1 in 12 children and young people dread summer camps, sleepovers and holidays because they wet the bed long after they expected it to stop. The campaign promotes the support and information that’s easily available on the end of the phone and online.

Speaking about ERIC, Lynda Bellingham said; “In life, there are little things that can have a really big impact on a family and bedwetting is one of those things – but it doesn’t have to be. ERIC is a fantastic charity and is able to pinpoint this issue.  By contacting ERIC, families can stop childhood bedwetting becoming a big thing that takes over their lives.

“Any parent with a child who wets the bed knows how the embarrassment makes it hard to talk openly about it. The child can be afraid to take part in fun sleepovers or school camps, in case anyone finds out. So it’s reassuring to know help is at hand. The ERIC Helpline (0845 370 8008) is available Monday to Friday 10am-4pm on and the website www.eric.org.uk has lots of information too.”

Lynda, who is a mother of two grown up sons, met with ERIC last week during the recording of ERIC’s Radio 4 Appeal, which will feature the actress appealing on behalf of the charity. The appeal will air in June to raise awareness and much needed funds.

ERIC Director Jenny Perez said: “We are delighted that Lynda Bellingham has chosen to support ERIC and our Dry and Mighty campaign.  Lynda really understands the pressures of being a mum and how something like bedwetting can impact on family life. This year, we want to reach even more families to help their children have uninterrupted nights, enjoy sleepovers and become Dry and Mighty!

“A recent survey from ERIC revealed that two thirds of parents think that wetting the bed is the worst thing that could happen to a child on a sleepover with friends. But research shows that currently, only one in three families come forward for help. Our summer campaign will reassure thousands of children and parents they are not alone, increasing awareness of just how difficult sleepovers can be for young people who wet the bed. Information postcards, posters and a ‘viral email’ are being distributed nationwide.”

ERIC is grateful to Hippychick and Ferring Pharmaceuticals for sponsorship for this year’s campaign.

The documentary will be presenter lead and will explore what it’s like to raise children today – it will be a thoughtful, insightful film about the decisions women make and different approaches to being a mum today.

Perhaps you believe there is not enough discipline today and have decided to raise your children with a strict framework?

Or do you think children should be treated like adults and allowed to make their own decisions and choices?

Have you given up your career for your children or do you have help from nannies or other childcare so that you can balance the 2?

Do you worry about the dangers out there and try to protect your children from them or do you think children are too wrapped in cotton wool?

Whatever your age and background – whether you’re a mum, step-mum or foster mum, religious or not, strict or liberal – we would love to hear from you.

If you’re interested in finding out more please email: parent@renegadepictures.co.uk. If you do not have access to email you can call: 020 7449 3242. But please note email is preferential at this stage.

KYM MARSH LAUNCHES GUIDE TO ENJOYING MUSIC, FILM AND TV SAFELY AND RESPONSIBLY ONLINE – Corrie star teams up with Childnet to help parents, teachers and young people Coronation Street Star Kym Marsh has teamed up with internet safety charity, Childnet International, to launch a new guide that keeps parents, teachers and young people well informed about how to stay safe and legal when downloading and accessing music, films and TV on the internet.

The guide – Music, Film, TV and the Internet – highlights the many legal digital sources of entertainment and outlines the implications of using illegal file-sharing sites. It also provides information on the safety and security risks of downloading entertainment illegally such as being exposed to computer viruses, receiving offensive material and theft of personal or financial information.

Music, Film, TV and the Internet also encourages parents and teachers to discuss with children the ethical considerations of illegal file-sharing – for example, how using legal sites to access film, TV and music ensures that artists and creators are rewarded fairly for their work.

The guide is available to download for free from today at www.childnet.com/downloading and will also be distributed to every secondary school in the UK by the end of November.

A new poll by Netmums reveals more than one in three mums (39%)  are unsure how to tell whether entertainment sites are legal or not and nearly two in three (60%) don’t understand the term ‘file-sharing’. Although 92% of mums say it’s important to encourage their children to access music, film and TV responsibly online, more than one in four (29%) don’t know where to direct their children to find legal entertainment on the internet.

