All you have to do is ‘like’ the Swimwear365 Facebook page and enter your details, and you could be in with a chance of winning a pamper day for two people, where you can choose two luxurious treatments and enjoy use of the gym, pool, steam room and sauna. There now, didn’t that put a little sunshine in your day?

Below are some of our most popular and recently updated cookery experiences but a full list of what we have available can be found by clicking here.

Chocolate Workshop
Price £50
Learn how to create your own chocolate masterpiece’s during this 2.5 hour chocolate workshop. This experience, which makes for a fantastic treat for yourself or a chocoholic in your life, is one of our most popular cookery experiences and always gets rave reviews from customers. The master chocolatier will help you to create your own truffles to take home and share among your friends and family and by the end of the experience you will be able to make some of the creations yourself at home.
Where it’s Available: More than 15 locations nationwide.


Advanced Men Only Cookery Course
Price £170
This male only cookery course is a great for you or your partner to learn some great new tips from expert chefs. You will be able to watch and listen as they prepare a tasty 3 course meal in front of you, before preparing it for yourself. Typical dishes you can expect to be taught to prepare include; Chicken ballotines, Raspberry and chocolate roulade, Sea bass with Mushroom risotto or a Simple fruit brulée but the specific menu will change from session to session.
Where it’s Available: Woking, Surrey


Indian Cooking Experience
Price £149
Learn how to create some mouth-watering Indian dishes under guidance from celebrity chefs in the professional standard kitchen. The full day course is designed to be very hands on and ensure you leave with at the end of the day as confident in your new found cooking skills as possible. You will learn to create a selection of mouth-watering dishes possibly including a spicy fish curry, cocktail koftas and Indian sweet potatoes.
Where it’s Available: Ipswich, Suffolk


As well as our tried and tested range of cooking classes from Pat Chapman and The Cooking Experience, we have just signed up and added these four new great African cooking experiences:

African Vegetarian Cooking Course London
Price £85
As a vegetarian, you may be fooled into thinking that your options are limited when it comes to trying new and exciting dishes, but this cookery course aims to show you otherwise. You will join a few other foodies to learn some of the traditional methods and ingredients of North African cooking from an expert chef. Expert chefs will demonstrate the dishes before helping you prepare your own which you can sit down and enjoy after the session.
Where it’s Available: Tottenham, London

Spice Up Chicken Cookery Course London
Price £85
Chicken is a staple part of most peoples diet, but keeping your dishes new and exciting can be a challenge if you cook with it often. This course is designed to bring some new and exciting flavours to your chicken dishes by showing you how to cook using traditional North African techniques. Incorporating dishes from Ghana, Morocco, Tanzania and The Congo, you will leave with a selection of tasty ideas to try at your next dinner party!
Where it’s Available: Tottenham, London

A Taste Of Nigeria Cooking Course London
Price £85
This cooking course will help you to explore the fascinating native flavours of Nigeria learning from the expert chefs. Nigerian food is well known for its distinctive colours and flavours, so you can rest assured you will leave having mastered how to create some truly scrumptious dishes at home for your friends and family at your next dinner party. The lesson takes place in a professional standard kitchen in Central London.
Where it’s Available: Tottenham, London


Tasty Tagines Cookery Course London
Price £85
A Tagine is a traditional North African cooking method and his great 3 hour cookery lesson will teach you how to create some new and exciting flavours. The expert chefs have grown up around North African cuisine so have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to you in helping you discover new flavours and ingredients you can use in your everyday cooking to keep meal times fresh and taste bud tickling.
Where it’s Available: Tottenham, London

Having recently welcomed a fantastic new provider to our extensive experience listings, we’re pretty excited here at the Experience Days offices – as the prospect of challenging our track day offering with something so close to home is mouth-watering! Track days will remain the ideal way to put your foot to the floor and feel the acceleration of a 500bhp+ supercar around corners and through straights – but almost as quickly as the car will reach 100mph; your experience is but a distant memory. With these hour long dream machine experiences, you won’t quite be going hell for leather to reach top speed – but you will at least get 60 magnificent minutes to fantasise and fully appreciate the true brilliance of the car and its road-going presence. So, to swap speed for a bit of style and sophistication; a 60 minute hire behind the wheel of your ideal supercar with an advanced driver in the passenger seat is the obvious choice!

