’s crown is the National Motor Museum, which houses a fleet of shiny vehicles. Also on the action front are the World Of Top Gear, the James Bond Experience plus a Secret Army Exhibition, while the Palace House, Beaulieu Abbey’s and gorgeous gardens provide

Does your child fancy being mentored by the men who coach the likes of David Beckham and Ronaldinho? Well, they can if you head to the La Manga Club resort in Murcia, Spain for a week of top football coaching. AC Milan’s experienced football coaches

, Croatia’s tourism is back in top gear, whether you want to island hop along the Dalmatian coast or head inland to explore the freshwater wonder of the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Where to stay Villa and apartment specialists like Croatian Affair have

Mounts Bay, the locally sourced cuisine, rub downs in the Purity Spa and interconnecting bedrooms with tasteful lime woollen throws and Elemis goodies in the bathrooms.You don’t even have to think about packing baby gear as it can all be pre

Sharon-Tracey, the new Autograph collection is too divine and totally my bag, plus very reasonable priced too (£20 for a dress, beyond!). My favourite find from the collection was the beautiful petal-effect satin skirt, with matching bolero and top, all

each child pack a bag – tell them not to tell you, but to choose a specific destination (the snow, the beach, a safari etc), then they can pack their bags with all the appropriate gear. When all the bags are packed, arrive at ‘the airport’ (aka your

can be immense, and with more and more resorts and specialist tour operators gearing up to families with excellent childcare, now is the perfect time to start planning your trip. December and January offer almost guaranteed snow but both months can

in the country,” says Elspeth. “There’s also lots of attention to detail, like a little rosette on the top or pretty embroidered dresses with netting petticoats and full circle skirts.”Although Elspeth acknowledges it was always a thrill to see someone famous

Fest is a small but soulful festival in a wonderful grounds of the New Eccles Hall School, now in its second year, that promotes local talent with its mix of top acts, local artists, DJs and family activities. This year's headliners include poppy Irish

university and I’ve stayed ever since.” With a Business Studies degree under her belt, Fiona’s first job was doing admin for Top Man where she slowly worked her way up to buyer. She later joined Laura Ashley as Head Of Buying, which took her all over