Blog

Half Term is upon us and we have a whole week to fill with exciting things to keep young people engaged with (that doesn’t include screens for a bit right?!)

We have it covered here at The Wooldale Centre for Learning! Spaces are filling fast, so act quickly before they are all gone.

There is three to choose from the ever popular Freestyle Academy.

All three sessions run from 9am – 4pm Monday to Friday next week (14th-19th) for ages 5 – 12 years old. The company boast running childcare for the past 17 years! So they are well rehearsed in the half term madness.

Choose from -

+ Freestyle Soccer Academy

+ Freestyle Gymnastics Academy

+ Freestyle Dance Academy

Their camps are a fantastic opportunity for young people to engage in exciting activities that keep them stimulated through the days.

Book via https://freestylegroup.co.uk/event-list/holiday-camps/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Freestyle-Soccer-Academy-134423003289629/

Don’t forget that we have the usual classes and sessions running throughout the week including Mes Amies Dance Company, Crystal Cats Line Dancing, Krav Maga, Football, Badminton, Martial Arts, Circus School, Guitar Lessons and hockey training!

It’s always good fun at our venue with a huge array of activities to choose from.

Find something to fit your fitness needs via https://ccs.schoolbookings.co.uk/whats-on

2022 Weddings Parties + Events

After more uncertainty over weddings, large events and parties at the end of 2021, 2022 sets to be the year that couples are back to booking their weddings.

With the post-Christmas engagement boom, the wedding industry is set to come back stronger than ever as more of us are vaccinated and confidence in events rises.

According to American Vogue, the wedding trends for the year over the pond include themed parties including the circus, masquerades and old Hollywood style nuptials.

Big blow out style weddings are back, with no expense spared including hanging florals, open air tents and speciality bars.

UK based Hitched has predicted Bridgerton inspired weddings, budget friendly rented wedding dresses, drag queen balls and sustainable table designs.

Whatever your theme, if you have an engagement party, wedding reception or event to organise this year, we can help you to host the perfect party.

Lots of our venues already have hosted weddings parties, dinners and receptions with everything from small intimate, close friends only events through to larger catered all-out glamorous receptions.

The Wooldale Centre for Learning (part of The Caroline Chisholm School) in Wootton, South Northampton has hosted many wedding receptions and parties, with great feedback from many happy couples.

Based on the south side of Northampton, J15 of the M1 is close by so ideal for guests who may have to travel in or back at the end of the night. It also has great links with the A14, A5 + A45.

There is plenty of off road parking on site and disabled access to the Main Hall.

With Valentine’s Day approaching we will no doubt find that the best dates are booked up fast, so make sure you get in touch now if you have a date in mind
(especially a memorable one or around a bank holiday weekend)

Drop us a call via 0330 110476 and speak to one of our Booking Gurus or Email us on ccs@schoolbookings.co.uk

(Please note that if your wedding is during term time you will not be able to hire on Fridays prior to 6pm in the evening at any of our schools.)

https://www.vogue.com/article/the-wedding-trends-that-are-in-and-out-for-2022

https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/2022-wedding-trends/

The guilt of overindulgence this festive period means that a lot of us will be signing up to fitness regimes in January.

But it doesn’t have to automatically just be the gym or another bonkers only eating when it’s a full-moon-granola-dust-only type diet! (There is a new one every year)

Beat the boredom of the home work-out DVD by getting out there, you never know, you may find something you really love and a whole new set of friends along the way.

You don’t even need to squeeze into neon lycra to join most of the classes! (But maybe ditch the lounge wear covered in crumbs for this one… )

We provide lettings to multiple venues across the UK, so we have a *really* good idea about the different ways to keep fit, whatever your goals may be.

Classes include everything from Circus School, Martial Arts, Yoga, Self Defence classes and so much more, there really is something for everyone no matter the age or ability.

There are lots of options for outdoor events and fitness classes too if you’re worried about keeping safe indoors (especially when the news changes on coronavirus almost weekly)

Check out our website and find the next class to get you off the sofa and stop doom scrolling those Instagram accounts, start your own fitness journey instead!

You can do it!

https://ccs.schoolbookings.co.uk/whats-on

The holiday season is here and the Christmas Party is back for 2021

From smaller, more intimate get-togethers through to the traditional office Christmas party, we have it covered and there is still time to book your event! (But do give us 7 days notice before you rock up in your partywear!)

Come and celebrate Christmas with us here at the Caroline Chisholm School (part of the Wooldale Centre for Learning).

