We plan on running one course per month, apart from August. If you are unable to attend either of the above dates, the next course will run on 15 September.

We also run  DSLR photography and video training courses for smaller groups and on a one-to-one basis. For more details, please call us on 01423 522363 or click here!

In the UK, children’s issues with food – whether they are over-eating or under-eating – are hot topics. Obesity levels in children are alarmingly high across the nation and although the reasons are complex, Yorkshire design company KanGarRoo believes that the time has come for pre-school and primary school educators to take a greater role in educating young children in healthy food preparation and social eating activities.

Working with schools, industry bodies and children across the UK, the company has developed a range of curriculum-rich workstations that are designed to help teachers put the fun, practicality and sense of achievement back into healthy food preparation – with the ultimate aim of encouraging children to lead healthier lifestyles. It is now looking for help to evaluate the products in pre-school and primary schools.

Food – what’s gone wrong?

Steve Hoffman, KanGarRoo Director, says, “Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the last thirty years¹.During this time, the way we shop and our capacity to prepare healthy meals and snacks every day have changed dramatically. A quarter of all Brits² now manage only two properly cooked meals a week, and less and less of these are in social circumstances. For many of us, balancing work with busy lives has meant that the enjoyment has gone out of shopping, preparing and cooking food with balanced nutrition. Somewhere along the line, our culinary skills have faded. It’s no-one’s fault. It’s just the way life is these days. For convenience, a lot of us are grazing on fast food – and adults and children are gaining weight, or not eating healthily enough, and this has a knock-on effect. Twenty-five percent of boys and thirty-three percent of girls between two and nineteen years are now overweight or obese³. One of the major problems is that in many homes, because of our lifestyles, children are not learning basic healthy food preparation or social eating skills. As designers, we believe we have a role in helping to address this.”

A food preparation solution to reverse the trend

It’s never been more important for our children to recognise the numerous benefits of eating freshly prepared food with friends and family. The most valuable behavioural learning is taught in children’s formative years. Looking at the wider picture, we now believe that pre-school and primary school educators need to fill in the gaps that are now prevalent in UK households. Pre-empting the need for functional, versatile, healthy food preparation workstations that meet all the necessary EN Standards, we have developed a range of modular furniture specifically for use in primary and pre-school environments. We hope they will revolutionise the educational environment by engaging and inspiring children and by aiding teachers to help improve children’s eating habits and their understanding of nutrition.”

A helping hand

KanGarRoo has taken inspiration from its experience in designing educational furniture, from the way children behave with each other, with shape, form, colour and with tactile objects, from educational models used in preschool environments and from ergonomically designed office furniture. The company is now looking for nutrition and healthcare education and pre-school and primary educators to help evaluate the workstations before they are manufactured. If you would like to be involved in this worthwhile project, please contact info@kangarroo.co.uk.

Read more about this story on the KanGarRoo blog and website: http://blog.kangarroo.co.uk/

1. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
2. Beneden Healthcare Survey, April 2012
3. http://www.weightlossresources Media Contact: Rachael Meyer, SiRAstudio Ltd. Tel: 01423 522363. Email: rachael@sirastudio.com

On 5th May 2012, The Well Live Music Venue in Leeds opened its doors under new management, for the massive live music phenomenon that is Live at Leeds. Featuring China Rats and Royal Republic, (the latter of which is currently supporting Blink 182 and The Subways as part of their international tour) The Well’s opening day proved it was well and truly back in the game as one of Leeds’ best loved live music venues. Although under new management The Colgan Machine will be extending The Well’s music genre offerings to blues, rock, indie, soul, DJ nights, comedy and cabaret, it has confirmed it will also be staying loyal to fans of the venue’s more recent specialism of metal and punk.

Post War Glamour Girls perform at The Well, Leeds on its opening day

About The Colgan Machine
On 16th March 2012, Simon and Sharon Colgan of the Colgan Machine took over management of The Well, formerly Josephs Well, Perfectly positioned to rescue the legendary music venue from its destiny as a restaurant and restore it to its former glory, the Colgan Machine has extensive experience in promoting live music at its two other highly successful pubs The Duck n Drake in Leeds, and Blues Bar in Harrogate.

