Britain is going crafting crazy at the moment. Websites like Folksy, Etsy and others are filled to the rafters with brilliantly made gifts. Dads are notoriously difficult to buy gifts for so perhaps this year you may want to consider something unique and handmade.  My personal favorite site is Folksy because it showcases British made goods. Here are a few of my personal favorite gifts from folksy that would be perfect for Fathers day on 15th June this year (2014).

Personalised Leather Cuff Links
Let’s get this one out of the way early because this is from my own folksy shop. I think they are a pretty ideal father’s day gift… but then I would say that. £18.00

http://folksy.com/items/4394959-Leather-Cuff-Links-Gift-Boxed-Personalised-
Guitar players wallet
You know your Dad may never get over the fact that the chances of him ever playing lead for Dire Straits are now slim. However, this nice little leather guitar pouch by Pinegrove leather is the perfect gift for the Pop that has every other guitar gadget known to man. £39.00

http://folksy.com/items/5114441-Leather-Guitar-Players-Wallet-great-Christmas-music-gift-black-panel-

Silver Fingerprint Key Ring
Dad wont loose his keys ever again with this solid silver keyring featuring the finger prints of those he love the most… his drinking buddies! £85.00

http://folksy.com/items/3352698-Father-s-Day-Silver-Fingerprint-Key-Ring-Two-Fingerprints
Liberty Print Men’s Tie
How about a handmade tie that will really make the old fella stand out from the crowd in the office? He may never be overlooked for promotion again! £28.00

http://folksy.com/items/5884421-Mens-Tie-Handmade-from-Liberty-Tana-Lawn-Chive-Red-narrow
Table lamp up-cycled from car parts
Don’t forget, you are reason your dad doesn’t own a Porsche. You might be able to make it up to him by giving him one of these lamps made out of reconditioned car parts. £60.00

http://folksy.com/items/5499811-Table-lamp-up-cycled-from-car-parts
Irish Stout Shaving Soap
If your Dads chin does not already smell enough of Guinness – and let’s face it whose doesn’t – then you may be interest to hear that you can now buy an Irish stout shaving soap. £6.00

http://folksy.com/items/3386666-Irish-Stout-Shaving-Soap

As a proud Dad I would personally be very happy to receive any of these gifts on the 15 June. So, make your old man happy this year!

– James

In the last month we have become very proud allotment holders. We have never had one before and the plot was covered with grass, rubble, black plastic and even a bit of asbestos!

With all hazards removed we roped my dad in to help us rotivate a small patch to use this year in the hope that we could cultivate a small amount at a time. Our 1st small patch was quickly filled with the pre-requisite strawberries, raspberries, red currents and blackcurrents down the outside edges of the plot. I also have a real love of fresh broad beans so having seen some fantastically grown local plants at the Westerham farmers market last weekend at a bargain 12 plants for £2, I bought up 3 trays and in they went next to the raspberries.

Anyone who asks will know I am a bit of a bargain hunter and so seeing the distinctive red reduction label on some onion sets in Waitrose a few weeks ago was more than I could pass on. These have gone in on the other side of the plot next to the strawberries as I am sure I remember my grandad say that the smell of the onions keeps the bugs off the strawberries. To fill the last few gaps there are leeks, carrots and soon there will be celeriac.

I really thought when we first rotivated the patch that it was so huge we would never fill it and yet, in less than a weekend, it was full to bursting and ready to grow. Plot two is now being dug over ready to take the peas and runner beans that are hibernating in the greenhouse and from there well I will have to see what gets going well.

I will admit that there is not much in the way of planning going on this year, it is mostly just about getting the most from the land that we can with the growing season well under way. I am hoping that in the autumn when the plants going in at the moment are pretty much done that I can look over the plot and plan more properly for next year, however for the mean time the family allotment site is ever expanding and (apart from a few nibbles by passing bunnies) growing well.

This is the first section of our new allotment

– Emily

We have been working on a few informative animations for the British Family Foundation and here is the first. It might still be a little rough but we thought that we would give you a sneak preview and try to get some constructive feedback.

