Virgin London Marathon 2012

VIRGIN LONDON MARATHON

22ND APRIL 2012

On April 22nd 2012, it is the annual London Marathon with approximately 30,000 people running the 26.2 miles through the streets of London. The marathon goes along the South of the Thames and then the north side after crossing the river at Tower Bridge.


The runners then go from Greenwich and Blackheath to Buckingham Palace, along the way passing many famous London landmarks such as the London Eye and the Tower of London.

 

The London Marathon was originally organised in 1981, by Olympic champion Chris Brasher who had returned to Britain, after running in the New York Marathon.

Some of the runners do the London Marathon for personal achievement, but lots of people raise money for their favourite charities. In 2011 many people ran in fancy dress, which were quite outrageous and wacky, to get them noticed in the crowds wearing wigs and fancy dress accessories.

Each year millions of people watch and cheer from the streets waving their union jack flag supporting friends and family, and enjoying this historic fantastic atmosphere, while the runners are raising money for worthwhile charities. To date there has been £506m raised for charity.

Good luck to everyone participating in this wonderful event and if you are brave enough to wear fancy dress, visit our Party Tracker website for a wide, unusual and wacky costumes, flags or bunting to cheer and wave to everyone. 

Oxford Cambridge Regatta 2012

CAMBRIDGE AND OXFORD REGATTA

7th April 2012

The famous rowing race between the Cambridge and Oxford Universities idea originally come from two friends, Charles Merival who was a student at Cambridge and his Harrow school friend, Charles Wordsworth (nephew of poet William Wordsworth) a student at Oxford. On 12 March 1829 Cambridge sent a challenge to Oxford, thus the challenge started. On race day up to 250,000 spectators crowded the Thames river from Putney to Mortlake to watch the action. This is one of London's great Festive days, which is free.

The Cambridge Crew are called the Light Blues, because of their club colours. They also have two training grounds, Goldie Boat House, which is situated in the heart of Cambridgeshire contains a fully equipped gym and rowers work out on ergometers (indoor rowing machines). Most afternoons the Cambridge squad train on the river at Ely, where they have a Boat House.

The Oxford crew are known as the Dark Blues because of the clubs colours. OUBC's training facilities are part of the world famous Iffley Road sports centre where Sir Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute race. Most afternoons the crew train on the water at Wallington. Traditionally this has a very carnival and party like atmosphere with many people wearing straw boater hats and having picnics by the river. There are various advantage points to watch the race, but ones to remember are: Putney Bridge, Putney Embankment, and Bishops Park (at the start). Hammersmith and Barnes (mid-course) and Chiswick Bridge (at the finish). There are also Large Screens at Bishops Park, Fulham and Furnival Gardens, and Hammersmith which means you can watch the start and finish of the race.
The regatta has a wide selection of union jack paper bunting, pearl light blue balloons and many party accessories in both Cambridge and Oxford Colours decorating the race to celebrate one of Englands great traditional boating events. This is definitely one event to mark in your dairy for next month, not to be missed.

Easter Bonnet Parade

E A S T E R     B O N N E T     P A R A D E

As most parents with children still at school will know this tends to be one of the busiest seasons, when it comes to fancy dress. There is book week, Purim and also Easter which has the very traditional Easter Bonnet Parade.

Traditionally the wearing of an Easter Bonnet represented the wearing of new clothes at Easter, especially during the Great Depression, as the purchase of a new or even refurbished Bonnet was classed as a great luxury.

Today the Easter bonnet is a type of hat that women and girls wear to Easter services and at Easter parades.   Modern Easter bonnets for children are usually white wide-brimmed hats with a pastel coloured satin ribbon around it and tied in a bow. It may also have flowers or other springtime motifs on top, but it is very popular in infant schools to ask a child to design and make an Easter bonnet to wear for an Easter parade.  

Here is a simple but very effective idea for an Easter Bunny Hat. Get one black felt bowler hat (or plastic), attach with pva glue or super glue (parents to help), rabbit ears on headband, place towards back of hat.  completely cover the whole of the hat with cotton wool balls, making sure headband (not ears) are covered, (these should stick with pva glue).  At the back of the hat, put a few cotton balls together to represent a rabbits tail.  At the front of the hat glue a black cat nose with whiskers and then with cardboard, design, colour and stick on the rabbits eyes and teeth. This is an simple but unusual Easter Bonnet, which children and parents will enjoy making.

St Patrick’s Day Party Celebrations

Many people around the world will be indulging in a drop of the black and white stuff and celebrating St Patrick’s Day this month. Of course, the largest party celebration will be in Dublin, it is forecast that more than 700,000 people are likely to show up for the annual parade which takes place in the heart of Dublin. Bars around the globe will also be packed full of happy drinkers and parades will also be held in New York, Sydney, Singapore and several other global cities.
More and more common now are organised parties, where groups plan games, festivities and dress up in Irish style and wear green plastic top hats with shamrocks or green glitter shamrock head boppers.
In Ireland, St Patrick’s Day was once a traditional religious festival which commemorated the patron saint who converted the country to Christianity.
In recent years it has become a five-day entertainment gala which contributes GBP40m to the economy.
“The parade in Dublin has really improved and is now seen as an entertainment piece, rather than something that people just marched along to, and the attendance has risen hugely,” said festival chief executive Donal Shields.
The Irish President Mary McAleese said “It is a day of celebration in Ireland and for the global Irish family throughout the world”.