Britain to bask for THREE more days...

Good news for those who feared the weekend’s glorious weather would disappear as soon as it arrived - the beautiful sunshine is now expected to last until at least Friday.

The Met Office predicted highs of up to 21C across the country today and the mercury will hit 23 tomorrow - matching yesterday's hottest day of the year so far.

But forecasters predict the the warm spell will end on Saturday - just in time for the school Easter holidays.

Although, despite temperatures dropping to 12, there is still little sign of any rain - prompting new drought warnings.Temperatures are likely to pick up mid-week, but only as high as 16C.

It comes after almost a week of unseasonably warm and sunny weather. Amazingly, rather than the south of England, it was the Scottish village of Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, which recorded the highest temperature of the year so far as the mercury hit 22.9.

South of the border Otterbourne in Hampshire was the warmest place on Monday, peaking at 21.4C, while Porthmadog in Wales reached 21.1C. Meanwhile central London saw temperatures of 19C.

The first working day of the week saw Britain's beaches and parks fill up with sun seekers as forecasters said the heatwave was due to high pressure and breezes from north Africa and the Mediterranean.
Clear blue skies with dry, sunny weather is anticipated for most of the UK on Wednesday and Thursday.

Early mist and fog on Friday is expected to clear to make way for another beautiful day. Only western parts of Scotland will see some less enjoyable conditions in the shape of breezes and patchy drizzle.
But forecasters urged sun-worshippers to make the most of it because by the weekend temperatures will be back to a more seasonal average of 11-12C (51-53F).

They predict chilly starts followed by sunshine and highs of 21C in both the North and the South over the next few days.

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British adults fail the national geography test

BRITONS may know all about the beaches of St Kitts and the lavish nightlife of Monte Carlo but they have little idea about the geography of their home nation, new national research has shown.

• ONE IN FIVE BRITISH ADULTS DON’T KNOW WHICH COUNTRIES MAKE UP THE UK

• SIX OUT OF 10 NAMED MOUNT EVEREST, BEN NEVIS AND SNOWDON AS ENGLAND’S BIGGEST MOUNTAIN

• A QUARTER OF THE NATION BELIEVES AYERS ROCK IS IN THE UK

BRITONS may know all about the beaches of St Kitts and the lavish nightlife of Monte Carlo but they have little idea about the geography of their home nation, new national research has shown.

 

While their children are busy leafing through revision notes in order to sit their geography GCSE exams this Spring, more than one in five British adults (20.6%) admit they do not know how many countries are actually in the UK.

 

In a year of national pride, which sees London play host to the Olympic Games and the Queen launch nationwide celebrations for her Diamond Jubilee, more than half of British adults (58.6%) confessed they believe Mount Everest, Ben Nevis and Snowdon are actually in England, according to the research* by luxury tour specialists Journeys of Distinction.

 

Staggeringly, more than a third of the nation (33.8%) believes the Home Counties circle Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow, according to the research.

 

Ten per cent of those polled have no idea that the huge Angel of the North is even in the UK, let alone in the north-east of England.

 

And almost a quarter of Brits think Australia’s iconic Ayers Rock is actually in Britain, while one in 20 confessed they had absolutely no clue that Stonehenge is also based here in Britain.

 

Astonishingly, one in five Brits confessed they don’t know where in the UK Britain’s legendary seaside resort, Blackpool, is located. And the majority (53%) have no clue where Balmoral Castle is based.

 

Almost a third of the nation (32.3%) don’t know that Canterbury, home to the world famous Canterbury Cathedral, is based in the county of Kent.

 

Many experts believe that advances in technology and the easy availability of online search engines which provide instant answers to any question anywhere, any time, means that people now don’t need to store geographical information like they did in the last century.

 

*Research based on a poll of 2,000 British citizens, carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Journeys of Distinction in February 2012.

 

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Hottest weekend of the year as Britons flocked to the seaside

Temperatures to continue rising after hottest weekend of the year. Britons flocked to the seaside as they took advantage of the hottest weekend of the year.

