As the summer holidays drew closer I wanted to do something nice but different for the girl’s teachers to say thank you for everything but without spending a fortune on gifts. Between the girl’s classrooms…
View PostMy oldest son Leo has Cerebral palsy. When he was little, he was a full time wheelchair user and so his little school shoes would last him the whole school year, in fact even longer because we would always have to buy his shoes two sizes bigger to accommodate his Orthotics. Shoe shopping for a kid who wears splints is not the easiest task to do either and I would often leave a shop feeling very stressed out and frustrated, I dreaded it.
Fast forward quite a few years later and the girls had now started school. This academic school year alone and keep in mind we are only 6 months in, they have both already got through two pairs of shoes each nearly, three pairs up until Treads got in touch and boy was I glad to hear from them. Leo is 14 now and doesn’t walk the same as most children so we are really excited to be putting these to the test.
So, what makes Treads different to the rest?
Treads are constructed using a “strobel” technique where the upper is placed into a mould and the sole is then injected around it creating one unit without the need for any gluing. This not only creates a really strong bond but offers additional flexibility, perfect for active kids.
Every shoe comes with reinforced heels and seams. The front of the shoes is scuff proof and can be wiped clean. Plus there is a 30 day money back guarantee and a 12 months guarantee.
Shoe sizing and getting it right
No matter where you go to buy shoes, the sizes never come up exactly the same. We downloaded the paper gauge off there website to measure the kid’s feet and found it very easy and straight forward to do, in fact when the shoes arrived they were all a perfect fit.
Dual Fit Technology
All of Treads shoe range have dual fit technology which is ergonomically designed to give you the perfect fit.
All you need to do is simply remove the base under the sock layer and it will increase the width of the shoe from a standard to a wide fitting, Also if you remove the foot bed it will give you more depth which is perfect for people like Leo who wear Orthotics (splints in our case). Every pair of shoe Leo has ever owned is missing the insoles from having to rip them so that they would fit.
What I thought
The kid’s have been wearing their new school shoes for the last two weeks and I can report that we have had no blisters and they all find them really comfortable to wear. Emily is the boisterous one of the three and if any of them would come home on the first day of wearing them with scuffed shoes, it would be her. I love both the girls and the boys ranges on the website and I think there is something there that will suit all tastes, with some pairs starting as low as £35 – which if you consider how many pairs of school shoes they have ravaged in a year, and the stress of having to keep going to buy more, it is well worth it in my eyes.
I am so pleased that the fabulous people from Treads has given 1 The Knight Tribe reader the opportunity to win a pair of Treads school shoes of their very own. To be in with a chance of winning, follow the instructions and make sure you enter by 23:59 on 18/02/20.
*We were gifted 3 pairs of Treads School Shoes in return for an honest review. All opinions and photos are my own
Having a teenager with cerebral palsy I am often asked about his hobbies and if he takes part in any after school activities. As much as Leo hates it, it isn’t safe for him out there on his own especially as he falls unexpectedly and we live by very busy main road. Over the year’s I have searched for things he could do to keep him busy so that he would feel less ‘trapped’ like he does and to also make some new friends.
When he was a small child there wasn’t a lot to do like there is now for children with disabilities. Now we have Little Miracles which is an amazing charity that supports families that have children with additional needs, disabilities and life limiting conditions. Just like everyone else these children need a place to play, laugh and create friendships – Little Miracles provides this whilst the families are able to access the advice, support and care that they deserve.
The Activities Leo takes part in:
Pan Disability football which is run by Peterborough United Football club
Nene Valley Community Centre
Mondays 5.30- 6.30pm
£3 a session
Adapted Cycling
Peterborough regional Athletics club
Wednesday 5pm till 7pm
£3 a session
Fins Swimming Lessons
Jack Hunt Swimming pool
Saturday 3pm- 3.25pm
£28 per month
Other activities are:
Sharks Basketball
Focus Centre Dogsthorpe, PE1 4PE
Sunday 10am – 12pm
£3 per session
Archery
Focus Centre Dogsthorpe, PE1 4PE
Sunday 12.30pm- 1.30pm
£3 per session
Boccia Club
Peterborough Indoor Bowls club, PE1 5HA
Saturday 10am-12pm
£3 per session
Sailability
Ferry Meadows (Lakeside area)
Tuesday’s and Thursdays: 10am- 4.30pm (April-October)
Booking is essential 07948-262919
£5 per session and sessions are 30 minutes
I will update this as often as I can to keep all information correct and relevant
If you have an activity you would like to include, Please fill in the information below and I will get back to you.
Brand new for 2020 Inflatanation is opening it’s doors here in Peterborough on January the 18th. The new venue is in the Peterborough One (PE1) Retail Park in Eye.
Inflatanation is a 14,500 sq ft inflatable theme park for both adults and children’s that features a huge ball pool, obstacle races, drop slides, huge bouncy balls, drops, balls – plus a gladiator battle podium and a special ‘Inflata Bubbles’ section and much more. You can see their full list on their website before you come.
I have put together a quick guide for you with all the important information you will need from where the venue is, opening times, costs, food and much more all in one place before you visit,
They advice you to arrive 30 minutes prior to your booking slot as you will need to sign a waiver and go through the safety rules. Any future visits, checking in will be much quicker.