Simon Colgan  explains, “Up until now we have provided free live music in our pubs, so taking on a ticketed venue is a brand new venture for us. We’d been watching The Well for a while and we’d been impressed at the quality of music, the allegiance and camaraderie of the clientele and the general atmosphere of the place. We were astounded when we learned of its closure, and decided it was an ideal opportunity for us to step in and try to make it great again. It plays an important part in Leeds’ musical history and deserves to be back at the hub of the scene.”

The combined force of Simon’s and Sharon’s experience and enthusiasm, and their passion for mixing live music, fun and beer with insightful business acumen is obvious. Sharon is a talented and well-established singer in her own right, so she is well aware of the makings of putting on a good show. Simon has been booking high quality live music for years, is well respected in the industry, and as such, has an eye for a good band and an impressive book of contacts.

“The Well has such a revered history of live music in Leeds. It was one of the first, and one of the best,” says Sharon. “We have invested a lot of effort, time and money in equipment and furnishings since we took it on. It already looks a lot cleaner and more welcoming. Although we have much more work in store, we are confident that the people of Leeds, promoters and performance artists will support us and enjoy building the pub and the music venue back up to where it belongs. Live at Leeds was a fantastic opener and we can’t thank the bands, organisers and customers enough.

Live at Leeds Opening Day

Video overview of Live at Leeds at The Well: http://vimeo.com/41714312

The Well’s hardcore fan base was not denied for the Live at Leeds opening day. China Rats kicked off an impressive line up at 1pm. Unions, Bearfoot Beware, Bears Killing Bears, Wot Gorilla, Post War Glamour Girls, Hawk Eyes, Royal Republic, Turbowolf and Blacklisters followed with 30 minute sets each, climaxing with a solid performance from hardcore Leeds band Eagulls.

After a comparatively gentle but enthusiastic start, the arrival of Turbowolf hailed the start of the stage diving, crowd surfing and mosh pits for which The Well is famed. The fun and mayhem continued with hearty vigour right up to ‘total carnage’ on the stage at the end of the Blacklistersset, with more than one crowd member being supported in his first ‘surf’. It was no doubt reassuring to the new managers that by and large, the audience of metal and hardcore punk is often of the most friendly, welcoming, considerate and entertaining around. Even with cheap drinks on offer throughout the event, and a venue full to capacity, there was not so much as an angry word in earshot. Instead, the gig room was alive with showmanship. And there’s nothing better than a good inclusive show to enhance the feel-good factor.

“The atmosphere was electric for Live at Leeds, says new manager Simon Colgan of the ColganMachine. “The Well was back in action and everyone was happy. The sense of togetherness down here was positively inspiring. We were extremely lucky to have had massive support from the Live at Leeds organisers, who selected the bands that would perform here and helped us promote our participation in the event. The whole of Leeds buzzing with music lovers out for a great day. It was incredible to be a part of the Live at Leeds scene. We were told on several occasions that we had a quality line-up, which was an amazing start to getting The Well back up on its feet. We used social media a lot on the day to spread the word that we were open, and the comments we were getting were so supportive. The place was packed and everyone had a great time. The city has one of the best live music support system in the UK and we are really optimistic about the future of The Well.”

With high aspirations and a positive attitude, The Colgan Machine is determined to bring The Well back up to its rightful place as one of Leeds’ best-loved music venues. Watch this space everyone. The Well is back.

END

The Well live music venue in Leeds

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PRESS/PHOTO CONTACT:

Rachael Meyer, SiRAstudio:

Tel: 01423 522363. 07795 112009. Email: rachael@sirastudio.com

THE WELL:

Email: contact@thewellleeds.co.uk Web: www.thewellleeds.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/leedsthewell Twitter: www.twitter.com/leedsthewell

If you are an event organiser looking for an entirely new corporate event in the Yorkshire Dales, SiRAstudio can provide a range of unparallelled options that will set your event apart from any other. This year, we are proud to partner Hilltop Farm Adventure in our special video production challenges, where you can try your hand at writing a film trailer, act it out, film it and then watch back the finished item at a glittering awards ceremony that evening.Hilltop Farm is a specially equipped, 178-acre, grassland farm in Masham, within a half hour drive of Harrogate.

