Win1of2 FamilyTicketstoThe LoxwoodJoust!

The UK’s most spectacular immersive medieval & jousting festival, The Loxwood Joust, returns to create excitement & intrigue on the 5th, 6th, 12th & 13th August 2023. Be transported back to Medieval England as you interact with townsfolk & rub shoulders with royalty. Witness full-contact jousting & daring displays of weaponry, archery & cannon fire. Wander the Living History Village, visit the gruesome executioner, see the witches perform their incantations & feast in the banqueting hall.

Participate in a workshop activity, & let young princes & princesses revel in the Children’s Kingdom.

For your chance to win a family ticket to the Loxwood Joust tell us: In what time period is The Loxwood Joust set?

Enter via www.thefamilygrapevine.co.uk/crawley-horsham/competitions T & C apply. One entry per household, competition closes at midnight on Friday 16th June 2023

Advance tickets available at www.loxwoodjoust.co.uk

The magical Kingdom of Loxwood will transport you back to Medieval England as you interact with townsfolk and peasants and rub shoulders with royalty. Witness full-contact jousting and daring displays of weaponry, archery and cannon fire, along with the impressive knight on knight combat waged in the quest for Regent. Building on fast-paced battles, and the challenges that have shaped the story’s gallant chivalry and mediaeval mayhem, visitors to the Joust will be immersed in the plot to decide who should be their King.

On entering the realm, guests will be met by colourful characters; each with a story to tell, rumours to spread, or a favour to ask. Accept the right invitations, choose a quest and become a citizen or ‘Squire of Loxwood’ on a unique day of adventure, intrigue, fun and merriment. Wander the Living History Village where mediaeval life plays out, visit the gruesome executioner, see falconry displays, the witches’ incantations and learn about the spirits of nature.

Dishes of the finest fayre will be adorning the banqueting hall, with jesters, storytellers, live music and riddlers to lead a merry dance and embroil you in gossip and laughter. Take your place at a workshop activity, and in the Children’s Kingdom, young princes and princesses can try have-a-go-archery, pelt-the-peasant, non-contact sword fighting and circus school, in addition to watching court jester shows and enjoying face and wound painting too.

The Loxwood Joust is excellently located just off the B2133 between Wisborough Green and Loxwood at The Loxwood Meadow, RH14 0AL and includes ample Free Parking.

Advance tickets now on sale; Adult £18 and Child £8 available at this price until 30th June www.loxwoodjoust.co.uk

Beeding & Bramber Village Hall, beedingandbrambervillagehall.org.uk

Broadfield Community Centre, Crawley, broadfield.cc/hire.html

Charis Centre, indoor & outdoor, Crawley, thechariscentre.org/room-hire

Crawley Borough Community Centres, crawley.gov.uk/culture/sport-andleisure/community-centres

Haven Centre, Crawley Down, cdhavencentre.co.uk

Lardner Hall, The Ghyll, Pevensey Road, Southwater, theghyll.org

Laurie Apted Building, hall with kitchen, Church Lane, Southwater, theghyll.org

Penfold Church Hall, Steyning, penfoldchurchhall.org.uk

Pulborough Village Hall, pulbvh.org.uk

Springboard House, Horsham, springboardsupport.org/springboardhouse/centre-hire

Storrington Village Hall, 01903 744592

The Ark, Turners Hill, turnershillparishcouncil.gov.uk

The Holbrook Club, North Heath Lane, Horsham, theholbrookclub.co.uk

The Wiston Meeting Place, Wiston near Steyning, wistonvillage.org.uk

Ariel Parties, princess parties & more, arielparties.com

Driver Wood Activity Centre, Copthorne, driverwoodactivitycentre.co.uk

Glide Bike disco parties & bike assault course parties, 3-10yrs, glidebalancebikeclasses.com