Normal Socks must be worn. No non slip socks please. They strongly advise wearing thin long sleeved tops with long trousers/leggings as with all inflatable, friction burns can occur on exposed skin when performing certain activities, especially slides.
Socks can be purchased for £1.50 a pair.
Also as a friendly reminder that this is a family venue so please refrain from wearing slogan tops that may cause offence.
Lockers are £2.00 for 1.5 hours or £3 for 2 hours which is non refundable but piece of mind for your personal belonging whilst your off playing.
Monday to Thursday 11am to 8pm
Friday and Saturday 9am to 9pm
Sunday 9am to 8pm
You need to book Inflatanation in advance using their booking system on their website.
Please Book Online In Advance
First hour
Under 4 – £5.99
4 to 15 and Adults – £9.99
Additional hour (if wanted)
Under 4 – £3.00
4 to 15 and Adults – £7.00
Spectators, Non-Walkers/Babies in arms are FREE of charge!
There are also options to save money by purchasing a family fun pass, see offers and vouchers on their website.
You will be pleased to know that there is free Wifi and a Cafe on site
Will update with price list shortly
There are three classes to choose from (timetable for Peterborough TBC, I will update asap)
Inflata Tots– Sessions where they open up their entire theme park just for the little ones to play in without the fear of older kids and adults knocking them over.
Disability Friendly- Sessions especially for people with disabilities to enjoy where the number of participants is halves, the music is turned down, free entry for the parent/carer with every participant and complimentary juice and biscuit for the participants following the session.
Grown Ups Only – Sessions for all the big kids out there aged 16 and over only.
Inflatanation offer party and group packages for:
More information on this can be found on their website.
This was our second trip on the Santa express based at Nene Valley Railway in Wansford, Peterborough. The last time we visited, Emily was only two years old and we had a really lovely time. The only reason why we didn’t do it again until this year was purely because we wanted to try other places too.
I booked our tickets online, which was really easy and straight forward to do, all their dates, times and availability are on their website clear as day for you to pick from. On the next page, you can pick whether you want a classic seat or a first-class seat. The only difference between the two is that on the classic ticket you don’t get a table like you do with 1st class and I think you get an extra snack to eat on the train journey, but you would need to double-check that. There are also options to book a private coach and add on food platters.
On the next page, they ask for the children’s name and ages and then the payment screen. We received the tickets in the post at the beginning of December, so plenty of time before we were due to go on the 14th.
The car park situation always looks quite daunting, as there are cars parked everywhere, however, we managed to get parked up quite quickly. Word of advice though, wear footwear that can be easily cleaned because you will get quite muddy getting out the car, especially if it has been raining.
Our train was booked for 2pm and we arrived at 1.40pm. We went straight through to the where you give your tickets to the train inspector and the kids all received badges to wear with their ages on. As our train was leaving at 2pm, the waiting area was empty, as most of the people had already boarded the train. The inspector asked us to hurry as quick as we could because the train was waiting so make sure you arrive in plenty of time so there will be less of a rush. We waited for around 10 minutes to see Santa and whilst we did there was so much going around to keep you and the kids entertained.
There were interactive displays set up which the children could look at, have photos with and press buttons. A children’s entertainer was juggling, spinning plates and playing with his ‘magic’ hat, which had the kids kept very amused. A choir was singing Christmas classics while you wait, they even get the children to pick the next song they sing out of their music book and Lydia got to pick ‘Jingle Bells’ which she loved.
Seeing Santa Claus was lovely! As you get to the door to his ‘grotto’, you are greeted by his friendly elf helpers who interact with the kids asking them their names whilst secretly looking at their badge age so they can choose the relevant gift. Emily and Lydia were full of questions for him and Emily had even drawn him a special picture and gave him another letter to take back to the north pole, which was adorable. Leo (14) said it was embarrassing, but went with it for his little sisters and secretly he enjoyed it.
We boarded the train and made our way down to coach H, which is where we would be sitting for our train journey. The carriage was pretty basic and is really old, but that just added to the experience in my opinion. As soon as we were seated, the kids ripped open their gifts to see what Santa had brought them and they were all chuffed to bits with the gifts. Emily got a Disney Princess Jewelry game, which we play at home and the girls really enjoy playing it together. Lydia loves crafts and she got a paint by numbers set, which she was over the moon with, and Leo loves anything old and retro and even he was happy with his little model Alfa Romeo car.
The train attendants came round shortly after and offered the kids a choice of either a carton of Apple or Orange juice and a chocolate Fredo bar. The adults had the choice of either a glass of wine, baileys, beer, tea or coffee and a mince pie which me and David thoroughly enjoyed, minced pies are our favourite.
All in all I’d say the train journey was about an hour with a short break half way through. The break feels really long and the kids did get bored after a little while of waiting, but they need to do this in order for Santa to make his way safely through each carriage to say Hello and to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and the look on the children’s’ face when Santa came was definitely worth the wait. After Santa leaves, the train heads back to the station where you can continue to see all the lovely things in their shop, or view the old trains. They even have a Thomas the Tank Engine there as well.
We love going on the Santa express and would definitely recommend you go if you haven’t before. You come away feeling really festive and the kids are so excited by the whole experience.
Tickets will be on sale for The Santa express from April direct from their website.
**We paid for our tickets, all opinions are our own**
