christmas
light safety which can be obtained by phoning the consumer helpline
on 0870 040 0561 or downloaded from the
website.
In the meantime, the Electrical Safety Council has the following ten
advice tips:-
Never
1) use lights outdoors unless specifically designed for such use
2) connect different sets of lights together
3) remove or change bulbs while the chain is connected to the
electricity supply
4) overload sockets and try to avoid the use of extension leads or
adaptors
5) use or attempt to repair lights that are damaged or faulty –
replace them
Always
1) check that your Christmas lights are not damaged or broken before
use and look out for loose wires
2) ensure all outdoor lights are connected via a 30mA RCD protected
socket indoors. An RCD will provide added protection against
electric shock
3) replace failed bulbs as soon as possible to prevent overheating
4) use only replacement bulbs of the same type and rating as those
originally supplied with the lights
5) switch Christmas lights off and unplug them before you go out or
go to bed |
