If you live in Newcastle upon Tyne, love Santa and you're a fan of Fenwick, you are in for the most festive treat ever if you've managed to book a slot for Santa on the Rooftop this year.

Looby and I went along yesterday and I can tell you it's worth every penny, we paid £11.50 per ticket and it's an understatement to say I was over-excited, I love Christmas so much and having a chance to meet Santa is always overwhelming for me.  To me, Santa is like the ultimate rockstar and it doesn't matter how old I am, Christmas is so firmly embedded in my heart.

Yesterday was so special, from our first greeting with an elf who beckoned us to a secret part of Fenwick to actually meeting the jolly old elf.

I don't want to give too many spoilers because I don't want spoil the magic of the experience but we made reindeer sing, we made decoupage toys in the elves workshop, it even snowed, oh and of course, Looby and I spent a good 10 minutes with the man himself.  Now, at the age of 44 and being a single parent,  no one really ever asks me what I want for Christmas and especially not Santa, I don't remember him asking me since I was a child so I have to admit to becoming a little tongue tied as I wasn't prepared.  The truth of the matter is all I really want for Christmas is for those I love, my children and my friends to be happy, yes, one day I'd like to find my own elf, someone who loves Christmas as much as me but it's a big ask and so for now, it's enough to see those around me happy and being loved.

Looby wasn't so tongue tied and she and Santa even ganged up on me insisting yes, we should move to South Shields near to her stables and she should be able to have a horse for Christmas, she does ask every year but a horse, well it's such a big ask, it's not like a kitten or a puppy, one day I know I'll be in a position to help grant that wish but for now, she's just going to have to settle for extra horse riding equipment/clothing.

The highlight of yesterday was when it snowed, I can't imagine a more magical setting than the rooftop of what surely is Newcastle's most festive department store (sorry John Lewis, you know I love you too but Fenwick just has the extra edge at Christmas).

The whole experience lasted around 45 minutes and we didn't feel rushed, we also had our own elf and that's testament to the fact that Fenwick haven't oversold the event so you're not likely to be accompanied by lots of people, they just take up a handful at a time and maybe that's what makes it quite so special.  The views of the city are magical enough for me to have attended, I love rooftop views and Fenwick certainly have some of the best around in central Newcastle.

You know, Looby may be 15 but last year we made a promise to always go and find Father Christmas every year no matter how old we are, as I've said so many times before, as long as you have Christmas in your heart there will always be magic.

My Teen Did The National Citizen Service, You Should Sign Yours Up Too

This Summer, Abigail took part in the National Citizen Service, a 4 week programme designed to make the teens of today better citizens and which helps them become better individuals.  She undertook a 4 week programme during the summer holidays which started with the first week at an outward bounds adventure type place and ended with committing to a social action.  I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who did NCS with her for granting me the usage of these photos, apparently I became a bit of a legend when they discovered I was verified on Twitter (apparently an easy way to impress the teens of today).

If you've not heard of the National Citizen Service or NCS as it's now more widely known here's the information straight from their mouths.

About NCS

NCS is a government backed programme established in 2011 to help build a more cohesive, mobile and engaged society. By bringing together young people from different backgrounds for a unique shared experience, NCS helps them to become better individuals, and in turn better citizens.

NCS is open to 16 and 17 year-olds across England and Northern Ireland. The two to four week programme, which takes place in school holidays, includes outdoor team-building exercises, a residential for participants to learn ‘life skills’, a community-based social action project and an end of programme celebration event.

To date:

• Almost 500,000 young people have taken part
• Twelve million hours of community action have been completed
• For every £1 spent, NCS’  2016 summer programme delivered between £1.15 and £2.42 of benefits back to society

It costs participants just £50 or less to take part in NCS and bursaries are available on a case by case basis. Support is provided for young people with additional needs.

To find out more visit NCSyes.co.uk.

I cannot say enough good things about NCS, Abigail loved every minute from the white knuckle activities in week one when she was staying in Yorkshire, then onto a week spent living in student accommodation and learning to be more independent and finally social action, through the Inspire Network Abigail connected up with Michelle Robson from Smart Works, a UK charity which provides women in need with interview clothes, styling advice and training to help them get the job of their dreams. Together their social action was about ending period poverty and they raised over £100 which went on a 3 month supply of much needed sanitary products to give to the charity.

