The Chippendale International School of Furniture’s weekend woodworking courses are the perfect choice for those seeking a unique and experiential gift this Christmas.
Our weekend spoon carving and woodturning courses offer an ideal introduction to woodworking for the craft-obsessed, located just 30 mins outside Edinburgh in the beautiful East Lothian countryside.
Consumers increasingly value meaningful experiences over material possessions, with recent statistics indicating that 33% of consumers plan to treat their friends and family with memorable experiences in 2023 (KPMG).
Perfect for a DIY-mad partner or crafty parent who has it all, these courses offer a one-of-a-kind gift that will leave memories that last a lifetime – and maybe even inspire a new hobby!
Where:
The Chippendale International School of Furniture, Gifford, East Lothian, EH41 4JA
What:
Weekend woodturning course: A fun and informative course designed for those who want to dip their toe into the world of woodworking! Students will learn the basics of woodturning and joinery, and will create a small stool/plant stand over the two days.
Weekend spoon carving course: Louise Forbes’ renowned spoon carving classes are the perfect quirky gift for a DIY enthusiast! Students will carve a small salt spoon and coffee scoop, plus salad servers or alternative spoon of their choice over the two days.
All tools and materials are supplied on both courses.
Positively Plants and garden resolutions at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store this January
Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, is hosting two free workshops this January in its Edinburgh store to encourage customers of all ages to make a positive start to 2023.
Dobbies’ first Grow How session of the year takes place on Saturday 7 January at 10:30am and will give customers in Edinburgh a guide on how to incorporate houseplants into their home.
Dobbies’ experts will showcase the different air purifying houseplants available to buy, how to use them in your indoor spaces, all the benefits associated with having houseplants, and care tips on how to look after them. Incorporating houseplants into your home will help brighten your indoor space, in addition to having a positive effect on your overall wellbeing as we enter the new year.
The Little Seedlings Club is great for kids aged 4-10 and takes place on the morning of Sunday 8 January in Edinburgh with free bookable sessions. This January, attendees will learn how to have a wonderful new year in the garden, discovering the history of new year, traditions and resolutions, the luck and prosperity associated with eating black-eyed peas-beans, alongside plants to grow in January, seeds to sow and how to prepare your garden for the year ahead.
Dobbies’ Partnership and Events Manager, Sarah Murray, said: “January is a great time to make plans and learn a new skill or hobby. We’re always looking to help sow some passion and encourage our customers in Edinburgh to try something new.
“Houseplants are a great way to enhance your space and improve your mood – not only will your home feel refreshed, but so will you. We’re looking forward to our houseplant Grow How event being a popular one. For our Little Seedlings, our workshop on making a positive start in the garden aims to be both motivational and inspiring for young gardening fans.
“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our sessions throughout 2022 and are excited to kick off the year with these two, free workshops to help customers start as they mean to go on.”
Sustainability is at the core of Dobbies’ workshops and its horticultural experts will be showcasing the fantastic range of environmentally-friendly products available to purchase in-store.
For more information about both events in Edinburgh and how you can participate, visit dobbies.com/events.
Unlimited monthly winter golf for just £27.50 per month
Wrap up warm, fill up your thermos and grab your clubs. Winter golf at the largest club in town returns on 1st October. And with the unpredictable Scottish weather, you won’t have to rely on one course.
For die hard golf fans who want to keep in the swing of it, even during the winter months, Edinburgh Leisure’s golf membership can be bought online for just £27.50 per month. With minimal use of winter greens and no mats, it’s the ideal opportunity to keep your golf on par until the summer returns.
Winter membership prices stretch from 1st October 2022 to 31st March 2023 and allow access to Edinburgh Leisure’s six golf courses. Edinburgh Leisure’s 18-hole courses include Braid Hills, Carrick Knowe, Craigentinny, and Silverknowes. If you’re after a shorter then you can play our 9-hole courses at Portobello and the Wee Braids.
Payable monthly by direct debit, different membership options are available including access to all the courses, seven days a week; and a five-day membership, costing £22.50, with access to all courses Monday to Friday.
The membership also gives 20% off other Edinburgh Leisure activities including the gym, swimming, racquet sports and climbing, at the various Edinburgh Leisure venues across the city.