Here, you can learn how to ride a horse in Western style, try your hand at sheep and piglet herding, take part in an obstacle race, and get up close to Rob’s beautiful calves (no pun intended!) If you are looking for rural space, but want something a little different, Hilltop Farm is the perfect place to experience one of our Hollywood movie-making challenges, as the farm venue has a Wild West saloon set with loads of props and an indoor barn as well as loads of great outdoor space. The farm even has on-site accommodation, camping areas and business and catering facilities.  With no immediate neighbours to worry about, you can have as much fun as you like, as late as you like. We can arrange as little or as much as you need – including professional event photography, transport and accommodation.

Visit our website for more details of our video production days, or give us a call on 01423 522363 to discuss other types of corporate event that we manage.

Now in its second year, the Parliamentary competition celebrates the very best of up-and-coming unsigned British artists and the live music venues that support them. It aims to raise the political profile of the importance of intellectual property rights and copyright for musicians, among parliamentarians. Each MP in the UK is invited to nominate a solo artist, a band and an under-18s act. A panel of international music experts and musicians will determine the finalists for the battle of the bands final. The winners in each category will play a live set on the Terrace of the House of Commons and win once-in a-lifetime prizes.

Crafters, who were interviewed by Stray FM with Andrew Jones MP last week, are delighted to have been picked as best band for Harrogate & Knaresborough. “We have been working really hard on our songs, our live set and our promotion, and are over the moon that it’s starting to pay off,” said Tom Meyer, guitarist. “The internet is full of new music, which is fantastic, but it can be hard to be noticed. Being entered into a competition of this calibre gives us an amazing opportunity to play our music in front of music industry heavyweights and also gives us great kudos locally. As a result of being selected, we have been confirmed for two slots at Dragongate Festival in June and at MFEST at Harewood House in July, where we will be on the same bill as the likes of Bob Geldof, Scouting for Girls, Matt Cardle, Cher Llloyd and The Human League. We are also looking forward to playing at Culture Shock Festival in June and many other gigs around Leeds, Harrogate and York in the meantime. These are exciting times.”

Andrew Jones MP added, “There is a wealth of musical talent in Harrogate and Knaresborough and some very supportive, long-standing live music venues where local bands including Crafters are given the opportunity to grow in confidence and ability. The district abounds with live music in pubs and venues and this helps to attract business and tourism. I want to support the enormous cultural and financial benefits the music industry brings to our country.   Rock the House is trying to secure the financial future of songwriters, performers and venues by bringing live music issues to the House of Commons.”

“The standard of entries into our regional heat was extremely high and it was hard to choose a winner of each category. Crafters presented their defining song professionally.  I am confident that their music, which is vibrant and catchy, is a strong contender for the national competition. It was great to meet them to find out more and I now enjoy listening to their EP in my car! I wish them the very best of luck.”

Another local band Unknown Society are entered into the under 18s category.

For gig listings, and to download free music, visit Crafters at: http://www.crafters-music.com

Crafters represent Harrogate for Rock the House 2012

As photography, video and PR specialists in Harrogate, Yorkshire, we have crossed the line into video PR. We offer promo videos that give an overview of exhibitions, we shoot corporate videos, editorial videos and low-budget music videos.

We love music, we love video, we love photography. When our friends Ben and Jason launched their new online music video channel Ont’Sofa, we couldn’t wait to go Ont’Sofa with Ben and Jason to find out more.

We went down to shoot some video with our two camera operators – one on a  Sony professional HDR video camera, and one on a Nikon DSLR with video capability. And then we mixed it with some photography and edited it in Final Cut Pro.