When it came round to the celebration, Abigail was one of the hosts, she shared her experience in front of the whole wave, my brilliant teen had achieved so much again and all whilst waiting for her GCSE results which she also excelled in. The experience was so transformative for her, perfect for a girl who's always looking to fulfil her next goal, I know the friendships she made at NCS have remained and without a doubt the experience will stay with her always, I still can't quite believe it's only £50. This autumn during half term is your chance to sign your teen up for the autumn edition for only £25, it's 4 days away from home, 3 days learning new skills, 30 hours of social action on an issue they'll feel positive about, a time to chill out, make new friends and pick up some new skills for the future, you really should sign your teen up for the autumn NCS, I promise they will thank you for it. To sign up for only £25 for a limited time when you enter code AUTUMN25 visit NCSyes.co.uk

This is a collaborative post with the NCS

Marvellous Mini Sessions in the Northeast of England with Photographer Mandy Charlton

It's been around 3 months since I launched my all inclusive £100 mini sessions across selected locations on various dates across the North East of England and I can't even begin to tell you what an amazing reaction I've had to them.  My wonderful clients have embraced them wholeheartedly and they are in love with the photos which are produced by them.  My calendar is so busy that today I have just launched dates for 3 one-off locations of Seven Oaks park in Cramlington, Carlisle park in Morpeth and Wharton park in Durham.

I am so very thankful for everything that has happened in my business over the last few months and I am currently trying to plan a way to give back to others and pass on the knowledge of the things I've learnt about how it can work in other people's businesses.

Mostly though, it's all just about the sheer joy of photography, the rewards are the smiles and happiness of my clients, it's true I go through bagfuls of chocolate coins every week bribing and negotiating with the kids but they have so much fun and so do I, my 5 hours of sessions every weekend day leave me feeling satisfied and energised, the days simply fly over and I have to admit that Sunday in Saltwell park was one of my favourite days ever as I caught the cherry blossom in full bloom with amazing results, it's no wonder that each and every family was delighted.

For a full list of up to date mini sessions you can click here, I update them as often as possible but do keep in touch through my Facebook page or sign up to my mailing list just click here

If you would like to book a £100 all inclusive mini session, you'll be saving £150 off the list price and you'll get a bumper load of beautiful images you can print as much as you want!  I plan to keep offering the mini sessions but if you want to have a session at your own convenience in your favourite place or maybe you've just had a baby and want a newborn lifestyle photo shoot at home I'm still offering those for £250 with all of the edited images via a download or on a USB.

This year, make it your goal to make more memories with your family and book a photo shoot today in Jesmond Dene, Saltwell park, Tynemouth Longsands, Seven Oaks park, Carlisle Park or Wharton Park.

An Angry Rant About Deliveroo

Now I'm not someone who gets angry about things, usually, I get a little sad and disappointed but what's happened tonight with Deliveroo has me more than irked, if I was an average Joe in the street I reckon I'd be apoplectic with rage right now.

You see, there are so many issues with Deliveroo but my son deserved a little treat and Deliveroo was what he requested.  This is the first takeaway we've had for months so I was quite excited

So in case you've lived under a rock, you'll know that Iain has Aspergers, this means he has a restricted diet and likes things the way he likes them, tonight he said he fancied a Byron Burger, so we ordered, except there was no option to remove the various sauces so I emailed and got a reply that because they were so busy I needed to start a live chat, I did that and requested the changes and 25 minutes later our burgers arrived....Cold!

The burgers were cold, inedible and had extraneous Gherkins in the box even though I'd requested no extraneous items, you can't imagine the meltdowns this kind of thing has caused, I know to you and I it might be a small thing but to someone with autism, it's a whole lot more serious.

I contacted Deliveroo and spoke to Ramil, I explained the situation and requested replacements, preferably hot ones, I told him if we were in the restaurant I would have sent them back without question and I rarely complain in restaurants.  Ramil said that he couldn't get replacements as the restaurant were not responding so we could have credit which would expire in 3 months or a refund but that takes 3 days, as Iain was still without food I requested the credit and then we started all over again.  

So this time we ordered from Iain's favourite restaurant, Wagamama, he loves Cha Han with no mushroom, mange tout or spring onion but there was no option or notes section so we could request that so I had to order and then go back into live chat again, this time Abylane was on hand but he said "It's just as well I got through to the restaurant before they started cooking"  now hang on a minute, there's no way for me to order and request changes before I pay so what the heck am I supposed to do?  I mentioned this and he suggested that I should speak to the restaurant direct which rather negates the point of Deliveroo who are supposed to coordinate everything for hassle free delivery of restaurant quality food!

At this point I requested to speak to a manager but was told I'd have to email the support address and would have to explain everything again step by step, he then left the conversation after I rated him as unhelpful.