At the same time, many parents and teachers may be unaware of some of the more serious consequences that arise from downloading content from illegal sources on the internet.  New research by Harris Interactive² revealed that two in five people using illegal file-sharing sites unwittingly downloaded harmful viruses (39%) that damaged their computer.

In addition, one in three (32%) illegal file sharers were exposed to offensive or sexually explicit content by accident, and around one in eight illegal file sharers (12%) had to replace or repair their laptop or PC as a result of the problems experienced from using unauthorised sites.

Coronation Street Star, musician and mum to two teenagers, Kym Marsh, is supporting the launch of the Childnet guide and spoke of her reasons for doing so.

Kym Marsh said: “I find it incredibly hard to keep up with what my two teenagers are doing online so can definitely see the value of a new guide for muddled mums like myself who are concerned about safety issues.   As an actress and former musician, I’m also keen to raise greater awareness of the many ways to get entertainment safely and legally on the internet. When young people use legitimate sites to access music or TV content, it supports the many people who work in the UK entertainment industry. “

Lucinda Fell, Director of Policy and Communications at Childnet International, continued:

“We hope the guide will help parents and teachers to introduce the concept of responsible digital citizenship – the idea of behaving as safely and responsibly in cyberspace as you would offline. This is at the heart of what Childnet does.  We often hear from parents that while they are concerned about downloading and streaming, they are also confused about what can and can’t be done safely and legally. The new guide aims to give parents and teachers practical information to equip them in talking to children and young people about these issues.”

The guide is available to download for free at www.childnet.com/downloading

Siobhan Freegard,  co-founder of parenting site, Netmums, which surveyed 1,224 of its members for Childnet’s campaign, said: “Our forum discussions on internet safety suggest this guide will be welcomed by millions of mums across the UK. We will definitely be including a link to it within the internet safety section of the site.”

http://www.familiesrecommend.co.uk/BBC-documentary.html

Today I’ve run 4 loads of washing through the machine, while working too. I was reading Alli at Motivating Mum’s blog this week, where she lists all the things she does in a day. Before writing her list Alli felt that she wasn’t doing enough, and I think that’s a feeling we all know. If this is how you feel, why not write down your own list?

And it sometimes seems like everyone else is ‘doing it all’ and ‘having it all’ when you are struggling. The media often doesn’t help with this, presenting images of shining perfect women.  It is great to see publications like essentials really trying to raise the profile of real women as part of their magazine. If you want to help the cause of ‘real women’, and maybe feature in essentials, spread the word about their campaign, below.

essentials magazine is looking for some inspiring real women. This could be your chance to appear in a national magazine. essentials says, “Calling all real women – whatever your size, shape, height, or age essentials magazine needs you!  If you would like to appear in a glossy womens lifestyle magazine this is your chance to shine!  Simply visit www.goodtoknow.co.uk/essentialsfor further details on how to enter, and follow the campaign on our Facebook and Twitter pages…we can’t wait to hear from you.”

Sponsored Post

In support of the campaign, Bellamama has exclusive “I Make Milk – What’s Your Super Power?” tees, encouraging nursing mums in the UK to embrace their natural power and promote a healthy perspective on breastfeeding. With each t-shirt sold, Bellamama.co.uk will donate a portion of their profits to UKAMB – a registered charity that supports human milk banking in the UK.

Kirsten Baxter says, “There is nothing more organic than for a mother to breastfeed her baby, so it shouldn’t matter where or when you breastfeed”. Did you know, that breastfeeding offers several health benefits for both mother and baby including helping to protect against, asthma, obesity, breast cancer and ovarian cancer. And, women who breastfeed return to their pre-pregnancy figure faster*

It is a woman’s right to breastfeed at any time or place in the UK, so join Bellamama.co.uk and show your support for National Breastfeeding Week this June 21^st-27 2010, and be proud of your super power!

