Team Selwood Member, Tim Davies, Mentioned in Horse and Hound

Team Selwood Member, Tim Davies, Mentioned in Horse and Hound

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The UK’s leading equestrian magazine, Horse and Hound, features Timothy Davies and the Barrett Watson owned, upcoming 6 year old stallion, Braveheart V. The article, which appears on page 36, comes after Braveheart V showed his mettle at the Royal Windsor Show last week. Horse and Hound praised Tim and his success in producing young horses – “Tim is a notable producer of young talent and the Suffolk-based rider now has a horse that could be his best ever”. High praise indeed.

Earlier in the season Tim took the 6 year old over to the continent to compete in the Sunshine Tour and it was here that interest grew in this prolific young jumper. Tim is equally as confident in Braveheart’s abilities – “We could have sold him (Braveheart) 100 times there- riders from other countries kept offering silly amounts. The bigger the fences, the better he gets”.

Tim finds great pleasure in producing horses and it is clear he also has great confidence in Braveheart and his counterparts.
“The horses I’d love to own are the horses that I’ve got. Don’t get me wrong there are horses that I think are fantastic and are lovely but the ones I’ve got right now are the ones I’d like to have. I take my hat off to people who can go and spend a lot of money on a horse that’s been produced by someone else and take it over, but I’d much rather go and spend less on an amazing five year old and produce it myself. I get much more of a buzz out of producing them and going through that whole process.”

So watch this space, Braveheart V has an extremely bright future. To keep up to date with Team Selwood ‘Like’ us on Facebook or ‘Follow’ us on Twitter.

Australian Parents Worry About Children’s Lack of Exercise

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As global manufacturers our wooden swing sets are sold world wide and one of our biggest climbing frame retailers is Climbing Frames Australia. We recently caught sight of a report carried out in Australia which revealed the main concerns of Australian parents.

The report was compiled by the Australian institute of Family Studies in conjunction with National Families Week. Over half of parents are worried about the lack of exercise their children are getting and 40% are concerned that their children eat too much junk food. Other major worries were sleep disturbance and children watching too much tele or spending too much time at a computer screen. These concerns are undoubtedly concerns shared by parents the world over. Even in sunnier climes, such as Australia, parents still worry their children aren’t getting enough exercise. We may blame the rather dreary English weather but in fact distractions such as computer games and television may be what’s really keeping little ones indoors.

Of course a great way to solve at least a few of these problems is to invest in one of our swing sets. Outdoor play has been proven to improve children’s sleep patterns and of course it will drag them away from the screens and get them active.

Climbing Frames Australia Director, Penny Steele, commented “There has been a big rise in families buying climbing frames, play centres and swingsets for their gardens in recent years. Parents want children to be able to play outside safely and of course they want them to be healthy and active whilst still having fun. The investment in play equipment for your own garden can cost as little as 30 cents a day (18p) over the life of the equipment.”

Follow the link to buy a swing set direct from us, the manufacturers or for all our Australian customers visit Climbing frames Australia.

Team Selwood – The Weekend Ahead

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Team Selwood will be at a wide range of shows around the country from May 19th-20th. Read on to see what we will be doing.

Tim Davies will be heading to Wolverhampton Racecourse this weekend and Show Jumping on Saturday 19th Sunday 20th May. Having had an excellent week at Royal Windsor International, Tim has entries for Salome, Valentijn O, Alure and Braveheart in a range of classes including International Trials. To find out more about the show location and International trials click here.

Hilary Boss and Selwood Products owned Selwood Zabala De Foja will be making their BE Novice debut as a combination at British Eventing’s, Little Downham International Horse Trials held at Ely eventing centre, Cambridgeshire on Friday May 18th.

Barry Atkin will be showing Euston Obsiodion (Sid) at the 173rd Hadleigh Show, on Saturday May 19th. Sid a 4 year old ‘Suffolk Punch’ gelding will be looking to follow up his great results at the Woodbridge and South Suffolk Shows with a good performance at Holbecks Park in the “Suffolk Gelding 4 Years Old and Upward” Class 9 on the day in Ring 3.

Harry Beard will be heading to West Wilts Equestrian Centre on Sunday May 20th with his two rides Selwood Penny and Dawn Performance (Iceman) and will show jump in the 85cm and 95cm classes. Harry will be coached under the careful eyes of the chief instructor from Millfield Preparatory School in which he attends.