As lockdown measures ease, more golfers are preparing to get back out on the course – but it is essential that care is still taken before teeing off. Not only should we continue to observe social distancing but making sure golf clubs and equipment are cleaned to prevent the spreading of germs is vital.
Eager to help prevent spreading of the Covid-19 virus, experts at GolfSupport.com have provided tips on the best ways to clean golf equipment:
1. Golf club heads
After a long day at the course, your golf clubs are bound to collect dirt and debris. Follow these simple steps to keep them sparkling and germ-free:
Add 2-3 teaspoons of dishwasher liquid or soap to a bucket of warm water (enough to cover the club heads). Ensure it isn’t hot, as this may loosen the club head from the shaft.
Submerge dirty club heads into the water for 5-10 minutes to loosen any dirt.
Remove each club one-by-one and use an old toothbrush or soft-bristle brush to scrub away any stubborn dirt, ensuring you catch the back, front, bottom and each individual groove.
Run the cleaned club heads under water to wash away any remnants, avoiding getting the shaft and grips wet.
Dry with a towel. Ensure nothing is left damp as this is when rust can develop.
To give club heads an extra shine, gently rub in steel or chrome polish in circular motions and leave for a minute. Then ensure you remove all the polish – any remaining grease could negatively affect your game!
2. Golf club shafts Golf club shafts can also be prone to dirt. To remove dirt, use a damp cloth and clear any grime from the shaft, drying it thoroughly with a towel afterwards.
If your club becomes rusty:
According to a study by End of Tenancy London, vinegar comes out on top for the best multi-use disinfectant. So why not utilise it for your golf clubs too? Apply a little vinegar on the shaft with a cloth and gently remove any residue, ensuring you don’t scratch it. Finish by drying thoroughly.
3. Golf club grips
Golf grips are the most touched area of the club and can easily get dirty/worn from sweat, so they require regular cleaning.
Clean golf club grips after each session by using a damp cloth to wipe the entire grip’s surface, ensuring it isn’t too hot as this could damage it.
4. Golf balls
During a typical 18-hole round, golf balls are battered, beaten and subjected to all the elements. Not to mention the hundreds of tiny dimples that are experts at finding dirt.
Dirty golf balls can affect your game more than you’d think! Add soap, dishwasher liquid or our trusty friend vinegar (for a deeper clean) to a bucket of warm water and soak the balls for 15-20 minutes. If necessary, use a sponge and/or toothbrush to remove dirt that won’t budge. Don’t forget to dry them fully with a towel.
5. Golf bags and club head covers
Whilst unconfirmed and still a matter of debate, the coronavirus could live on clothing and canvas materials for up to two days. Remove this risk by cleaning your golf bags and club head covers as follows:
Remove all contents from the bag/clubs from their covers.
Depending on the material, lightly spray water all over the surfaces.
Using a soap and warm water solution, scrub the bag and covers clean with a cloth. Be careful not to scrub too hard – you may damage the material.
Use a hose to rinse/run them under clean water and assess for any further stains.
Remove any stubborn stains by spraying with a stain remover, then allow them to rest. Gently scrub it if required.
Once clean, allow the bag/covers to dry overnight – avoid leaving them to dry in the sun as this can discolour them.
6. Golf clothing
To clean dirty golf clothing, simply run them through the washing machine after each session. However, for clothes that smell or are particularly dirty, consider:
Avoiding using fabric softeners – they stop the odours and sweat from being washed out, in fact locking in the smell for your next practice.
Adding baking soda to laundry – one cup per wash deodorises and softens clothes.
We hope these tips on cleaning golf equipment can help avid golfers enjoy the wonderful sport whilst preventing the spread of coronavirus!
On average, we spend 42 days a year working outside their contracted hours
Workers will sacrifice five years over their working life by starting early and finishing late
Millions of British workers give up more than a month of time each year by working additional unpaid hours, totalling five years over their working life, new research has revealed.
In a poll conducted byHitachi Personal Finance for this year’s National Work Life Week, data reveals exactly how much time Brits are spending working past their contracted hours and what else the nation could be doing with this time.
In total, the figures show that Brits are working a whopping 1,834 days – or five years – unpaid across their working life, just by starting work early and finishing late. That’s an extra 42 days each year.
The research revealed that nearly half (49%) of British people start work early each day and 48% admit to working late every day.
