Develop your club identity

Most of us like to have a sense that we belong somewhere or to something. It’s a natural human response and the reason that families and friends are such an important part of our lives. We can be rooted as well to where we come from, whether it is a country, a county or region, or a particular city, town or village. There is a sense of being part of something bigger than ourselves alone, and it is part of the glue that binds society together. 

Outside family, friends and nation, one of the most important and popular ways of being with other like-minded people is by joining a club and being part of a social, sporting or cultural group. You don’t actually have to play a game or be a musician or artist to belong to a club, you just have to be interested or, indeed, passionate about the pastime you want to be involved with. 

This makes developing an identity for your club a great way to enhance the club’s public presence and develop the sense of camaraderie between its members. 

The ideal way to do this is by getting a set of printed t-shirts arranged for your club. Established clubs will probably have their own written logo and a badge, so there are historic connections to bear in mind when deciding how to represent these on garments. There are also discussions to be had over quality. 

Obviously, good quality is usually a given, but if the club is involved in contact sports, such as football or rugby, and a logo is put onto the playing shirt, the shirt may well not survive more than one match. Even if it does, it is likely to become extremely dirty, requiring a high temperature wash every week or more often. This is where printing techniques can now produce high volumes at very reasonable prices, so if shirts need to be replaced on a regular basis it need not cost the club a fortune, whilst retaining that club identity on the field. 

Off the field, then, players and fans can put the name of the club out and about with a wide range of clothing with the club’s markings. Many clubs can take advantage of the keen prices offered by specialist garment printing companies and commission a range of items that can be sold to club supporters at a small mark up, perhaps to help raise funds for the club. Types of garments, as well as printed t-shirts, would include hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets and polo shirts, all offering the opportunity for the club’s identity to be publicised. 

It doesn’t just have to be sporting clubs that use printed garments to develop their identity. New clubs or societies formed at university, for example, can establish their own identities by developing logos and images that members and others can wear with pride. It could be a chess club, a choir, an international society or even a university department producing logos and designs to enhance their organisations, help to market what they do and encourage new members to join.

This is a sponsored post - written by James who guest blogs for Clothes2order.com

Car hire insurance for vans

When you take out a rental vehicle, it is of the utmost importance to take out car hire insurance. There are many convincing reasons to insure your rental van. Some of these reasons are true of any vehicle, and some are specific to vans. 

The reasons for taking out car hire insurance on your rental vehicle are many. First of all, no matter how skilled a driver you are, the chance of a collision is always there. The possibility that you may be involved in an accident is one of the main reasons for taking out insurance on your rental vehicle. 

Most often, you rent a van because you need to transport a number of passengers. This fact might make the van more susceptible to collision, since having a number of people in the vehicle while you drive can be quite disorienting. This is more true if there are children in the car. 

Vans are often rented by people who do not drive them on a regular basis, and thus the chance of an accident is increased. 

Another important reason for taking out car hire insurance on your van is that there are factors you cannot control. For example, even if your vehicle is parked, there are certain kinds of damage that may happen to it. Vandalism is always a possibility when you are away from your vehicle, and so it is worth getting cover for this. Not every car hire company includes vandalism in their insurance policies, so it is worth looking into to make sure that you are, in fact, getting cover for this possibility. Fire is another eventuality that is not always covered, but which is worth looking into. The more you are willing to spend on insurance cover at the outset of your rental, the more protected you are from having to pay for any damage that happens later. 

Of course, theft is also a concern when your vehicle is parked, and this is why many insurance policies directly address this possibility. When you drive a large vehicle around, it is possible that some people will assume that you have precious cargo on board. As such, the possibility of theft while renting a van can be even greater than that of renting a car. You do not want to be caught off guard, so the best option is to get yourself covered. 

It does not matter what type of rental vehicle you have, car hire insurance is a crucial factor. There is no way to avoid paying for damage and theft unless you take out the proper insurance cover when you rent your vehicle. When you have the right cover, you do not have to worry about an unfortunate incident taking the money from your wallet. These considerations involved in renting a van, help to make insurance especially important with this type of vehicle.