If you have a chance to see us in action at one of the competition venues we would very much welcome your support.
Results from the weekend shows will be posted on Monday. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages too.

Climbing Frames Direct From the Manufacturer.

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The Selwood Shop is now open for business. As renowned outdoor play equipment manufacturers we offer quality products and fantastic service. For years we have sold our products through various online retailers but now we have launched our very own Selwood Shop.
The great thing about buying directly from Selwood is that you are dealing with climbing frame and and outdoor play equipment experts. We are involved in every aspect of the design and build of our climbing frames and play equipment and we ensure that each product has the best features, the highest safety standards and the best quality materials.

Buying directly from the manufacturer also means there is no middle man or retailer so costs are kept low and you are able to deal directly with the people who manage your warranty. We already have an experienced and dedicated after-sales care team and parts team who have been working with our climbing frames and play equipment for years.

Available on the Selwood Shop is our range of Swingsets, Climbing Frames, Outdoor toys, and outdoor structures. We aim to offer a fast, easy and secure shopping experience with succinct, yet detailed product descriptions, comprehensive product imagery and fast home delivery service.

We would love to hear your comments and thoughts on The Selwood Shop. So leave a comment here on our blog, our Facebook Page us or Tweet us.

Junk Food Giants Sponsor Olympics

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London has been preparing for the Olympics since 2005, when they narrowly won the bid to stage the 2012 Games. Since then, the UK has been gripped by a feverish fascination with healthy eating and exercise. Yet, how many of us have noticed the bizarre irony that some of the biggest sponsors for this year’s Olympics are junk food companies?
Governments and health experts the world over have been trying to force the food industry to reduce the amount of saturated fat and calories in their products and to encourage parents to educate their children about healthy eating and exercise.

However this summer, we will be seeing athletes performing with the logos of McDonald’s, Cadbury’s and Coca-Cola on their kit – doesn’t this convey the wrong message? Health experts have claimed that this may lead children and young people to believe that these brands are healthier than they really are. These brands have promised to promote products with fewer calories and less sugar.

Do you think this will have any impact? Currently, over 25% of UK adults are overweight and research suggests that by 2020, over half of our young people will be obese. Should we be tackling the problems caused by junk food like we have done with those caused by smoking? If advertising were restricted, packaging carried warnings and a tax imposed, would people be sufficiently discouraged from eating it?

Naturally exercise and healthy living will make a significant difference – playing in the back garden on a climbing frame or swing set is sure to keep the kids active!

What are your thoughts on the Olympic sponsors? Do you think it will encourage children and even adults to eat junk food? Whose responsibility is it to make sure children eat healthily? What do you think of a junk food tax?

Don’t Forget Climbing Frames at the Newark and Notts County Show

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Don’t forget to visit us at the Newark and Notts County Show this weekend (May 12th & 13th). We will be showcasing a range of our climbing frames, Yardistry structures and Gazeley Horseboxes at stand M101. We would love to see as many of you there as possible. This is a rare opportunity to see our climbing frames in the flesh. You will be able to see the premium grade cedar and the fantastic attention to detail which can sometimes get lost online.

The Selwood Shop is set to launch this Saturday so for the first time ever you will be able to buy directly from the manufacturer. This means you are dealing with climbing frame experts who are involved in all aspects of outdoor play design and manufacturing.

If you manage to visit us, and we really think you should, make sure you Facebook or Tweet us your thoughts. We would love to see some pictures from the day.

For those who can’t make the show this weekend we will also be at the Suffolk County Show on the 7th and 8th of June and the Royal Norfolk Show on the 27th and 28th of June.

Selwood Products Climbing Frames at the Newark and Notts County Show

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Selwood products will be attending the Newark and Nottinghamshire County Show this Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th of May. Look for us at stand M101. This a fantastic opportunity to see our products in the flesh. We are leading climbing frame and outdoor toy manufacturers and this year we have decided to take our frames on the road so more people have the opportunity to see what great quality and fun our swing sets are.

The Ickworth, Sherborne and Althorp Deluxe will all be at the show this weekend and we strongly advise all those in the area to pay us a visit. To view the climbing frames we manufacturer please visit Climbing Frames UK..