GlowBugParties, 4-9yrs, UV disco, games, facepaint & more, GlowBugParties.co.uk

Go Wild, 5yrs+, fun-filled outdoor birthday parties, gowildworkshops.org

Inspire Academy of Dance, 3-12yrs, Copthorne studio or your venue, inspireacademyofdance.co.uk

Kicks Dance, Crawley & Horsham, kicksdance.co.uk/horsham

Lazer World, 7yrs+, Spindle Way, Crawley, lazerworld.co.uk

Little Street Horsham, children’s role play centre, Rudgwick, little-street. co.uk/horsham-rudgwick

Out of Bounds, 3yrs+, soft play, clip ‘n climb, bowling, laser tag, adventure nets, adventure golf, footgolf, out-of-bounds.co.uk

Snap! Parties, high energy, fun filled entertainment, snapparties.co.uk

Art & Craft Parties

Ceramic Shack, 3yrs+, Horsham, ceramicshack.co.uk

Sand Art Parties, Crawley, facebook.com/SandybowCrawley

Farm & Animal Parties

Fishers Adventure Farm Park, birthday parties & pony parties, fishersfarmpark.co.uk

Princess Pony Parties, Billingshurst, princessponypartie.wixsite.com/ website

Soft Play Parties

CJ’s Play Café, Three Bridges, cjscafe.co Happyscamps, Swan Walk, Horsham, facebook.com/horshamplaycafe

Mini Mayhem, Crawley County Mall, minimayhemcrawley.co.uk

Out of Bounds, 0-12yrs, Rustington, out-of-bounds.co.uk

Treasure Chest Soft Play Centre, 0-11yrs, Crawley, treasurechestindoorplay.co.uk

Sport Parties

Football parties at The Holbrook Club, North Heath Lane, Horsham, theholbrookclub.co.uk

Hawth Gymnastics Club, 3-9yrs, Crawley, hawthgymnastics.co.uk

Infinity Gymnastics, supervised activities, Southwater, infinity-gymnastics.co.uk

Kids’ All Star Sports, tailored sport parties, 5-14yrs, Horsham, kidsallstarsports.com

Little Kickers Football Parties, 2-7yrs, littlekickers.co.uk

Mini Musketeers, 7yrs+, fencing parties, minimusketeers.co.uk

South Coast Sports, football, archery & multisports, 3yrs+, Horsham, southcoastsports.org.uk

Southwater Watersports, 8yrs+, kayaking & canoeing parties, southwatersports.co.uk

Springfit gymnastics & trampoline parties, Crawley & Copthorne, springfit.org

Tiny Tekkers multisport parties, 4-14yrs, games & prizes, tinytekkers.com

Top Rock, clip & climb parties, Crawley, everyoneactive.com/centre/k2crawley/k2-climbing-with-top-rock

Allsortsoffun, scientist, pirate, knight, spy party, magic, puppets, allsortsoffun.co.uk (see advert)

Angels n Divas, 4-16yrs, pamper parties for girls, angelsndivas.co.uk

Brookfield Day Nursery, 2yrs+, Lowfield Heath, BDNL.co.uk (see advert p9)

Crazy Beanz, themed parties, 0-7yrs, Horsham, crazybeanz.co.uk

DNA Kids parties, 26 different themes for girls & boys, dnakids.co.uk

Themed parties at The Holbrook Club, North Heath Lane, Horsham, theholbrookclub.co.uk

Woods for Learning, Horsham, woodsforlearning.com

X1 Gaming Lounge & Parties, Horsham, x1gaming.co.uk

Party Equipment & Supplies

Ritz Party Shop, Crawley, ritzpartyshop2010.co.uk

Child & Family Support

Crawley Bewbush Family Hub, Dorsten Square, 01403 229900

Crawley Broadfield Family Hub, Creasys Drive, 01403 229900

Happy Talk, individual speech & language assessment & therapy for pre-school children, Horsham, happytalkhorsham.co.uk

Horsham Family Hub, Three Acres, 01403 229900

Ten Little Toes Baby Bank, support for young families in difficulty, Cowfold, tenlittletoesbabybank.org