Looking more closely at those who are commencing work before their official start time, a third (32%) are working an extra 147 days in their lifetime by getting to the office or logging on at home 20 minutes early each day.
Additionally, 15% of Brits are working an extra 330 days – that’s nearly a whole year – by regularly starting work 45 minutes before their shift starts.
What’s more, 2% are tallying up a huge one year and two months’ worth of overtime by starting work an hour earlier than they are contracted to. In total, this means that collectively Brits are losing 917 days on unpaid work across their working lifetime, just by beginning their working day prematurely on a regular basis.
And for those working after their shift ends, three in ten Brits (30%) are spending a further 147 days undertaking work in their lifetime, finishing late by 20 minutes each day, and 14% are working an extra 330 days in their lifetime by concluding work 45 minutes after they’re supposed to.
Even more shockingly, 5% of Brits rack up an extra one year two months overtime in their lifetime by logging off an hour or more after they should be finishing work. Overall, this means that Brits are putting in an extra two and a half years work in their lifetime, just by continuing to work outside of their contracted hours.
More than three in five (61%) admit they would rather have a better work/life balance, which is being achieved in some respects, with increased home working meaning commuting time is being reduced or completely removed.
However, this balance is still being compromised with so many putting in longer hours than they’re contracted to even while working at home, perhaps unaware of the cumulative amount of time they’re losing from their personal lives.
So, what else could Brits be doing with this time? Experts at Hitachi Personal Finance offer five alternative activities UK workers could be doing instead of working outside their contracted hours:
Learn a new language
If learning a new language is of interest, research shows that it takes 480 hours to reach basic fluency3. Meaning in the six weeks spent on overtime each year, you could learn at least one new language, maybe even two.
Gain a new habit
It has also been widely reported that it takes just 21 days to form a habit4, so in the same time you spend working overtime each year, you could be making two new habits part of a daily routine that could have a positive impact on your life, such as exercising, quitting smoking or meditation.
3. Earn a degree
If you’ve ever wanted to study a degree or add another one to your belt, it could be doable if you skip the extra hours in the office or working from home. You can complete a 3-year degree in 108 hours at the Open University6, meaning you could easily get a degree or two under your belt by sacrificing the extra time sat behind a desk.
4. Binge watch a box set
If getting your teeth into a good boxset is more your thing and you’re a Game of Thrones fan, you could binge-watch all eight series instead of putting in the extra graft behind their desk at home or in the office; it would take three days and 16 minutes to watch from start to finish7.
Marvel films more your thing? It would take just over two days to watch all 23 movies8, so in the six weeks you’d otherwise be spending working overtime in a year, you could sit down and watch the entire superhero franchise 20 times.
Commenting on the findings, Vincent Reboul, Managing Director of Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance says: “It’s very interesting to see the sheer amount of people in Britain who are working way past their contracted hours.
“If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that we need to value the time and experiences we have with each other and our loved ones, as well as making sure we’re dedicating time to ourselves.
“Putting in the extra hours during the working day can sometimes be inevitable, but we wanted to highlight just how much this adds up to over time. This is particularly relevant as home working has become the norm for many, which appears to have blurred the lines between work mode and home mode.
“Hopefully these findings help workers to realise how much time they do have available to them once they start paying attention to their work/life balance.”
Firework displays used to be mainly associated with the 5th November to commemorate the capture of Guy Fawkes, but now amazing firework displays are seen all year round, symbolising a time of celebration for something important like someone’s Wedding, Birthday or Special Event.Continue reading Remember, remember …
For die hard golf fans, who want to keep in the swing of it, even during the winter months, Edinburgh Leisure’s winter golf pass may be just the thing. With minimal use of winter greens and no mats, it’s the ideal opportunity to keep your golf on par until the summer returns.Continue reading Love golf? Keep in the swing this winter
The UK’s body for championing participation in creative cultural activities, Voluntary Arts, has launched the Epic Awards
Thousands of people across the UK give up their time to share their passion for arts and creative activities. Leading groups of young and old, these people improve the lives of millions of people across the country.
The Epic Awards offer the opportunity to celebrate and reward these volunteers and groups and spread the word about the huge range of activities enriching our lives in all areas of Scotland.
UK and Ireland’s premier award for amateur cultural groups, the Epic Awards opens for nominations.