For more information about Bella Mama, please visit www.bellamama.co.ukwww.ukamb.org/about.html or for further information about UKAMB visit,

Debbie Mann is inspiring and energetic. She runs her own property management business and in the last year has also taken on managing the Burgess Hill Mumpreneur Networking Club. When I meet Debbie, I always enjoy her infectious energy. And if you friend her on Facebook you’ll be amazed by how much she fits in alongside being a mum of two!Who else inspire me? Can I introduce you to my main writing partner Vicki! She and I have been writing together for some time. We’ve covered for each other through difficult pregnancies, we’ve written books together while sleep deprived with newborns, and we still manage to keep on coming up with ideas. I love the way we complement each others expertise, and have immense respect for the way Vicki combines being a mum, step mum, her 4 day a week job and writing too!

My third inspiring mumpreneur is Cara Sayer. She is the brains behind the Snoozeshade buggy blackout blind. 

Cara is a lovely person when you meet her face to face and had lots of helpful advice for me on recovering from pelvic girdle pain. She is a brilliant businesswoman and has really driven forward her product so it now has a presence in leading stores like Mothercare and John Lewis. Plus she utilises her PR skills to promote both her business and to help other mums develop theirs.

So, that’s three people who inspire me: do you have any mums who really inspire you?

essentials magazine is looking for some inspiring real women too. If you’re a mum with a business this could be your chance to appear in a national magazine and really raise your profile too. Essentials says, “Calling all real women – whatever your size, shape, height, or age essentials magazine needs you!  If you would like to appear in a glossy womens lifestyle magazine this is your chance to shine!  Simply visit www.goodtoknow.co.uk/essentials for further details on how to enter, and follow the campaign on our Facebook and Twitter pages…we can’t wait to hear from you.”

Sponsored Post

With childcare costs ever soaring, and no grandparents nearby to look after the little ones, the busy new mum turned entrepreneur to launch her own online shop.For a year now the puppeteer, who was the voice of Rosie on the children’s programme Rosie and Jim has been frantically juggling care with building websites and drawing up business plans to ensure The Great Little Hamper Company gets off to a good start.

But she has not done it on her own.

It was best friend Penny Lane who directed and produced Rosie and Jim, who first approached Rebecca about the business.

The pair have been working hard ever since to create the themed children’s hampers containing toys, clothes, biscuits and chocolates.

Rebecca, who has 3 year old twin boys Bertie and Pip said:

“The hardest thing for me has been staying at home and being just a housewife and mother. I love them so ridiculously and enjoy caring for them, but I have really missed working and adult conversation that doesn’t include the topic of children. Penny and I would have gone back into television if the hours had suited us, but it would have been hard to balance and most employers wouldn’t have been able to offer flexible hours in case we needed to pick the children up from nursery, or if they were ill.”

Penny read an article about a new breed of business person called a “Mumpreneur”, and we thought we could do that! So after copious cups of tea, we came up with the idea.”

With Penny living in Cumbria, and Rebecca living in Dorset, the mothers decided the internet was the best way forward, and so created a website selling uniquely themed children’s hampers.

Rebecca said “Thank goodness for the internet and my mobile. We are often on the phone for three hours a night going over everything.”

Of course, starting a business while looking after twins has not been easy. Rebecca said:

“It’s been tricky balancing work and motherhood. Hence this new direction. Like all mumpreneurs we are tired but inspired, and driven by the need to have a completely equally fulfilling work and home life.”

To find out more visit: www.thegreatlittlehampercompany.co.uk

It was these kind of questions that led to the creation of a new website and survey, http://wherethebrightwomenare.com/ Set up by two working mums in the media, the website launched earlier this year and has quickly gained momentum, leading to hundreds of women taking part in the survey and joining the group online (they tweet as brightwomenare and also have a facebook group).

The aim of the site was “to bring together all of those bright, cool women that surrounded us at uni and in our 20s, but whose lives have taken such different paths now” says Fiona, one of the founders.