We have various facilities available no matter the size of your party, plus we have plenty of parking on site which is perfect for those who need to be dropped off and picked up safely - and the wonderful designated drivers. (Which means no freezing cold taxi queue to contend with at the end of the night too! hurrah.)

By holding your party with us, you don’t have to contend with the busy pubs, queues for the loos or random strangers trying to get free drink at the bar (there’s always one!)

We have come a long way from the stale finger food by the photocopier, the online Zoom quizzes and the fixed menu pub grub, so let’s showcase your event in style with plenty of room for a boogie at the end of the night. Theres even a stage if you wanted to recreate *that* dirty dancing move! (Hint – Tiktok is where its at now, sorry guys!)

The countdown to Christmas is on! What are you waiting for, get in touch today to grab the last few remaining dates before it’s too late to avoid the usual boring party plans…

Call our team on 0330 110476

emailccs@schoolbookings.co.uk

Website - https://ccs.schoolbookings.co.uk/contact

The rise of Krav Maga influences in Hollywood and big movies such as 'Skyfall' have also helped to fuel the desire to learn more about this practice.

With more of us online, sharing video content (Hello Tiktok) there is also the danger of misinformation about self defence and martial arts in general.

There is no substitute for learning Krav Maga with a qualified instructor – especially one with real world experience, like KMDA.

Its something the guys and girls at KMDA are really proud of. They test and re-test their techniques rather than just theory based learning, something that they are deeply passionate about.

Krav Maga teaches you how to avoid, prevent, deter, or deal with all types of violent confrontations.

But don’t let the thought of violence put you off – these guys are really friendly, supportive and only happy to help you navigate the importance learning self-defence using bodyweight, strikes and grappling.

There are some great videos for their classes on the Facebook page if you wanted to have a peep at a session.

Testimonials on their website speak for themselves – with feedback such as …

"James is a fantastic Instructor, very patient, and allows students to progress at our own pace. I would recommend James’ Krav Maga classes to everyone, of all ages. if you want to learn effective self-defence techniques and keep fit, this is the way to do it."

PETE ROBERTS, MILTON KEYNES

2022 and Beyond

KDMA are so good at what they do that the demand for their demand for “Fight Camp” experiences are through the roof.

With such a strong following, commitment and friendly group the Summer Fight Camp for 2022 is set to be a unique chance to absorb all of the training, experience and knowledge from the instructors (and each other).

Set in the beautiful Lake District, it’s the perfect break from life distractions (especially as we are all spending more time online post pandemic).

Watch the trailer and find out more

https://www.kmda.co.uk/kmda-events/fight-camp-2022/?fbclid=IwAR34AbBqy19TTPgnMRWQlpQyX_vd2Efe_3rc6L9W1vsY98ykcj0QyOKQ8tg

To find out more, see what it’s all about or chat to one of the team, get in touch via

https://www.kmda.co.uk/kmda-locations/krav-maga-classes-northampton/

During lock-down many of us jumped online with screen time increasing as we sought distraction from the real world – none more so than young people. (The struggle to reduce their screen time is real)

With social media, TV Talent shows and YouTube influencing the next generation of musicians, it’s no wonder that the pull of being the next viral sensation has helped to increase the popularity of wanting to become famous.

Even more so when viral sensations include the likes of 10 year old student Colier Rule who got to play on stage with Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl giving him one of his guitars!

Whilst we can’t promise that they’ll be the next viral hit online, we can however champion the power of learning a musical instrument – especially something as universal as the guitar.

Guitar Ninja founder Rory has toured in rock bands around the UK and has a huge passion for playing music, writing and improvising.

One of the unique things about The Guitar Ninja is how Rory has implemented a unique colour based grading system using guitar straps.

Based on the Japanese grading systems of coloured belts, students can work towards graded colour guitar straps – from grey (no previous experience) up to the Black strap. It’s a perfect way to see progress, helping students to develop their confidence as they progress through the straps.

Students also work towards stage performances – something that ALL students take part in (even if they are beginners) as part of their group.

The stage performance is the perfect chance for your Guitar Ninja to step up and perform in front of a real life audience, experiencing the buzz from performing live and being part of a band.

Rory teaches young people from ages 8 – 13 years old at a new Guitar Club at The Caroline Chisholm School (part of The Wooldale Centre For Learning) every Wednesday.

It’s the perfect place to learn, share, jam and rock out as part of a small group.

All you need is a guitar and a plectrum to get started! Lets go!