(Thanks to our video production inturn Graham (lightening fingers), who thoroughly enjoyed the ‘team effort’ process).

Music track: ‘Becoming a Mannequin’ by Crafters www.crafters-music.com

(Just selected as ‘best band in Harrogate by our MP Andrew Jones, Crafters will be appearing Ont’Sofa soon)

Other artists featured in the video include: PonyAndTrap, Rob Reynolds, Kassius, Lucy Spraggan, Dan Burnett, Scott Wardell, Extra Curricular and Kal Lavelle.

Videos of all these artists are available to see on their website. Check out one of our favourites so far: Pony and Trap Ont’Sofa

Thanks to Ben and Jason at Ont’Sofa for telling us all…. Good luck guys – you’re doing a great thing.

Although the band have only been together for 4 months, they are raising their profile quickly in the new music scene through a vibrant and memorable set of tunes and stage presence. And they have started recording a brand new EP with the brilliant and very lovely local producer Wes Gill. As gig bookings have started coming in thick and fast, Crafters needed to present a new, professional image – quickly.

Simon designed and built a funky but very functional new website for them with a music player, download buttons, facebook widgets and links to their Electronic Press Kit. Rachael took a set of mug shots for them in the studio, with a very clear objective on what the new single cover should look. So, as Rachael produced the photos and the EP artwork, Simon produced the website, incorporating the photos. A seamless project that took only a couple of days.

For more details about our photography and website packages for bands, musicians, actors, artists and performers in Harrogate, Leeds, York, or anywhere else in Yorkshire, please call us on 01423 522363.

Take a look at our portrait photography for artists and performers. We love supporting the local live music scene, and have worked with lots of local musicians and music industry professionals  including Stray FM,  Blues Bar, Ont’Sofa, FTAV, Kassius, Rob Reynolds, Dan Burnett, Samantha Smith, Pony and Trap and Hope & Social.

Please visit Crafters new website, listen to and download (for free) their brand new track ‘Becoming a Mannequin’ and like their FaceBook page. We are also managing the band, so please contact us with any enquiries.

www.crafters-music.com

www.crafters-music.com

We are unique in that we are not just school photographers. After checking parental photo permissions with the school, we uploaded the story and one of the photos to the website, and sent it out to local media. The rest of the photos will go in two galleries on our server – one password protected gallery that the teachers can access and download images from at high resolution – and one password protected gallery for parents, so they can see all the pictures from the visit. We keep their website updated too. With 400 children in the school, the website is often the last thing that the teachers or office staff have to think about, so they rely on us to keep the information fresh and sort any issues. We do their school PR and editorial photography, design and produce their prospectus, take their school portrait photographs, class photographs and produce their Staff ID cards.

So, yesterday, The Mayor of Harrogate presented Western Primary as the town’s flagship primary school on an official tour with the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire.

“The High Sheriff is a direct appointment of Her Majesty The Queen,” said Mayor of Harrogate, Cllr Les Ellington. “The role is the second most important in the county after the Lord-Lieutenant. It’s an honour that the High Sheriff should visit us, and we wanted to show her some of Harrogate’s best exemplars of education, business and tourism. We chose Western Primary for our school visit because of its warm welcome, and the boundless energy and enthusiasm of the children. We were so impressed with the school on our first visit in 2011 that we chose to present it as one of Harrogate’s top attractions.”

It’s great to work for such a good school. Read more on the Western website, in the News section.

Read more about our photography and PR services for schools in Harrogate

The project involved 6 photo shoots at some amazing schools, with some amazing kids, through the spring and late summer months of last year. The weather threw everything at us, sometimes all in one day! But it was fantastic to see how much the children enjoyed planting, harvesting and taking care of their gardens.

During their involvement with the project, students learnt an average of 15 new horticultural and life skills. These skills are providing a foundation for some students to move into further education and participate in work experience. These achievements will be a vital part of the their progress towards living a more independent life. For more information on our schools photography and PR services, please visit our schools page

Click here to log on to your school web gallery. Please contact your school direct for any passwords required.

School Package 1

School Package 2