Please let us know what you think…. also if you would like to hire MrsB to do some voice over work she is getting pretty good at it! 😉

We were very pleased to announce that on Saturday 3rd May we will be at the Munchies on the Meadow event in Cobham, Kent. We have been kindly offered a stand at this fantastic event to begin to generate a little bit of interest in the British Family Foundation. To be honest we are not quite ready for a full public launch yet but it will be nice to be given an opportunity to talk to the public about the charity and gauge the general reaction to our plans. (if you need to catch up on details of our charity please click here)

Having this event as a bit of a deadline means that we are really pulling our fingers out to get the website up and running. We have also had some flyers printed and have had some signage made up. It really feels like it is coming together.

Another fact, that makes us cringe a little, is that we have been asked to open the event again. In the last 18 months we have done quite a bit of this type of thing. I have to admit that we both hate it… basically because nobody actually knows who we are. I am not entirely sure why we always agree. I think we just don’t want to disappoint people when they ask us. In any event, if you get there early, you will hear us mumble embarrassingly through our little bit.

That all being said, we went to Munchies on the Meadow last year too and it was a really great event. If you are at a loose end next week it really is worth a visit. Oh, and do be sure to come and say hi to James and I.

Details about Munchies on the Meadow here.

– Emily

It is not often that the EU tinkering in British affairs gets our seal of approval but in the case of a recent vote for a mandatory “made in Britain” label we must give the European bureaucrats a big slap on the back. The strange thing is that our own representatives in Europe do not agree.

The European parliament have, by a small majority, voted in favour of making labels specifying country of origin compulsory for all goods sold in the EU.  Those that vote against include Germany and Britain.

The counter argument against compulsory labeling is that such action could damage companies that rely on global supply chains and imported goods. This argument in itself seems to acknowledge public demand for British made products. By offering clearer labeling many companies that currently import, or hide their origins behind misleading marketing,  may lose out.

In a recent  Guardian article it has been suggested that under the proposed protocols some British trains, German coffee machines or Italian shirts would have to be relabeled “made in Japan, “made in Morocco or “made in Vietnam”.

In the same article I am pleased to see that the Made in Britain marque that we launched earlier in the year was mentioned.  However, I would like to offer a correction to what was published however. The Made in Britain marque does have ambitions to sign up 2000 supporting companies by the end of the year but these businesses will not just be made up of small players in British manufacturing, as the article suggests. Some of the businesses that already use the logo are very large or well known brands like Belling, Marshall Amplification and Mathmos. The efforts of this campaign will be to support British manufacturing whatever the scale of business.

Here is a Guardian article in full: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/15/european-plan-made-in-label-source-country

What are your thoughts about these new plans?

Here is a short overview of how British manufacturing has declined over the last 60 years. Produced by RealitySwipe (Twitter: @realityswipe). Please do give it a watch.

A growing sector

1972 saw Britain’s car production peak, with close to two million manufactured on British soil. Though this has depleted significantly, with the UK now ranking 14th healthy incline is promising a bright future for the industry.

A steady increase since 2009 is set to continue according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). “The UK’s key strengths” says a representative of the Society, “are in its engineering expertise, workforce flexibility and strong support  from government. These factors, coupled with a robust domestic supply chain and the UK’s enduring automotive heritage, will see automotive manufacturing in the country grow for years to come”.

Regional manufacturing 

The map below, from Chaucer Direct, displays the spread of car manufacturing plants across the UK presently. Hover over the map to see the employee opportunities as a result;

Growth in jobs

Osbourne’s call for doubled apprenticeships is a promising one for a sector investing heavily in such employment. The SMMT remarks that the “resurgent UK motor industry has a huge range of fantastic career options”, predicting 100,000 new jobs by 2020, “global manufacturers and suppliers large and small are continuing to invest in training young people for industry, with take-up of apprenticeships increasing 39% over the last two years”. Though also encouraged by the announcement, Chief Executive Steve Nash of the Institute of the Motor Industry warned that “we are still unclear of whether these are additional 100,000 apprenticeship places and whether they will be allocated to specific sectors”.

Growth in jobs

On a global scale, the UK still has significant progress to make. Nonetheless, investment and Government promises are certainly pushing the sector in the right direction and time will tell if this optimistic period is long-lasting.