Book a session or find out more via www.theguitarninja.co.uk or email lessons@theguitarninja.co.uk

Hello all, and welcome back!

With the new academic year just weeks away, and life looking more normal by the day, we wanted to take this opportunity to look ahead to some our returning hirers and talk about the return of private functions at the school.

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Over the past few months we've managed to bring back a number of our long time hirers, who have been fantastic at adapting their sessions to the changing Covid restrictions we've faced this year.

Now that restrictions are lifted, it's been great to see classes getting closer to their usual capacity, as the local community has returned to the various sessions on site.

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Northampton School of Rhythmic Gymnastics have been steadily building their classes with us, with them now running sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at Caroline Chisholm School.

Catering for girls ages 4 and up, you can enrol your child now regardless of their ability! Find out more here; Facebook - Northampton School of Rhythmic Gymnastics

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With a number of our Supplementary Schools moving to online learning whilst restrictions were in place, we are delighted to have them finally be able to return to face-to-face learning. We're expecting our Polish, Russian, Greek, Tamil AND Chinese Schools to return for 2021/22, making use of our various Classroom spaces throughout the weekends.

You can discover more about their curriculum and class times on their website here; Association of Northamptonshire Supplementary Schools

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Already this Summer we've been host to a number of Private Functions at our venue, accommodating Wedding and Engagement Parties for families from the community.

Recently we have introduced Day Rates to maximise access to the Halls, giving decorators plenty of time in the morning to get set-up, and evening hours for family and friends to celebrate the occasion!

Get in touch with a member of the team to find out more about our Day Rate offers; Contact Us!

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We have a whole host of rooms to offer for a wide range of activities, and we can't wait to hear from you!

Welcome to another CCS Blog entry - 2020 went off to a good start for the community, but we're definitely not alone in experiencing a tumultuous past few weeks and we empathise with everybody who has been facing a tough time recently. Schools in the UK have closed and with that means that our hirers amongst others across the country have had to quickly adjust with short notice. Rest assured, we at the team are keeping safe, actively working from home and taking all the precautions we can to look after ourselves but also ensure safety for the schools and hirers. We fully plan on resuming lettings at a future date and we intend to hit the ground running, back and better than before.

As expected, we've received private messages and comments from some concerned hirers. Unfortunately, the recent events will have damaging effects on businesses, but we feel this is a good opportunity for us to provide some advice and tips on how to best mitigate these effects and how to produce meaningful online content for your clients.

One method has worked particularly well with one of our hirers, this in fact gives us a good chance to tie this into a nice success story. As some may know, Marie Tur is one of our hirers at Caroline Chisholm School, one of her classes were held weekly on Thursdays before we received word that lettings must be canceled. Marie has therefore moved her classes to an online model, where attendees can watch and workout in the comfort of their homes. We think this is absolutely brilliant and we highly recommend any other hirers to do so too if possible. This is a great way of keeping up both business and a strong relation with your clients!

We'd also like to highlight some more hirers too. Rory at Guitar Ninja has been posting videos, mini-lessons and cool guitar tricks for the past few months even before the lettings closures! This is an excellent way to keep in contact with clients and in Rory's case, to help his students retain information and learn new skills in the downtime between classes. Consistent content like this greatly eases the disruption caused and is a great idea for all manners of class-based bookings and activities. In a similar vein, we greatly enjoy the content MK Springers has been pushing out. MK Springers have been posting daily fitness challenges and encouraging viewers to join in and post their attempts. Nothing short of perfect for user engagement and regardless of the current circumstances this is a fantastic way to boost your online presence and promote engagement with your followers.

We have some of these tips and success stories help you in some way. We understand not every solution is applicable to every individual, but we hope the key takeaways of emphasising online interactivity and engagement help you ease the transition in these chaotic times. And if nothing else - this presents a great to make use of the extra free time. There's never been a better time to work on the aesthetics of your home, build on your own individual exercise plan, or learn and perfect an entirely new skill. This can even be tied into your online content, people love to see how others are dealing with situations such as these and who knows - you may even inspire somebody else! Either way, we greatly recommend you to take advantage of this period to not only catch some rest but to also focus on self-improvement and introspection.

Well, let’s be honest. It’s that time of year when we sit back and reflect on the magical time spent with family and friends over the Christmas break but with an empty bank balance and extra pounds around the waist. If only it was the other way round! This blog is going to be focused on what you can do to shift those extra pounds by moving more and eating less.

