Monday 30 April 2012

New Teddy Tennis iPhone/iPad App for Children Aged 2 – 6



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Inspiring Activity and Creativity in a World of Tennis!

Teddy Tennis, a children’s sports and lifestyle company, today announced the release of The Teddy Tennis Sticker Book, a fun creative App for iPad/iPhone/iPodTouch that will inspire kids (aged 2-6) and provide them with hours of FUN.

“The Teddy Tennis Sticker Book is aimed at providing young children with an exciting multimedia experience for learning and play,” said Richard Bean, co-founder of Teddy Tennis. “All the images and music that we have applied in the App we also use when teaching Teddy Tennis. It works brilliantly on the tennis court and it will do the same when children are playing on iPad/iPhones.”

Victoria Hatch, director of Nyx Digital, the developer of the App said, “When I first heard about Teddy Tennis I knew the programme would be ideal to develop into an App. Throughout its development, my 2 year old Eleanor provided invaluable help in market testing the product. She loves it and I am confident that young children everywhere will love it too.”

There are two modes of play with the The Teddy Tennis Sticker Book, each mode offering different elements of fun and creativity.

Stickers: The Sticker Game is based around the characters, images and music that are used in Teddy Tennis. It involves activity with a multiple selection of backgrounds and stickers.

Stamps: The Stamp game which combines sound effects, stamp images of Teddy Tennis characters and the opportunity to create freehand images and drawings is particularly creative and is something adults will enjoy too!

How kids aged 2 to 6 can benefit?

- It will stimulate young minds and encourage them to get active and to play Teddy Tennis like the bears at the Teddy Tennis Academy.
- It’s great fun
- Encourages creativity especially using the ‘Stamp Mode’ where children can freehand draw with coloured crayons
Why parents will love the app?
- It’s great fun to play.
- It encourages creativity
- Great characters and music will keep the child hooked for hours
- It will inspire children to get active and learn to play tennis
Features:
- The App is free to download and play
- Multiple background images and stickers
- Includes a selection of Teddy Tennis music
- Camera icon to send on pictures email addresses
- Upgrade option for more background images and stickers

The Teddy Tennis Sticker book is free and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.

Sunday 29 April 2012

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Tuesday 24 April 2012

FCA helps heroes at local spring jamboree

FCA, a leading Independent Fostering Agency, held a spring event at its North East regional office in Chester-le-Street at the end of March to raise money for the Help for Heroes charity which was set up in 2007 to assist persons who are currently serving or who have served in the armed forces along with their dependants.

Over 80 people attended the jamboree including FCA staff, foster carers and looked after children. A selection of stalls including traditional cake sales, auctions, a raffle and tombola were available at the event which raised around £600 for the Help for Heroes charity.

Taking the opportunity to thank foster carers for their on-going dedication, FCA proudly presented long service awards to carers who have been with the agency for five and ten years consecutively.

Mick Austin, Area Manager for FCA North East was really pleased with the turnout on the day and said: "There was a real atmosphere at the event and the generosity and enthusiasm of staff and foster carers encapsulates the spirit of the North East team.

"We hold a jamboree twice a year and it's a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the hard work of foster carers and the positive outcomes they achieve with the children and young people they look after."

Events like this one in the North East serve to support awareness of fostering as a potential career for those who can offer their home and a sense of security to a vulnerable child or young person in need. With a current national shortage of foster carers in the UK reaching 10,000, recruitment of foster carers is an important step towards improving the outcomes of looked after children and young people.

FACTFILE:
Foster Care Associates (FCA), part of the Core Assets Group Ltd, is the UK's leading Independent Fostering Agency, with offices operating throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Working in partnership with Local Authorities and Health Trusts throughout the UK, FCA provides 'quality care in a family setting' for over 2900 foster children who are looked after by the agency's 2200 foster families.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Casabu, the UK’s Hot New Private Sale Site, Launches with Support from Magnetise’s Lead Generation Services

Private daily sales for UK mums, babies and kids using ‘next gen lead gen’ to drive customer acquisition

The Magnetise Group (Magnetise), a marketing technology company that improves the reach, return and accountability of digital engagement, is working with Casabu, the UK’s new daily private sale website for mums, babies and kids, to drive customer acquisition and lead generation around its launch on 17th April 2012.