So, the Wagamama order turns up for Iain, Holly is a happy puppy as she's had cold burgers and I'd given up on eating or reordering anything,  Iain removed the lid from his Cha Han and guess what? Yes, after 2 conversations where I'd asked for no mange tout, it had mange tout in it, seriously all Abylane had to do was copy and paste my request or read it to them over the phone, I could start a new chat but my life is too short for this.

Deliveroo, should you wish to get in touch for a chat please email me at mandy@mandycharltonphotography.com

Next time I think we'll just brave the weather and go for decent burgers at The Grind!

Nethermined 3 - Another Fabulous Minecraft Convention

 

Looby has long been a fan of Minecraft and the very first Minecraft convention she ever went to was Nethermined, she got a press pass and I got to be mum of the year for approximately 10 minutes, the second year we couldn't go because Looby was so very poorly in hospital but this year, we were back to a better and bigger than ever Nethermined and oh what fun she had, whilst I got to be photographer extraordinaire Looby and her lovely friend got to live the high life with VIP passes meaning they got to go in and meet their favourite Minecraft YouTubers for an hour before the general public were admitted.

Looby and Gabby had the most wonderful day, they met Youtubers, they learnt how to build roller coasters in the educational workshops, they had their faces painted, they shopped and shopped and shopped some more and they came home carrying the largest bag of merchandise and gifts I've ever seen.

Whilst parents might not necessarily get it, the tweens and tween generation definitely do and I think it's been amazing to watch Nethermined grow as a Minecraft convention year on year, I hope that we always have Nethermined in our region, as a parent it's so expensive to plan to go to conventions in London when you factor in the travel and accommodation.  The unique and most wonderful thing for the kids about having a convention based in the North East is that their favourite stars are right there, for just a few pounds the kids got to meet their YouTube idols and lets not forget just how big these gamers are, one guy had over 750,000 subscribers, when you take into account that I probably have about 400 regular readers who read every single day I have a long way to go before I reach that kind of level!

I still actually know very little about Minecraft but I know just how much Looby loves it and at the end of the day that's quite enough for me to go along and sit through panels and live game playing, Looby and Gabby were so happy that day, they were in their element doing things which they love with people who understand them, I guess as a mum we owe it to our kids to sometimes do things we don't understand and sit through chats about things we're never likely to understand.  All credit to those parents who get Minecraft, I salute you!!

Looking for Newcastle Photographer?

This is going to be the biggest image post I've shared for ages, being a Newcastle photographer I'm incredibly privileged to share in so many precious moments, both at home and on location with family portraits and further afield shooting beautiful weddings for my gorgeous clients who are so very much in love.

Here's the thing, I wouldn't even have a business without my clients and being a single parent supporting an entire menagerie I sometimes have to take a moment to ask you, the good people of the internet to share that I want to take on more clients, it's not always the case but at the moment things are quieter and so I'm looking to fill my diary in the month of March and April, obviously further months are also available but right now I am super focused on getting us through the rest fo winter and spring.

I'd like to think after 10 years of professional photography that I'm pretty good at what I do and that's why many of my wonderful clients come back year after year, I like to shoot in Jesmond Dene most of all and Saltwell Park or on the beach at Tynemouth Longsands and King Edwards Bay, some of my clients have the most amazing homes and gardens and if you are one of them then why not have a session at home?

Everyone compliments me on the photos I take of newborns at home with their toddler siblings, let me just say now, what I do is a skill, it comes years of practice and much negotiating with 3-year-olds, it is the hardest thing you will ever do and yet when you get those images it's so rewarding, these are the photos which can't be reshot because newborns change every single day.  It's much like the wedding photographs I produce, each one should stand on it's own and give you joy each time you remember the most special days of your life, I've shot weddings all over the country but I definitely have favourite places like As You Like It, Newton Hall, Le Petit Chateau, Eshott Hall, Beamish Hall, Guyzance Hall, I love unique individual places which are a joy to shoot in and each and every one of my wedding couples get's at least 1 unique portrait I've never shot before, obviously after 10 years this is harder than you'd think but I still manage it!!

I might not talk about my photography business so much on my blog now that I have separate places for writing and photography but really, I can't do one without the other, I love taking pictures and I do it as much in my personal life as I do in my job, I shoot for travel companies and experiences and that's one of the reasons I love what I do, my life is so varied and I can't imagine ever doing anything else.

So if anything, this bumper load of images should convince you more than anything of just how passionate I am about my work and also just how very hard I work, my mental health when I am working is always brilliant, I have a constant need to be busy and it's only in times when I'm not that I have way too much time to think or in my case overthink.

If you are looking for a photographer for your project or collaboration or you want some great family photos or you are inquiring about a wedding photographer then please get in touch

Wedding and Portrait Photography

Travel and Commerical Photography