Let’s start with Slimming World which takes place on Thursday evenings at 5:30pm AND 7:30pm in our Primary School Hall. As there are two sessions running, you literally have no excuses not to pop down and find out what it’s all about. The lovely Stacey and the other members of the group will be there to support you through your weight loss journey. You can contact Stacey on 07860 771241 but first you might like to visit her page at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/group/560259 and read about some of the incredible weight loss stories on her website.

Next let’s talk about Dads v Dads Football that is on every Friday evening. This will surely keep you out of the pub and on the pitch which both your bank balance and your waistline will be very happy about. It’s only £6 per session and you can book online at https://www.dadsvdads.com/. It’s a friendly group of gents who want to stay fit and have fun. We highly recommended it.

So now something for the ladies (although gents are also welcome!). Bhangra Blaze is an alternative exercise class for those who are looking to improve their fitness levels through dance whilst getting a full on cultural experience. You will be in the hands of (the frankly beautiful) Deena who will guide you through the steps and ensure that you are having so much fun that you don’t even realise you are exercising. Now how cool is that? You can contact Deena and see some examples of her class on her Facebook page with this link - https://www.facebook.com/Bhangrablaze-Northampton-1673713066179542/.

Finally, we are particularly excited about a new Badminton offer that we have running at the moment. We have dubbed it ‘No Strings Attached’. We are offering an hours play of Badminton for only £7.50 per court…if you book on the day and call us by 5pm on 03330 11 04 76 to book. That’s a whopping 25% discount as the regular price is £10 per hour. Badminton is a lovely sport that requires minimal equipment and keeps you agile.

We have LOADS more activities taking place every weekday evening and throughout the weekend. We urge you to take a look and bookmark our ‘Whats On’ page to find out what you can do on the nights that suit you! Just click the link below.
https://ccs.schoolbookings.co.uk/whats-on

We wish you the best of luck with your 2020 weight and fitness goals and look forward to seeing you again soon!

The BookingsGuru Team @ Kajima Northampton

Another school year has begun – this year sure is going by fast! We hope all is well for you so far, and we hope you find something special for you in our new and improved weekly timetable.

This school academic year we have revamped our What’s On timetable with new activities and returning activities. Some of the details may have changed, if you have any questions then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. Below we’ll talk a bit about what we have going on each day – not every single booking is covered below so please check the What’s On page for full details.

On Monday’s we welcome back Helen O’Grady’s Drama Academy – this is an excellent place for kids to grow and mature, gaining self-esteem and communication skills in an activity they can really bond over! Many of our other activities are returning, including Yoga with Sam for when you need a spiritual pick-me-up. Just a quick reminder too that Sam is here on both Mondays and Thursdays, so you can keep up the routine all week!

Tuesday is like a special Badminton day at Caroline Chisholm School! It’s a truly wonderful sport to play at our school but of course, our facilities are also ideal for even more types of indoor sports and activities at your request. We also now have Kam’s Tae Kwon-Do kids classes. Great for both fitness and confidence for your young ones!

Wednesdays have several fitness-orientated activities running; these include MK Springers kids gymnastics classes, the Circus School’s Wednesday sessions, as well as Mindful Pilates classes. There’s something here for all skill levels and ages – use the contact details on their individual pages if you’re interested. Similarly to Kam’s kids Tae Kwon-Do classes, we also have Krav Maga Defence classes for adults with James. Some very valuable life skills to be gained from his sessions that could both protect you and your loved ones!

Thursdays are an exciting time to be at Caroline Chisholm School. Clubbercise with Marie will make a party out of your workout, and give you a night to remember for sure! Similar to this, we also have BhangraBlaze exercise classes, the perfect blend of dancing and fitness routines. Sam is of course back again on Thursdays with Yoga, but we also have Ann Howgego’s Pilates Northampton classes too. Full details are available on her website, which we provide a link to on the What’s On page. The MFA Dragons youth football club is also here to train 5-12 year olds in football and bring out their potential!

On Friday we have both adults karate classes and junior karate classes with Tiska Karate! Learn self-discipline, awareness, and confidence, all while keeping healthy and fit. To cap off Friday we also have Mereway Badminton Club for adults – a fantastic community to be a part of!

Finally we get to the weekend with Saturday and Sunday. On Saturdays we have Tiska Karate adult sessions as well as MFA Dragons. In addition to this, we have the Guitar Ninja delivering exciting guitar lessons for kids – rock on!

We’re very excited to start this school year and we hope you enjoy it with us!

Best Regards,

The BookingsGuru Team