Additional Needs

Air Dance Company, 2yrs+, any level of experience, disability or ability, Horsham, facebook.com/airdancehorsham

Hillcrest Farm Riding School, Plummers Plain, hillcrestfarmstables.co.uk

Horsham Swim School, 0-11yrs, horshamswimschool.co.uk

Muntham House School, for boys with ASD/challenging behaviour, 5-18yrs, Horsham, muntham.org.uk

MXT Swim School, Steyning & Storrington, mxtswimschool.com

Out of Bounds, 4yrs+, bowling, Clip ‘n Climb, soft play, adventure golf, footgolf, Rustington, out-of-bounds.co.uk

Stay & Play & activity sessions, Springboard House, Horsham, springboardsupport.org/springboardhouse/centre-hire

Treasure Chest Soft Play, monthly SEN evenings, Crawley, treasurechestindoorplay.co.uk

West Sussex Portage Services, preschool children, portage.org.uk/westsussex-portage-service

Yippee & Yip4Youth short breaks, westsussex.local-offer.org/services/676ymca-yippee-yip4youth-short-breakprovider

Brinley First Aid Training, for nurseries, preschools, charities & all groups, special local rates available, all levels, brinleyfirstaidtraining.co.uk

Daisy First Aid, for families, Crawley, 07974 360982, Horsham, 07968 486862 KeepaBeat, first aid courses for parents & carers, keepabeat.com

Cornerways Fostering Services, foster carers urgently needed, cornerways.org County Adoption & Fostering Team, fostering, westsussex.gov.uk/fostering

Five Rivers Child Care need short-term & long-term foster carers, five-rivers.org

West Sussex County Council Adoption South East, adoptionsoutheast.org.uk

Fountain Therapies, homeopathy can support all the stages of starting a family, fountaintherapies.co.uk

Aqua Natal Yoga, Horsham, aquanatalyogahorsham.co.uk

Fit Mummy, pregnancy & postnatal fitness classes-, Crawley, completecorecontrolandfitmummy. com

Fitness classes, Busylizzy, Horsham, busylizzy.co.uk/horsham

SweatyMama, upbeat exercise class for mum & baby, from 6 weeks, Crawley, eastgrinstead.sweatymama.com

A Step At A Time, hypnobirthing, astepatatime.org.uk

Acupuncturist supporting women in pregnancy, Horsham, holistic-acupuncture.co.uk

Bluebell Bras, mobile bra fitting service for pregnancy & breastfeeding, bluebellbras.co.uk

Bump, Birth & Beyond, Horsham, bumpbirthandbeyond.net

Clarity Hypnotherapy for calmer childbirth, Pound Hill clarity-clinic.co.uk Glow reflexology, pre-conception, pregnancy & postnatal treatments, glowreflexology.co.uk

Journey to Birth, Hypnobirthing, Horsham, journeytobirth.uk

NCT course bookings, Crawley & Horsham, nct.org.uk/coursesworkshops, 0300 330 0700

Fountain Therapies, homeopathic remedies are safe & helpful for labour & the early years, fountaintherapies.co.uk

Sara Eloquin Craniosacral Therapy, Horsham, saraeloquin.com

Fiesta Tots, free delivery in Horsham, fiesta-tots.co.uk

Funmi, sustainable maternity, breastfeeding & feminine products, shopfunmi.com (see advert)

My First Furniture, ready-made or bespoke children’s furniture, Southwater, myfirstfurniture.co.uk

NCT Breastfeeding Line, Crawley & Horsham, 0300 330 0700

If you’re soon to become a first-time parent, we want to start off by saying a huge “congratulations!”. We understand that an occasion as significant as this can encourage a whirlwind of emotions, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and anxious, as well as excited and proud. Because of this, we want to introduce you to a term you may not have heard of: hygge. Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word that roughly translates to ‘cosiness’ and describes a warm, relaxing atmosphere. Those who practice hygge believe in wholly enjoying the ‘little’ things in life.