The campaign (interactive demo available here), launching on 18th April, will place interactive banner adverts across top tier UK publishers, including newspaper websites and popular parenting sites and blogs, and will offer consumers £5 off their first purchase. The campaign creative will use children’s illustrations that encapsulate Casabu’s premium but accessible and playful branding and will provide consumers with a rich and enticing window into Casabu’s world of Europe’s coolest brands at up to 70% off retail prices.

As Casabu is a one-stop shop providing everything a mum needs from pregnancy, throughout childhood and up to pre-teen, Magnetise is tailoring the campaign to specifically fit this audience. Magnetise is optimising towards Casabu’s target customers - a core female audience of 20-40 year old mums across the UK with children aged 0-10 years. One advantage of this type of performance marketing is the fact that only leads that match the target demographic are priced and paid for, giving Casabu an extremely attractive and highly accountable method of customer acquisition.

"We’ve chosen Magnetise as our partner for lead generation due to their cutting edge, highly measureable pay-per-performance technology capabilitie};” commented Rachel Oxburgh, CEO of Casabu. “Their campaigns will allow us to build out our membership base quickly and efficiently.”

Magnetise’s In-Banner technology enables data entry, processing and confirmation, all within the banner. This means that users stay on-site, making the adverts attractive to premium quality sites and services. The eCPM pricing also offers publishers a low risk way of incorporating performance advertising. Consumers who enter their details will be presented with the voucher code, signed up to the service and transferred to and logged into Casabu - all from within the banner. This makes the advert, offer and transfer to Casabu a single, seamless customer journey. Any members who do not make immediate use of the special offer will be automatically sent a reminder email after a designated period.

“Daily deal or private sale ecommerce businesses have been growing over the last decade and are now incredibly popular for brands and consumer alike;” commented Peter Gowrie-Smith, Managing Director of the Magnetise Group. “Casabu’s niche is well-chosen and the products they have sourced to date are incredible. Using Magnetise’s lead generation capabilities, the site will be off to a strong start from launch.”

Casabu will offer a range of different daily deals, from brands including Their Nibs, Koo-di, Ben Sherman and Feu Follet, as well as European brands that are totally new to the UK. The company is also encouraging retailers and manufacturers with relevant products to get in touch by email to leslieann@casabu.com. Casabu will bring parents exciting ranges of fashionable baby and children’s clothing, designer toys, essential nursery equipment, must-have furniture and stylish maternity wear at significantly less than high street prices.

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Casabu transforms the way UK parents shop, with super hot daily deals

Europe's coolest brands available at up to 70% off.

The exciting and widely anticipated launch of daily deals website Casabu, the UK's daily flash-sale website for mums, babies and children, will take place today and is set to change the way that UK parents shop forever!

After a year of scouring the UK and Europe to seek out the hottest and most stylish brands, Casabu will bring parents exciting ranges of fashionable baby and children's clothing, designer toys, gorgeous maternity wear and treats for mums at unbelievable savings of up to 70%. Casabu is a one-stop shop providing everything a mum needs from pregnancy, throughout childhood and up to pre-teen.

The first week of sales will feature UK brands such as, Their Nibs, Ben Sherman, Feu Follet and Koo-dias well as products totally new to the UK such as Swedish street clothes from Novastar. Fiona Bell - founder of Their Nibs says:

"Their Nibs are really excited to be one of the first brands featured on Casabu. It's such a great way for parents to discover small boutique brands like us and with such fantastic discounts all brands will be affordable for parents."

Flash sales have rapidly become the biggest trend in retail and work very simply; once signed-up to Casabu, you will receive a daily email or mobile alert bringing you news of exclusive sales, each sale lasting for a limited time. You then simply browse, click to buy, and sit back and wait for your beautifully-packaged items to arrive at your door.

Casabu is the smart, modern way for parents to save money on some of their favourite brand names as well as discover and fall in love with new ones. Members can access Casabu.com via their computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone and can also keep track of the daily sales by downloading the Casabu app for iPhone/android or by following the site on Twitter @ casabu_tweets.

To become part of the latest shopping phenomenon sign up for free at www.casabu.com.