Coastal resorts saw thousands turn out to lap up temperatures of 22.2C (72F) on Saturday – making it England’s warmest March day for 22 years.

About 200,000 people hit the beach at Blackpool while others packed the shores of Brighton, Bournemouth and Langland Bay, near Swansea.

Others dusted off their barbecues for the first time this year as supermarkets reported a surge in sausage and burger sales.

The hottest place in Britain was Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, where a temperature of 22.8C (73F) was recorded – beating the previous March high of 1965.

More sunshine is forecast for much of this week with the mercury staying above 20C (68F) in most regions until Thursday.

‘We’ve got clear skies, plenty of sunshine and quite dry ground which is heating up quite quickly,’ said Met Office spokeswoman Rebecca Sherwin. ‘Most places will be dry, warm and sunny for the next few days.’

Temperatures will be back to normal for the time of year by the weekend but west Wales and north-eastern parts of Scotland are likely to be warmest.

However, the driest March since records began has failed to impress the Environment Agency, which is implementing a hosepipe ban in many areas from April 5.

‘Obviously, it’s nice to have a sunny weekend but what we really need is a prolonged period of rainfall,’ said a spokesman for the agency. ‘We’re working with farmers to keep them going through the summer.

However, it’s been a very dry week and river levels are continuing to fall,’ they added.

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UK breaks set to increase after APD tax rise

The controversial tax hike on Air Passenger Duty is set to boost holiday staycations in the UK, according to a survey by a leading holiday rental company.

On Wednesday (21/03/12) it was confirmed that there wiill be an eight per cent double inflation rise in air passenger duty, starting April 1st. This tax is set to make flying more expensive for holidaymakers – a family of four travelling economy class to Florida could pay £80 on top of their trip.

As a result, two thirds of holidaymakers are more likely to take holidays in the UK, according to the holiday rental company’s survey.

It also looks like holidaymakers would choose to spend the money they saved by putting it back into their holiday experience. Of the people questioned, 30 per cent said that they would upgrade their accommodation with the savings made from avoiding the tax, whilst 35 per cent would use the money to take a second staycation holiday.

A spokesperson for the company who conducted the survey, said: “We expect a real surge in bookings from April as the impact of Air Passenger Duty hikes kick in. If you consider that a family of four travelling to Spain could pay up to £128 in tax alone, and the same family flying to Australia could pay in excess of £700 it becomes very clear why this boost is expected.”

The APD hike, which is an eight per cent double inflation rise in air passenger duty, has been condemned by the aviation industry as “a double tax increase for passengers”.

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Center Parcs "Best UK Holiday Provider "

Center Parcs Crowned Winner of Best UK Holiday Provider at Tommy’s Let’s Get Baby Friendly Awards

At a glittering ceremony at the Landmark Hotel in London, baby charity Tommy’s announced the winners of its annual Let’s get baby friendly Awards.

Since 1995 Tommy's Awards has recognised the vital support that friends, family and health professionals offer couples who suffer a pregnancy complication or loss of a baby. The Awards also recognise the organisations that are making a real difference to family’s lives all over the UK, and ensuring parents’ needs are met.

This year, a record number of votes were cast throughout January and February 2012: with 205,799 votes cast in total, this was an almost 200% increase in voting numbers since the year before, showing that parents really are standing up and rewarding the companies that go that extra mile to be truly ‘baby friendly’.
Votes were cast in a wide variety of categories, ranging from best family supermarket to most eco-friendly baby company.

Helen Horner from Center Parcs commented: “We are delighted to have been named Best UK Holiday Provider in the Tommy’s Let’s Get Baby Friendly Awards 2011. This is a testament to the fantastic services, activities and facilities we have available for families with young children and babies. This is becoming an increasingly competitive category and with parents voting in these awards, it is a real honour to receive.”

The ceremony was hosted by David and Carrie Grant, and the awards were presented by an array of other celebrity parents including Natasha Hamilton, Kirsten O’Brien, Saira Khan, Lizzie Cundy, Samantha Bond, Kirsty McCabe, Lee Mead, Terri Dwyer, Harriet Scott, Nancy Sorrell, and Louise Minchin.

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