You may also be inspired by a group of knitters from Cornish town, who have recently hit the news after being invited to show their work in New York, the BBC reports.

These so-called “craftivists” have gained much attention after they took part in a new craze known as “yarn-bombing”, which involves decorating lampposts, signs and benches with knitted cosies and accessories.

The anonymous bunch have since been invited to a show held by Vogue Knitting, after the magazine got in touch with the group through Facebook.

One of the knitters told the BBC: “We thought they were hoaxing us so we ignored them. Then they came back and we thought maybe it was true.”

The Cornish gang of knitting enthusiasts are to begin showcasing their work at Vogue Knitting Live from January 14th.

More about knitting patterns

The Knit and Natter group have been secretly using their talents to design the stable scene from wool and have presented it to the Boldon Lane Library, where it now takes pride of place.

It was presented as a surprise to the library, which is where the group meets, and features a scene with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the three kings and a range of different animals.

The set was given to Elaine McCulloch, who helps run the group.

Mrs McCulloch told the newspaper: “I had noticed them whispering in sessions, but didn’t have a clue as to what was actually going on.

“What they have done is amazing, absolutely incredible.”

Christmas could be a great time for you to dig out the knitting needles and learn to knit some festive decorations for the house.

More about knitting patterns

Posted by Alice Rowe

To become a member of Candis Club and get a wonderful free gift while doing so join today

Mike Wilkins, director of performance and reward at AstraZeneca, said that people should be enthusiastic and excited about their job.

He commented that part of this is ensuring family life matters such as a correct balance is in place.

Mr Wilkins added that that his firm aims to achieve this by offering employees support networks, as well as offering opportunities which could enable mothers to operate remotely.

He said: “As part of our reward and benefits schemes, we try to emphasise reward and flexibility wherever we can.”

Mr Wilkins went on to comment that in the US, childcare options and schemes in which parents can take advantage of up to 52 weeks combined paid and unpaid leave are in operation, during which time they can take care of family life issues.

Recently, research commissioned by HireScores.com found that 63 per cent of parents find a family holiday more stressful than a week at work.

New research released by National Family Week and 192.com finds that certain in four youngsters wish to hang out with their mums or fathers, while 55 percent of parents crave additional time using their relatives.

Laptop computer finds 62 percent spend under seventy-five per cent of the hour doing things together every day, which involves under five hrs per week.

Kevin Steele, co-founding father of National Family Week, states the organisation hopes the big event can help bring kids and parents closer together.

He comments: “We like our families but they’re moving apart – we simply don’t appear to invest sufficient time together.”

National Family Week will run between May 25th and 31st, the summer time half term, and includes an effort to carry the earth’s biggest ever have a picnic spanning the entire United kingdom.

Research published by Which? found only one in 28 breakfast cereals aimed at children do not have high sugar levels, while 31 of the 100 products studied had more than the four teaspoons recommended by health experts.

Cereals thought to be healthy, like Bran Flakes and Special K, were also found to have high levels of the substance, with a bowl of the latter being similar to Tesco’s Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Ice Cream in sugar content.

The report from Which? found Morrisons’ Choco Crackles had the most amount of sugar per serving, more than a Cadbury’s Chocolate Flake, with Frosties and Ricicles following soon after.

Sue Davis, chief policy adviser at Which?, says: “Some cereals deserve their healthy image, but most simply don’t. It’s especially shocking that almost all those targeted at children are less healthy. With such little choice, it’s a daily struggle for consumers.”

It follows similar research from the consumer information company a few years ago, when it found some cereals had almost the same amount of fat as a thick pork sausage.

For more advice see the Candisfamily magazine website.

Tucking into our turkey dinner and cracking open the bubbly this Christmas, healthy eating is likely to be the last thing on our minds. However in January we may want advice to mend our ways, and the Government is happy to help you.

The Department of Health has for decades issued how to live more healthily based on evidence collected by their own scientists and more research from all around the world. Most recently, in February it recommended we reduce the consumption of red meat to reduce the risk of bowel cancer. Then in July the Government made its first UK-wide recommendation that we should all exercise for 30 minutes per day for five days weekly.

December 2011
Much of the health guidance provided by governments around the globe has its roots in research completed by international bodies such as the World Health Organisation – a United Nations organisation designed to improve health – and the World Cancer Research Fund. So guidelines worldwide all have a similar health message – eat more fruit and vegetables, have less fat and sugar and do more exercise. Many of us have a basic idea of what we need to do to remain healthy, but evidence shows that we arenot always that good at following up on the Government’s advice. In a report published in 2008, research by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) found although British people were eating less fat and red meat and more fruit and vegetables, they were still taking in too much salt and sugar. Just a third of men and a quarter of women in this country were found to meet the Department of Health’s target of a half-hour of exercise each week, while 60 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women were drinking more alcohol than the recommended limit.

Candis Magazine is being unfairly and incorrectly accused regarding this matter and Candis Magazine does not deserve this underhanded attack either.

Apparently this so-called Candis Magazine Scam rumor started a couple of years ago when an unknown reader wrote to a popular online e-zine and complained that Candis Magazine’s claim to have donated large amounts of money to charity was a bogus claim. But Candis’ donation claim is actually correct. Candis has donated over £53 million to charities. “So,” you might ask, “why is there a problem with that?”
As one of Britain’s top subscription magazines, Candis has over 236,000 subscribers and its readership mainly consists of women between the ages of 35 and 55, a niche market that is usually ignored by most beauty and style magazines, which direct their articles mainly toward the 20-something market. For this reason, Candis serves a specific and valuable purpose by catering to this otherwise-ignored female age bracket.

The problem, according to unproven reports that a scam exists, is that said reports make it appear that Candis donates a £53 million sum annually. Candis Magazine has not ever made that claim. Yes, their amount of £53 million has truly been donated — but as a cumulative total since 1962. The anonymous reader’s claim makes it sound like Candis is claiming to donate this amount every year, making it appear that Candis might be keeping large sums instead of giving it to charity. This is not true.

Candis also serves its designated age-bracket readers by contributing to various health charities that directly benefit women between the ages of 35 and 55.

Further, it must be noted that Candis Magazine actually does donate money to charity routinely. This same claim cannot be made by many other newspapers, magazines and news outlets. For instance, the Times of London is not particularly known for donating part of its proceeds to charity. For that matter, neither is the BBC — or even the Guardian.

Newhall Publications is an independent, family-owned magazine publishing and marketing company. It focuses on publishing the well-known charitable magazine, Candis and running the Candis Club which owns the magazine, together with providing telemarketing and subscription services through Core Contact, the third part of the business.

Newhall Publications has its origins back in 1962, when founder Joseph K. Douglas created a newsletter to provide information on the fundraising activities of the Cancer & Polio Research Fund.

Candis began life as a fortnightly newsletter, printed in black & white and costing just 15 pence. Candis magazine became a great success and grew to the full-colour, 164-page version being published today. There are now over 236,000 copies of the magazine sold every month and it is the UK’s biggest selling subscription Women’s magazine. Back when it started, the newsletter was delivered by hand and from door to door by a series of dedicated agents. However it is now available from a range of newsagents, as well as by subscription, directly from Newhall the publishers.

The second part of the business is Candis Club, a subscribers club that arranges savings on a wide variety of goods and services for members, as well as organising a large range of social events. Discounts are available on everything from travel, home insurance, car and health cover.

Candis Club makes regular donations to health charities and is very proud to have helped a whole range of organisations, including: Marie Curie Cancer Care, Meningitis Trust and the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID). In total, Candis Club has raised over £53 million for charities in the United Kingdom.