Saturday 14 April 2012

National Trust launches campaign to get children outdoors

The National Trust has launched a fantastic nationwide campaign to encourage sofa-bound children to take to the outdoors and enjoy classic adventures from skimming stones to building dens.

The '50 Things To Do Before You’re 11¾' initiative is in response to a report commissioned by the National Trust which highlighted research that fewer than one in ten children regularly play in wild places compared to almost half a generation ago, a third have never climbed a tree and one in ten can’t ride a bike.

The charity's '50 Things To Do Before You’re 11¾' campaign provides a checklist for under-12s (and those who are young at heart) including everything from running around in the rain and bug hunting, to setting up a snail race, damming a stream, flying a kite and making a (delicious) mud pie. 

To help bring to life these simple pleasures, the Trust has formed a group of Elite Rangers who will share their expert tips on enjoying outdoor adventures and their enthusiasm for encouraging children to play alfresco.

The five rangers, all Trust staff, come from across the UK and range in age from 29 to 49. They include a 6ft 3" tree climbing expert, who has scaled 50 metre-high trees, (a.k.a. Tree Man), Captain Skim who can skim a stone over 26 times and Midas the treasure hunter. The other rangers are Den-Boy, an outdoor hideaway-building champion, and a mini-beast expert, a.k.a. The Bug Catcher.

The fantastic five will be offering top tips on their chosen skill to the nation's children over the National Trust Free Weekend (21st and 22nd April) when the National Trust will open up over 200 of its houses and gardens for free over the weekend, as well as all the countryside spaces it cares for, which are always free access

Kids can pick up a free '50 Things To Do Before You’re 11¾' scrapbook from participating properties and start ticking off their outdoor adventures to do list. Plus, the fun can continue at home by visiting www.nationaltrust.org.uk/50things where children can fill in their completed activities and earn points towards their very own explorer badge.

Tony Berry, Visitor Experience Director of the National Trust, commented: "Our Elite Rangers are a fantastic bunch, with bags of enthusiasm for the outdoors and what it can offer kids. We're hoping that the nation's children will embrace the 50 things and start having their very own outdoor adventures with their family, with our Free Weekend the perfect opportunity to get outside in the fresh air."

Monday 2 April 2012

Cool for kids and their parents! Great clothing from Lula Saphire

Looking for something really different for babies and toddlers? Then you'll be wanting to visit www.lulasapphire.com.

They are passionate about bringing children fresh and stylish products; toys to nursery décor, essentials for changing, feeding or the great outdoors! There are even stunning wall stickers, CDs, really cool blankets, fabulous furniture and much, much more!

Lula Sapphire is a one stop boutique; a nest egg of inspired modern designs and products sourced and brought to parents from well know designers across the globe. So whether shopping by brand or a particular item, Lula Sapphire promises a high quality service and attention that will make the lives of parents and parents-to-be so much easier.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Create The Perfect Nursery For Your Little One

When you're expecting a baby - or more than one! - there are lots of things to think about. One of the items at the top of the agenda is the baby's nursery.

A nursery is a calm, organised and peaceful room where the baby can rest and play. Yet it is also a practical space that grows and adapts with your child.

Sliderobes offers parents the perfect bespoke storage solution for all the toys, nappies, cuddly animals and clothes. By adding a Sliderobes storage unit to your nursery, it will provide valuable extra space, leaving you with plenty of time to focus on your new arrival without worrying about where to store all of his or her belongings.

What's more is that everything is designed around you and your baby; the design will reflect your needs and style. The finishes on offer are virtually endless; be it contemporary or traditional designs in neutral creams, girlie pretty pinks or boyish blues, for example. Sliderobes creates stunning bespoke designs that work around awkward features such as alcoves, sloping ceilings, chimney breasts and low beams.

As your child grows and develops, your Sliderobes wardrobe can grow too. Replacement doors can be installed to see him or her through their teenage years which means Sliderobes becomes a long-term investment.

For design inspiration, visit Sliderobes' website, www.sliderobes.com.

If it is not convenient for you to visit a store, a Sliderobes designer will visit your home, at a time to suit you, for a free, no-obligation design appointment to discuss requirements. For more information about Sliderobes, please call 0800 454 465 in the UK and 1800 352 352 in ROI or visit www.sliderobes.com. For interior design and home suggestions follow Sliderobes on Twitter and Facebook.