Where have all of the women gone?

“Having worked in the communications industry for years, it constantly baffles us that so many women have ‘gone missing’ by the time they hit their early 40s.  We know they’re somewhere – we just don’t know where, because they aren’t, generally, sitting on the boards of FTSE100 companies, but nor are they all sitting in coffee shops living off their husbands.”  Fiona continues.

When they delved further into this, the figures were staggering. In the UK, only 3% of CEOs are women. And although many think that legislation has made it easier for bright women to have great corporate careers, it’s just not happening. In advertising, the number of women at board level has dropped from 16% 30 years ago to 13% now.

With so many conversations abounding about women in the boardroom, stay-at-home mums and how maternity rights are affecting women’s careers, they felt that often, it seems as if the only people who don’t share their opinions are the women themselves. Which is why they set up the site.

The continuing rise of the female entrepreneur

Their emerging hypothesis is that many, many bright women want to work.  It’s just that the conventions around traditional corporate environments no longer work for them – whether or not they have children.  They strongly believe that the future for many women will be in an environment they create for themselves – a business, a partnership, or volunteering – which is why they are particularly interested in understanding more about women who are taking the plunge, and doing things for themselves.

How to get involved:

If you’d like to share your thoughts on what it means to be a bright, achieving women today,  join in by taking the survey – found on the site or via this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TQR22QM – and tell them you are making your lives work. The aim is to build a community so that we can share and learn from each other.

Website: http://wherethebrightwomenare.com/

Email: wherethebrightwomenare@googlemail.com

Twitter: brightwomenare

Think of Location Location Location, SuperNanny, The Choir, Grow Your Own Drugs, The Apprentice, Grand Designs, How Clean is Your House, You are What You Eat and The House of Tiny Tearaways, to name but a few.  They all needed new experts when they were devised – and so will many future shows.

Find the right experts and combine them with a great format and everyone’s a winner: the broadcaster, the viewer and the experts, of course.  Because being a TV expert raises your profile, increases your income and gives you the chance to help and/or inspire a huge number of people.  But how does the TV industry find new experts?  And could you be one?

These are some of the questions that will be answered at the ‘Could you be a TV Expert?’ seminars, the first of which will be on Thursday, 18 March from 5-6pm at the Soho Theatre in Central London (21 Dean Street, W1D 3NE)

The seminars will be hosted by Claire Richmond, series producer of some of TV’s most popular shows – including BBC’s Changing Rooms, Ready Steady Cook & Don’t Get Done Get Dom – and founder of www.findaTVexpert.com, the online database of experts for members of the media on the hunt for new talent.

”Being a TV expert isn’t a privilege that’s bestowed on an elite few,” says Richmond.  “It’s an opportunity that’s available to all experts.  But a lot of experts don’t realize that their knowledge, their passion or the projects they’re working on could be exactly what the TV industry is looking for.  And many don’t know how to approach the TV industry.  These seminars will shed valuable light on that,” adds Richmond.

The “Could you be a TV expert?” seminars will give experts an insight into:

• The importance of experts on TV – and why the industry is always on the hunt for them
• What makes a good TV expert – and could you be one?
• The kind of experts the TV industry is currently looking for
• How the TV industry finds experts / How experts can promote themselves to the TV industry
• The programme making process

The TV industry finds new experts in many ways,” says Richmond.  “If you’re lucky you might be in the right place at the right time – it’s how Jamie Oliver got his break – but the more pro-active you are and the more structured your approach, the better.  Joining findaTVexpert is one way of getting on the TV industry’s radar but there are others.  And these seminars will help potential new TV experts understand the process.”

Tickets cost £25 and must be purchased in advance.  For more information or to book your place, call or email Claire Richmond directly: claire@findatvexpert.com / 020 8742 2541.

Experts who can’t make the 18th of March can reserve a place now for Wednesday, 28th April or Thursday, 3 June 2010.