I didn't think I'd be working with Thomas again, our boys have all grown out of him now, but I'm a strong believer that children should learn all kinds of skills from story books without even realising it. Stay Safe With Thomas is a partnership between Network Rail, Mattel and Thomas & Friends, who have created a book which teaches children how they should behave around trains and railway lines.


This is the first time Network Rail has partnered with children's entertainment company Mattel, and the first time Mattel has published a Thomas the Tank Engine book with a rail safety theme.
In the past 5 years, the number of young people taking risks on railway lines has risen by 80%, so safety messages need to reach younger children before they are allowed to play unsupervised and put themselves in danger.

This post is written by Nikolai Catrow

Everyone thought about a future profession in childhood, and if your dream came true – you are lucky! As show numerous opinion polls, the happiest people in their profession are those whose work is directly related to travel. Such a work brings pleasure but demands good health and stress resistance from a person.


So, you do not like to stay at home but you love to travel? Choose a profession from the list that will allow you to travel around the world:

Ayuda House B&B, in Bowden near Altrincham, Cheshire is the winner of the Hidden Gem North West award from eviivo - and as soon as you arrive at this huge family home tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac corner, you know that description is perfect.


Ayuda means 'Helpful', and I honestly believe that is the owner Melinda's raison d'etre. Before we even set off, we'd been warned via text message where roadworks were so that we could avoid a 20 minute detour, and offered a sandwich when we arrived. It wasn't far for us, so not necessary. Ayuda house is incredibly easy to find, 4 miles from Manchester Airport and 10 miles from Manchester city centre.


Melinda and her partner Derek were ready to greet us, and spoke to the children as well as the adults - something I'm always impressed with. The boys were anxious to investigate, so we were shown the downstairs shared areas.

Yesterday I went over to The Arndale Centre in Manchester - not to shop, but instead to have my brain waves read by some of the latest technology. It's not the sort of thing that usually happens to me on any given Tuesday, but it was fascinating and I highly recommend it.


Explore, the Small Group Adventure Holiday company, had set up their unique #explorethemoment experiment – the first of its kind ever to take place in the UK - to give some holiday inspiration to members of the public. I felt I had only one place in the world on my bucket list, so inspiration could only be a good thing..