This is a guest post, sponsored by iCarhireinsurance.com

Key Features to Help Make Dressing Your Baby Easier

As any parent of a young baby or toddler can tell you, one of the hardest parts about getting a child ready in the morning is keeping them still enough to get dressed. A squirming baby can be almost impossible to dress if the clothing does not have features that make it easier for you to get it on quickly. For example, if the clothing has lots of small buttons or lace-up strings, your infant might not cooperate with you long enough to finish dressing. Fortunately, Vertbaudet have plenty of baby clothing with features that are specifically designed for easier dressing and undressing. 

Press stud fastenings 

One of the most convenient baby clothing features are press stud fastenings. These metal snaps allow parents to open and close clothing tops and bottoms quickly and easily, without worrying about finding buttonholes, which can be difficult when an infant wants to start crawling away from you. Infant bodysuits that have press stud fastenings on the back make it easy for mums and dads to close up the tops easily, while the press stud fastenings between the legs make nappy changes a breeze. Other infant bodysuits feature open neck tops, with press stud fastenings between the legs. Having the fastenings down there also makes it simple for parents to keep one hand on their babies at all times when removing the clothing.

Image courtesy of Vertbaudet

Adjustable straps and waists 

Adjustable points on infant clothing are another feature for easy dressing. For example, a pair of trousers with an adjustable waist helps parents achieve the right fit for their baby, no matter how small or wide the infant’s waist may be. On these trousers, the adjustable waist has elastic inside, along with two buttons. Parents simply pull the elastic to tighten the waist as required and then button it at the necessary spot to keep the waist snug. 

Some infant clothing features adjustable straps on the shoulders, with press stud fastenings on the ends. Infant boy dungarees, with adjustable shoulder straps, allow parents to lower or raise the bib portion of the outfit to fit their child’s stature. As babies grow, parents can change the snap position on the straps to continue using them for a longer period of time. 

Buttoned shoulders 

Another baby clothing feature for dressing and undressing easily are buttoned shoulders. These features make it easy to remove shirts and tops without having to pull the entire top over the baby’s head. Since some infants might become afraid when their faces are covered by clothing, tops that have this feature help them feel more comfortable during dressing and undressing. Some tank tops have snap buttons on one shoulder, which enables parents to open one side wider than the other to get the shirt off easily. 

Vertbaudet offers a range of baby clothes, children’s clothes and home collections for your little ones. Their Summer Sale is now on, with hundreds of items reduced by up to 60%, so hurry while stocks last. Shop now at www.vertbaudet.co.uk/shop/summer-sale.htm

This is a guest post, sponsored by Vertbaudet

Speedo Aquashot Waterproof Camera

Speedo have very kindly sent me their Aquashot Waterproof Camera to review.

Being a really keen amateur photographer, I was absolutely thrilled to receive this camera, as it is something I have wanted for a very long time!

There is a pool near our house that you can hire for an hour and have it all to yourself.  So my husband I took the kids along and the new camera and got some great shots! Most of the shots of them are just of their legs and bottoms, but we are working on getting them to get their heads under!  My husband went under water for me though, and I managed to get a cracking shot!  We really did have a lot of fun with it!

The camera is waterproof up to 3 metres, it has a flash, an LCD display, scenery settings, self timer, and built in 32MB.

It costs £137.00, and it really is the business - I love it!

LittleLife Ladybird Wheelie Duffle

Cotswold Outdoor has just launched a new range of children's travel products from LittleLife, including this fab LittleLife Ladybird Wheelie Duffle which we have been sent to review.

Betty, my five year old, absolutely loves this new suitcase - the fact that it looks like a giant ladybird AND it it just like my wheelie suitcase (although mine is just plain black) has caused much excitement.  

She got to try it out on a recent trip to London and looked as proud as can be pulling it along the underground platforms and up the escalators (and to be honest, I welcomed her help, as we had enough baggage of our own).  

This wheelie duffle has a 20 litre compartment for clothes, and maybe a couple of toys, and an internal accessories pocket for smaller items.

It is also made from hardwearing nylon and has a wipe-clean surface.

This lovely case retails at £40.00, which perhaps seems a bit pricey, but it has brought a lot of joy!

Cotswold Outdoor are also running a fabulous Facebook competition to win a LIttlelife Doodle Daypack - the competition closes on Monday!