Christmas tree planting parties launched

Why not mark that key event in the run up to Christmas, putting up the tree, with a party for the kids and all the family.

Our clients Urban Allotments are offering just that with a seasonal version of their potting parties.

The parties are a very green idea when the kids have fun planting out their own miniature Alberta spruce tree as well as decorating the tree and their pots with special Christmas decorations.

Urban Allotments provide everything for the party including trees for each party-goer, soil, plants, decorations and even advice about how to look after the tree.

It's very environmentally friendly as the tree, which comes from renewable sources, can be reused year after year. In fact the foot high tree only grows about four inches a year and takes 25 years to grow to its full height of seven feet, so your Urban Allotments tree can grow up with your kids.

"These special Santa versions of our potting parties are great fun and a fantastic way to get the whole family into the Christmas spirit," said Urban Allotments director Kate Rigby.

"And it's a really green way of having a real Christmas tree," she added.

Top Tips for a family cruise from MyChild.co.uk

LINDA recently joined a group of journalists aboard the Disney Wonder for a press trip to the Bahamas.

We've planned a series of reports for Have a Lovely Time, as well as video and a podcast.

She's also contributed a piece to the parenting and education website MyChild.

You can read the report here.

Times Aphamummy - liveblogging travel tips

HERE'S Linda's live blog from earlier today discussing tips and advice for travellers with young children with an 'expert' panel.

It was a great experience and writer Alice Griffin was an inspiration.

New media to boost Compton Hospice fund-raising

COMPTON Hospice is hoping to take its fund-raising message to new levels by tapping into a digital audience,thanks to the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

The hospice now has its own page on Facebook, where supporters can find out about the latest events and leave their own comments, and is also leaving regular ‘tweets’ on twitter, again, spreading the word about events and news.

Musical Minis blog hits the right note*

WE'RE delighted that Karen Sherr, from nationwide pre-school fun music group Musical Minis, has caught the blogging bug.

We've been helping her set up Learning Made Fun and take her first tentative steps into the blogosphere.

As a former Great Ormond Street play specialist, and with a degree in psychology, Karen is already using the site to advise parents on child development issues.

She has also blogged about her family and business.

We can't wait to see how Learning Made Fun progresses and wish Karen a hugely successful blogging journey.

* Groan. We're sorry but we thought that old cliche couldn't be beaten. You can take the reporter out of an evening paper, but you can't take the evening paper training out of the reporter!

A Passionate contribution to new book out now: Tales of a Travelling Mum

A FANTASTIC new book shows that motherhood doesn't have to mean giving up on a sense of adventure.

Tales from a Travelling Mum: Navigating Europe with a Babe-in-Arms is Alice's story of venturing across Europe with her baby daughter.

Passionate Media director Linda Jones is one of writers who has contributed to travel writer Alice Griffin's new book.

Her contribution is about how much we love family holidays and breaks in the UK, what fun there is to be had and an explanation of why we wanted to set up our family travel site Have a Lovely Time.

Business over Breakfast exclusive offer: A beginners’ guide to social media: One-day workshop

DO you know your RSS from your e-newsletter?

How about Flickr, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube?

This workshop is tailored to your needs with practical examples of how to use new media methods. If the thought of understanding what any of these new media phenomena mean has you reaching for the headache tablets, then this workshop is for you.

It will cover:

 • Twitter - setting up and first steps

• Facebook for business – setting up and first steps

• Professional communication through LinkedIn

• Why content is king

• Basic dos and don'ts of social networking

• Why podcast?

• Blogging - what's the point?

November index of top UK parent blogs from Who's the Mummy?

BACK in 2005, it was reported that a new blog was set up every second.

Today, one of the fastest growing areas appears to be blogs by parents, with at least around 800 currently attracting an estimated  joint readership of more than 100,000.

Passionate Media director Linda Jones has blogging since 2006 at Got Your Hands Full, a site that was set up to offer advice and support for multiple birth parents.

Now, a monthly list of the Top 100 is published.

It's encouraging to see our blogs are included, with Got Your Hands Full at number 10 and the newer family travel resource, Have a Lovely Time at number 72.

If you aren't yet familiar with parenting blogs and want to see the quality of material out there, then the Top 100 may be an excellent place to start. Check out sites from throughout the table to sample some of the  useful, evocative, compelling content available.

The Great Panto Review 2009 - Update with thanks from www.havealovelytime.com

The Great Panto review 2009 looks all set to be a great success. Thank you to all the bloggers and theatres who are supporting us. 

It's bringing bloggers together, giving them a chance to take their families to their local pantomime and raising money for children's cancer charity  NACCPO at the same time.

We're delighted that more than 20 theatres across the country have now agreed to welcome bloggers. In return for their places at media previews or tickets for a different night of the panto, we are asking reviewers to donate to NACCPO. 

You can donate online here.

Thanks for feedback on Saturday's workshop for freelance journalists - testimonials

IT'S always great to get good feedback after a course, and these days, thanks to the magic of facebook and Twitter, it can be pretty darn quick!

Johanna Payton tweeted yesterday that she had found our one-day workshop on making more money as a freelance writer "great" and followed this up with a very positive message by email.

Thank you Jo and thank you to the other course participants who were so fulsome in their feedback.

Here's what Jo said:

Thank you so much for yesterday. I really enjoyed it. I know I’ve been dabbling in commercial writing for the last five years (well, ten if you include the copywriting I used to do as part of my music industry post – but let’s not even go there after that press release-writing exercise!) but getting to grips with the systems and procedures contract-wise is something I’ve never done; or getting myself registered on business directories and seriously networking.

The practical exercises were a real eye opener too and have given me some incredibly valuable food for thought. I know that if I put in a concerted effort that, even with the limited time I have, I can make much more out of the commercial side of my career and your course has totally given me the inspiration I needed to do that. It was also wonderful and confidence-boosting to hear how much our skills as journalists are valued in the commercial world and how much work is out there.

As a freelancer it helped so much to hear that, particularly in the midst of the recession. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending your course to anyone.

Cathy Wnston says:

Despite being a professional journalist for over a decade, I'd never done any commercial writing and wasn't sure how my skills would translate into this field - or even if they would! So Linda's course was the perfect introduction, very practical and down-to-earth, with plenty of exercises during which I discovered I actually knew more than I thought.

I'd highly recommend this for anyone thinking of getting into commercial writing as it's great for boosting your confidence (I think everyone realised they knew far more than they thought they did), filling in any gaps that are there and teaching you not to undervalue your skills. I came out all fired up and ready to take on the world.

When freelance work is in short supply, it was heartening to be told there's lots of commercial work out there, and it's great to think I've got another string to my bow now. Linda has even inspired me to finally finish off my website, which has been a work in progress for around 4 months...

Faith Eckersall sent us the following message:

Just wanted to say a big thanks for such a fantastic value workshop yesterday.

 

I thought it would be good but it exceeded all my expectations and I now feel much more confident about a) a job coming up and b) commercial writing generally.

 

Helena Pozniak emailed:

Thanks for great day - wasn't looking forward to a Saturday of "work"
but really enjoyed it. All very useful. 

 

* There's one place left on our Birmingham course on Saturday, November 28. Please email Carol[at]passionatemedia.co.uk if you would like to know more, or a booking form.