How

There are a multitude of benefits to following the hygge lifestyle, many of which will contribute to a happier, more soothing environment for first-time parents. Reduced levels of stress, lowered depression and anxiety, increased optimism, and increased self-esteem are all positive benefits associated with practising hygge.

Denmark is continuously ranked highly among the happiest countries in the world, and hygge plays a crucial role in this. Evidently, it works, so why wouldn’t the rest of the world want to at least give it a go? When welcoming a newborn into this world, especially when it’s your first time doing so, you should look towards whatever avenues are available to improve your experience.

Hygge can mean something different to everyone. Used as both a noun and an adjective in Denmark, it represents a way of life more than just one or two things. Essentially, to follow a hygge lifestyle, you must regularly and mindfully practice the things that bring you solace. In Denmark, the following things are considered hygge:

● Candles

● Fireplaces

● Tracksuit bottoms

● Blankets

● Comfort food

● Hot drinks

If there’s something specific to you and your life that makes you feel warm, comfortable, and at peace, regularly indulging in that something is classed as hygge. For new mums and dads, creating a cosy atmosphere that allows you to unwind physically and mentally becomes even more crucial, for your wellbeing and the baby’s.

As a society, we’ve picked up some bad habits that are very much not the way to practice hygge! Life can get so busy, and with multiple responsibilities, and our mobile phones making us accessible 24/7, it can be easy to get swept up in the type of behaviour that actually prevents us from feeling relaxed and calm. This includes:

● Staring at a phone or computer screen all day

● Spending too much time indoors alone

● Purchasing unnecessary products just to be ‘on trend’

Becoming a parent for the first time may mean you don’t have the time, effort, or disposable cash to give the above list much attention, but you may find that other things get in the way of you and your hygge intentions. Remember to breathe, relax, and make time for the things that help you do both.

Remember to look after yourself – As a new parent, it may feel like your own wellbeing is less important than your baby’s, which can be a common occurrence. In what feels like a blink of an eye, you’ve gone from having just yourself to look after, to now having a whole other life that’s completely dependent on you.

To practice hygge during this exciting, staggering milestone, make sure you carve out time to look after yourself. When your newborn is asleep or spending time with relatives, have a hot bubble bath, make a cup of tea, put on a fresh pyjama set, and snuggle up with your favourite book. You’ll be a better parent for it!

Don’t be afraid to ask for help – Life as a new mum, or dad, can be stressful – but remember that you’re not alone! To enforce feelings of cosiness and serenity, you need to reduce feelings of worry and tension, and asking for help can tip the scales in hygge’s favour. Don’t feel like you’re being a burden, either. Chances are that the family and friends around you will want to help, because they will want to spend time with your adorable new mini-me. Even if it’s asking your mother-in-law to babysit for one hour while you catch up on life admin, or enlisting the help of your sister to make sure you’re doing bath time the right way. Whatever would be helpful to you and your situation, don’t be afraid to ask.

Detox from technology – If you get a spare minute or two to yourself, try not to reach for your phone or spend that sacred time on the computer. Mobile devices and heavy social media usage can lead to both psychological and physical issues and, therefore, should always be used sparingly. As a new parent, this becomes even more important as your responsibilities and duties have rapidly expanded, and an excellent attention span becomes fundamental. Use this time to detox from technology. With your hands full with a newborn and time already against you, this is the perfect time to start. Keep any unnecessary technology out of sight and allocate yourself a specific point in the day when you’re allowed just fifteen or twenty minutes to use it. Not only is this good for your health, but it’s also a simple way to practice hygge and reap the benefits of doing so.

Becoming a parent for the first time is a huge milestone... and it’s not supposed to be plain sailing. Embrace every part of the journey and appreciate the downs, just as much as the ups. Using what you’ve learned about hygge, you should be able to create a happier, more tranquil environment that will help nurture both yourself and the baby.

Good luck!

Whilst