On June 10th, Silver Cross and a gaggle of technical staff went on the road , all in the cause of fashion as we descended on one of the quieter corners of Islington for a photo shoot starring the classic Balmoral Pram.
Top fashion model Jen Dawson was on hand to provide the glamour, while London-based photographer Jonny Storey took the snaps. The shoot took place in a number of locations and included a host of great still images, along with some dynamic video. The results will be arriving on international Silver Cross sites in the next two months, so watch this space…
For most parents, making sure that their new baby is kept safe usually means a shopping trip to get hold of all the latest, safety-conscious prams, highchairs and car seats, but for parents in Northern Spain, keeping baby safe means something completely different!
In a bizarre festival known as El Salto del Colacho (Spanish for ‘the jump of the devil’), babies born in the previous twelve months are dressed in their Sunday best and laid on mattresses in the streets of Castrillo de Murcia, near Burgos. Then men dressed as devils, carrying whips and truncheons, jump over babies by the dozen. This outlandish practice is said to protect the babies from evil spirits and illness. The festival, which originated in 1621, occurs every year on the Sunday following Corpus Christi, a Roman Catholic holiday observed across Spain.
The pictures above show the aerobatic devils in flight over unsuspecting tots. ‘El Colacho’ is pictured below in full diabolical regalia.
Sunday 18th May proved to be a great day for Silver Cross’ own Tamzin Hawkins (pictured above at the Christmas party!). Our fabric designer took to the streets of Manchester to take part in the Bupa Great Manchester Run.
In sunny and dry conditions Tamzin, running for this year’s Silver Cross charity, the Meningitis Trust, managed to complete the ten kilometre course in a sensational time of 53m32s, finishing in a fine 7,397th position out of 31,000 entries! Well done Tamzin!!!
One of the most difficult decisions all parents down the ages will face is what name to choose for their new arrivals.
While some parents will wait until baby arrives to make a decision (putting it off in other words!), many will have chosen names in advance of their due dates (mainly for nursery decorating and baby shopping purposes!). Nevertheless, actually coming up with a name that meets all the ‘relevant criteria’ can cause much anxiety. Here are some baby name ’criteria’ the Silver Cross team regard important :
“The name and initials should go well with the surname” (Richard - Design Team)
“Watch out for dodgy acronyms like Peter Oliver Orwell!” (Jason - Marketing Team)
“It has to be memorable; distinctively named people are more likely to be famous” (Charlotte - Design Team)
“Make sure it’s not a grandad name” (Javier - Sales Team)
“It has to suit the baby” (Tamzin - Design Team)
“A unique name; not common, but not silly at the same time” (Georgina - Customer Services Team)
“Whatever the wife wants!” (Riccardo - Customer Services Team)
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Thanks guys! Certainly one of the best places to start is the most popular name rankings. National statistics are published every year and in the UK in 2007, Jack was the most popular boys name (again) and Grace the most popular girls name. In the United States however, the story is substantially different with Jacob the number one name for boys and Emily the top girls name. You can take a look at a multitude of historical baby name information from the US by visiting the Social Security Administration baby name statistics page.
Finally, our friends at babycentre have a neat little resource to help with the naming process - their baby name finder will give you plenty of suggestions and name meanings to help you on your way!
While working through our website email enquiries this week, our customer services department came across a remarkable story from Scotland…
Alison Anderson from Bonnybridge in Falkirk wrote to us, asking where she might buy a replacement Linear Chassis. She went on to write; “My partner had a bout of ‘baby brain’ and reversed over ours with his Toyota Tundra! In the chassis’ defence, it is all scratched however, it withstood the weight of the car!”
Naturally, we were absolutely amazed to hear about this ‘unorthodox’ test and were delighted to hear that the Linear had survived; although we definitely wouldn’t advise using it again! James Barraclough, Silver Cross Technical Manager said; “It’s not a test we’ll be repeating in the lab!!!”
News from the UK: Britain’s most popular theme park, Alton Towers will be converting the nation’s children into thrill seeking adrenaline junkies at an even earlier age thanks to their new ‘Project Giant Gurgle’ baby rollercoaster!
The novel idea (brought to our attention by parenting website Raising Kids) will stand just 2 metres off the ground and allow parents to walk alongside while their little bundles of joy float along at a gentle two miles per hour. The ride will attempt to mimic the movement of a pram in motion and last 67 seconds.
The world of high fashion may seem like an unusual place to find a pram, but in this month’s American Vogue, the iconic Silver Cross Kensington pram looks incredible amongst the stunning models and beautiful clothes.
Described by the New York Times as; “The world’s most influential fashion magazine,” Vogue has long been revered for its editorial excellence and visual panache. The magazine functions as a perennial bible for anyone worshipping at the altar of luxury, celebrity and style.
With these exacting standards of quality, it’s no wonder that Silver Cross is at home within Vogue’s auspicious pages, being the nursery industry’s champions of manufacturing excellence and design flair. With these brand values, you’re guaranteed luxury and style every time in a Silver Cross.
