Katherine Jenkins to Sing National Anthem to Her Majesty the Queen at Opening event of diamond Jubilee Celebrations

THE 2012 INVESTEC DERBY FESTIVAL

 Katherine Jenkins, the multi-platinum selling mezzo-soprano will perform the national anthem to Her Majesty The Queen at the Investec Derby Festival 2012, which is the first engagement of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.  The prestigious event, held at the Epsom Downs Racecourse since 1780 takes place on Saturday 2 June and is expected to draw crowds of over 125,000, kicking off the British social season in style.

Jenkins, who has sold over 5 million records, enjoyed six number one albums in the classical charts and recently released her eighth album, ‘Daydream’, will sing alongside the band of HM Royal Marines at the first event Her Majesty The Queen will attend over the four day Diamond Jubilee festivities.

Having performed the national anthem at a host of world class sporting events including the Rugby World Cup, the FA Cup Final and Ashes Test Series, the Welsh 31-year-old will add the Investec Derby Festival to her list of accolades, an event widely referred to as ‘Britain’s Biggest Day Out’ which includes ‘The Greatest Flat Race in the World’. 

The Investec Derby Festival takes place over Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd June at Epsom Downs Racecourse. Grandstand tickets to the Investec Derby Festival start from £45 if purchased prior to the 1st May 2012. For further information and to book tickets please visit the website www.epsomdowns.co.uk or call Epsom Downs Racecourse on 0844 579 3004

 Only 10 Days until Museums at Night, UK’s Biggest Museum Festival

Don’t miss the UK’s biggest museum festival. In this Jubilee year it is a celebration of Britain’s diverse, fascinating and unusual heritage. Museums at Night 2012 starts on Friday 18^th May and sees over 450 venues stay open late across the weekend and host special events. Visit www.museumsatnight.co.uk for all details.

On the menu; cake ‘bake offs’, traditional pints, ‘live’ taxidermy, a world record attempt to ‘float’ Brunel’s SS Great Britain on the world’s biggest, lime scented jelly, sleepovers in haunted houses and Royal castles, nightclubs in museums run by artists, exclusive steam train rides through working steel mines, iconic photographers, whole city celebrations, Medieval garrisons, secret gardens, world war 2 bunkers, award winning authors, ghost tours, bat safaris, re-enactments, RAF cockpits, restored treasures, protesters and much, much more.

Available for interview about the event are: Lauren Laverne (BBC Radio 6 Music/ C4 Culture Show), Terry O’Neill (photographer), Polly Morgan (celebrated taxidermist), Bompas and Parr (Jellymongers), Simon Roberts (award-winning election photographer) and organisers of the event.

Don’t miss it – do something different with your weekend.

For details of all venues, events and activities visit www.museumsatnight.org.uk, where listings information will be updated right up until the weekend itself.

A child needs fostering every 22 minutes… it’s time to care

A child comes into care and needs a foster family every 22 hours, the Fostering Network has revealed today. This startling figure marks the start of this year’s national Foster Care Fortnight (May 14-27), which highlights the urgent need for more foster carers in the UK.

Industry data shows that 8,750 more foster carers are needed across the UK in 2012 to meet demand. A shortage of foster carers means some children have to live too far away from family and friends, and may also be split up from their brothers and sisters. Children with special needs are especially vulnerable, and their development and wellbeing may not be optimised without a caring family environment.

Credo Care is a fostering agency specialising exclusively in offering family homes to children who have disabilities. “For the vast majority of children, a foster home can provide the stability and support needed to secure a better future,” explains the organisation’s Founding Director, Roy Hipkiss.

“However as these figures show, there is still a great need for foster carers to come forward. Our specialism is placing children with autism, medical needs, physical disabilities and learning difficulties sectors, and within this sector, the need for foster families is even greater; there is a constant need to recruit new foster carers, and sadly a continual rise in the number of children coming into care. We hope that interested parties will find out more about becoming foster carers during Foster Care Fortnight.”