A winner and a runner up will be chosen from Scotland, England, Northern & Republic of Ireland, and Wales.
Over 60,000 voluntary arts groups across the UK and Republic of Ireland are eligible.
The Epic Awards will be presented at a dinner in Cardiff on 2 April 2016.
Once the shortlist is announced there will also be a People’s Choice award voted for by the public, a Peer award in which groups vote for each other and additional awards for excellent work with young people and disabled people.
The Epic Awards are run by Voluntary Arts to recognise and reward excellence and innovation in the amateur cultural sector.
https://youtu.be/Ncad5dgSv2U
Are you involved in an arts or crafts group that is doing something new and interesting? Have you struck up an interesting collaboration, inspired others or solved a problem in your home town?
From singing to knitting, amateur dramatics to painting, over 60,000 amateur arts groups across the UK and Republic of Ireland are making a difference to lives in their local areas. The Epic Awards shines a spotlight on their achievements.
You can nominate your group for an award by filling in the form on www.epicawards.co.uk and put them forward for national recognition and a range of prizes from financial support to advice, partnership and performance opportunities.
Winning groups have usually run initiatives or activities that involve interesting collaborations, or engage with their local community or beyond, undertake creative activity that inspires others or increases participation, or use new ideas in innovative ways.
Last year’s Scottish winner, Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail (below), is a volunteer-led arts trail which has grown to include over 100 venues filled with work created by over 200 participants attracting audiences from far and wide.
Kirkcudbright Art and Crafts Trail’s Pauline Saul reflected on what winning the Epic Award meant for the group. She said: “We were delighted to be short listed for the Epic Award for Scotland. When the email came saying that we had won we were extremely proud of our achievement, wanting to run outside and tell everyone!
“The Epic Award has given the trail some good publicity through local papers and town folk have been really pleased both for us and for Kirkcudbright. Following the Epic Award we have grown in confidence, and become more forward thinking, planning a Christmas event and our theme for 2016.”
Last year’s runner-up in Scotland DD8Music is a group run by volunteers in Kirriemuir, which provides free lessons, jams and recording equipment for young people. DD8 Music also picked up the UK wide award for exceptional work with young people.
The public have their chance to vote and award a prize to one of the shortlisted groups through The People’s Choice Award. Last year’s winners were Knitted Knockers UK, a group of over 650 people across the UK who co-ordinate online to create and send 100 per cent cotton breast prostheses to women who have had mastectomies.
Jemma Neville, director of Voluntary Arts Scotland, said: “The Epic Awards demonstrate the scale and diversity of self-led creative cultural activity in Scotland. From volunteer-led festivals to community radio stations, and poetry groups to choirs, there are creative people across the country with the passion and initiative to provide opportunities for people to take part in voluntary arts activity. I strongly encourage groups thinking of applying to do so.”
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “The Voluntary Arts Epic Awards showcase excellent examples of inclusive and local participation in the arts and the initiative and drive of many dedicated volunteers across the country who set up and run thousands of arts and cultural groups.
“Voluntary arts contribute much to Scotland’s rich and varied cultural life and Voluntary Arts Scotland’s support helps enable more people to get involved in creative activities.
“These awards demonstrate an ongoing commitment to ensuring that communities across Scotland are supported to create and participate so that all the hard work and imagination that contribute to the cultural life of our communities, often undertaken by volunteers, is recognised.
“I’m looking forward to hearing more about the exciting work taking place the length and breadth of Scotland in the run up to this year’s awards and encourage Scottish nominations to be put forward.”
The Epic Awards are supported by Spirit of 2012, an independent trust created to sustain the spirit and opportunities from London 2012, and are themselves supporting BBC Get Creative. Spirit has also helped to create two new categories of Epic Award as well as the Epic Places project. Voluntary Arts also acknowledges funding from Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Creative Scotland and Arts Council Northern Ireland.
Debbie Lye, chief executive of Spirit of 2012, said: “We at Spirit are delighted to be supporting the Epic Awards again in 2016. I was blown away by the sheer breadth of high-quality award nominations last year – it’s clear we’ve got a voluntary arts scene to be proud of.
“The Epic Awards really do showcase the cream of the UK and Ireland’s amateur artistic and cultural crop, and I am eager to see who’s in the running in 2016. Best of luck!”
Remember that closing date for nominations: Monday 7 December