We will also be showcasing our stunning range of Yardistry structures including large garden rooms, garden accents and fencing.

From Saturday onwards we will be launching The Selwood Shop. From here we will be selling directly to customers. This is fantastic opportunity for customers to buy direct from climbing frame and outdoor toy manufacturers and experts. This eliminates the middle man and means you will be dealing with the very people who will be managing your warranty. We already have a dedicated parts and after-sales care team ready to answer any queries and questions you may have.

Several members of Team Selwood will also be in attendance at the Newark and Notts County Show. Read our Team Selwood announcement here.

Gazeley horseboxes are a supporter of Team Selwood and will be there displaying the brand new Gazeley exclusive 3.5 and 7.5 ton horseboxes.

For those who can’t make the show this weekend we will also be at the Suffolk County Show on the 7th and 8th of June and the Royal Norfolk Show on the 27th and 28th of June.

Team Selwood Launches

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Team Selwood launches with the sponsorship of Suffolk-based Show Jumper Timothy Davies. Tim has enjoyed huge success in recent years. What began as a hobby at the age of just 5 has progressed into a renowned career. Recent victories include 1st place at the International Stairway, 2011 and third place in the Grand Prix at the Sunshine Tour, March 2012. Tim trains with Barrett Watson at his Walsham-le-willows yard. It was here that Tim was partnered with the now nine-year-old bay gelding Valentijn.O. A horse that Tim has produced through the ranks and gone on to enjoy great acclaim with. With a number of promising young horses in the stables Tim has an exciting season ahead.

Along with Tim will be 6 other team members covering a number of equine disciplines.
They are as follows:

Anna Spittle – Show Jumper

Kerry French – Show Jumper

Hilary Boss – Eventer

Jess Dutton – Showing

Harry Beard – Academy Student

Barry Atkins – Heavy Horses

More information on the Team Selwood members will be launched soon via our Selwood blog , Facebook and Twitter. Here we will announce entries and publish results for all our team members. We are hopefully close to signing our final 2012 team member, an experienced Eventer competing at the highest level here in the UK and abroad.

To follow Team Selwood you can visit the Team Selwood Facebook or Twitter pages.

Sabotage at the Supermarket

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As parents ourselves, we completely understand how difficult supermarket shopping with children in tow can be… The colours of the fruit and vegetable aisle are not as enticing as the sweetie aisle and smell of the apples and bananas is certainly not as mouth-watering as the smell coming from the chocolate shelves. Then the crisps aisle comes and your little ones are adamant that crisps are good for them – after all, “They are made of potatoes, Mum!”

You’ve battled your way around the supermarket, congratulations! But the worst is yet to come. For at the checkout, everything you have avoided up until now is raining down on you from all sides and all your hard work and perseverance has been quashed… Snacks, sweets, chocolate bars and crisps are lining the narrow queue at a child’s eye-level. Great.

The ‘Children’s Food Campaign’ has heavily criticised the supermarkets for neither reducing the amount of snacks, nor removing them altogether from the checkouts. A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “As a nation we all need to eat less, but simply tying companies up with endless regulations doesn’t work. We need to equip everyone with the tools to make healthier decisions. Through Change4Life we are encouraging everyone to be more active and look at swapping to healthier options.”

So where do you stand? Are the supermarkets making your job as a conscientious parent harder? Or are the supermarkets completely within their right to sell sweets and snacks at the checkout? Are you and your family participating in the Change4Life scheme?

If you’re trying to keep your little ones active and healthy one of our wooden swing sets or climbing frames is a fantastic idea. Click the links to view our products.
We would love to hear your thoughts and receive your comments on this topic!

Climbing Frames UK History Lesson

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The clever people at Climbing Frames UK love their history especially their climbing frame history. They have recently published a fantastic blog on the World’s first slide over on their website. Believe it or not the first ever slide, which was built 90 years ago in 1922, was made of wood. It was invented by Charles Wicksteed owner of Wicksteed park, Kettering, Northamptonshire.

Our climbing frames feature a variety of plastic slides – Curved wavy slides, straight wavy slides, tubular slides. Anyone who has seen children play on a swing set will know how loved the slide is. The faster and the zippier the better. But can you imagine zooming down a slide made of wooden planks? No, nor can we.