If you would like some more information on fostering a child with special needs, then please visit www.credocare.co.uk or call 01797 322226

Canada Water Culture Space

The Owl & the Pussycat

Follow Owl and Pussycat as they set out on the high seas with only some honey, money and a runcible spoon to help them find their way through a topsy-turvy world! An absurd hogwash of nonsense, silly songs, live music, babbling puppets and beautiful storytelling combine in this enchanting retelling of Lear’s classic poem. Saturday 12 May 2012, 2pm £7 or Family Ticket £24, 3+

 Red Riding Hood’s Magic Purse

A classic story told with a difference.  Favourite characters abound, an adventurous Red Riding Hood, an independent Granny (home at last from her trip round the world), and of course the wonderful, Wicked Wolf who plans to have “Grannie for lunch and Little Rosie for afternoon tea!” 

 Find out how Red Riding Hood’s Magic Purse saves the day in this delightful show. Rod-glove puppets and shadow theatre combined with original music and sounds bring this fabulous story to life. Saturday 19 May, 2pm £7 or Family Ticket £24 3+

Canada Water CultureSpace, CanadaWater Library, 21 SurreyQuays Road,LondonSE16 7AR Tube: CanadaWater, Surrey QuaysTrain:South Bermondsey 020 8692 4446 / www.thealbany.org.uk

Beautiful Buggy Walks: England

Wellies, Wheels and Wonderful Walks A new book featuring the very best buggy-friendly walks in England

Out today Beautiful Buggy Walks: England (www.beautifulbuggywalks.co.uk) is a new book from Punk Publishing (the company behind the Cool Camping and Wild Swimming titles), which promises to inspire new parents to don their wellies or walking boots and get out into the great outdoors with their new offspring in tow.

This fully illustrated new guidebook is the first of its kind and details 50 buggy-friendly walks around some of the most picturesque areas of England. The featured routes include secret city ambles, thrilling highland rambles, walks along epic coastal paths and meanders through elegant country estates.

Written by father and self-confessed rambler Richard Happer, Beautiful Buggy Walks: England allows families to venture into the countryside without the fear of getting stranded on precipitous cliff-top paths or being stumped by a stile. Walks range from a quick stroll around a scenic lake to a five-mile ramble through the dramatic Northumbrian countryside and each walk has easy, unhampered access.

Whether you wish to roam the cliff-tops of Perranporth on Cornwall’s Atlantic shore or stroll through remote moorland around Kielder Water in Northumberland, the walks cater for all tastes. Richard wheeled his young son Harry in his buggy along the various routes and all have been given a two-year-old’s ‘thumbs up’ seal of approval.

Particularly useful is the quick reference guide to each walk that details all the necessary information, such as route maps, OS co-ordinates, length and time of the walks and difficulty ratings. Symbols detail, at a glance, the nature of the terrain and the type of buggy most suitable for that trail. Also included are anecdotes about the area, wildlife watch stops, Dad Facts about Bronze Age ships in Salcombe or Upton Dyke’s 12^th-century windmill, rest and refresh stops that recommend child-friendly pubs and eateries, as well the best picnic spots and nearest loo.

Author Richard Happer says, “Every new parent yearns to introduce the world to their child and their child to the world. A walk in the fresh air is great exercise and cheaper than the gym. It’s a perfect way to bond with your new family, involve siblings in the fun and ensure that your buggy doesn’t hamper progress when a gentle track transforms into rocky scramble. All of the chosen strolls are guaranteed not to leave the walker mired in fields or stuck in impenetrable forests!”

About the Author

From a young age, Richard Happer developed a great fondness both for books and the outdoors. After several years spent trying to work out how to combine those two passions, he eventually emerged with his first novel The Hills are Stuffed with Swedish Girls, followed by 365 Reasons to be Cheerful. Now a full-blown outdoors addict, he has written for both Extreme Survivors and Ramblers Best Walks Britain. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife Rachel and son Harry.

• Tarr Steps, Exmooris a fantastic river and woodland walk. The river is knee-high to a toddler in the summer months and excellent for a splash around; there’s a meadow that aches to be picnicked in and a 3,000-year-old clapper bridge. The woodland walk is a national nature reserve that offers the opportunity of spotting red deer, dormice and even the elusive otter.
• Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire. This spectacular stroll through typical Yorkshire moorland ends in open-mouthed amazement amongst weird and wonderful rock formations. Legend has it that the bizarre groups of rocks were a giant’s idea of ancient garden design. There are 50 acres of gravity-defying, naturally sculpted stones to be seen – offering perfect climbing for older siblings and picnicking spots galore.

For more information go to: www.beautifulbuggywalks.co.uk   or Richard Happer is tweeting @richardhapper