McLaren MP4-12c 60 Minute Hire
Price £249
Here is your chance to drive one of the most highly anticipated supercars of recent years – the awesome McLaren MP4-12C! This incredible experience will give you the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the British thoroughbred out on the open road, with a front row seat to hear the roar of the twin turbo V8 engine that boasts 592bhp! Thanks to a 7-speed gear box and aerodynamics inspired by the lessons learned in Formula 1; the McLaren can reach a top speed of around 205mph and handles every bit as good as it looks. With this incredible 60 minute experience, you can forget the small stumbling block of the price tag and own one of the road’s finest vehicles… for an hour.

Mercedes SLS AMG 60 Minute Hire
Price £159
The Mercedes SLS AMG has been described in many corners as not only the best car Mercedes make, but also the best production car available for purchase in the world right now. Hailed as the symbolic successor to the legendary 300sl Gullwing, the SLS keeps with the tradition and incorporates the Gullwing doors and unmistakably sleek design. With a monstrously magnificent 6.2L V8 engine purring away underneath the enormous bonnet, this Merc has unfortunately been limited to a top speed of… 197mph! Although you won’t be reaching anywhere near the dizzy heights of those speeds, you will be able to at least gain some understanding in just how this car can get there!

Ferrari 458 Italia 60 Minute Hire
Price £199
The incredible Ferrari 458 Italia had a lot to live up to when it replaced the highly appreciated F430, but with even more Formula 1 technology and a truly magnificent redesign; ‘live up’ it most certainly did! With 562bhp, the Ferrari 458 Italia has the highest horse power to engine size ratio of any natural aspirated car in the world. So, the F458 Italia is not only magnificently mouth watering and incredibly desirable; but also a master stroke of modern supercar design. With 60 minutes of driving out on the open road, you can get to grips with the Italian beast and begin appreciating how these machines handle – beginning with the awesome tiptronic steering wheel!

Ferrari F430 Experience
Price £115
The F430 is one of the most iconic cars to leave the prestigious Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy to date and this great experience will give you the opportunity to drive beautiful car out on the track. You will get three high speed laps behind the wheel of the 4.3L V8 supercar that has proven itself time and time again as real drivers car thanks to its superb handling and agility really allow the title of the prancing horse! An expert instructor will be sat next to you to ensure you get the most out of the experience on the track!

Experience Includes: Drive the awesome Ferrari F430, three exceptional laps, expert instructor for guidance
Where it’s Available: Dunsfold, Kenilworth, Lutterwroth, Loughborough, Stratford Upon Avon, York

Rock Climbing Experience Sussex
Price £45
Rock climbing has seen a surge in popularity in recent years because people are realising just how rewarding and fun it is. This half day course is set in the heart of the Sussex countryside and makes use of one of the largest natural rock outcrops in the South of England. Harrison’s rock reaches up to 30-40ft foot, so once you are comfortable and courageous enough to make it to the top you will be higher than the tops of the trees. Expert instructors will be one hand throughout to ensure your safety and that you progress quickly through the different techniques.

Experience Includes: Introduction to outdoor climbing, expert instructors, supplied with quality equipment
Where it’s Available: Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Tandem Skydiving Oxfordshire
Price £240
They say that freefall is the ultimate adrenaline rush, and with this tandem skydive in Oxfordshire you too will get to experience the fantastic sensation of plummeting to earth at 120mph! Once you make your way up to jumping altitude in the plane you will jump from 13,500ft you will get around 45 seconds of priceless freefall strapped securely to an expert instructor with hundreds of jumps under their belt. After the freefall you will have 4-5 minutes of gentle swooping descent under the canopy on the way back to earth and solid ground.

Experience Includes: Tandem skydive over Oxfordshire, jump from 13,500ft, best passenger ride available
Where it’s Available: Oxford, Oxfordshire

If you like the sound of a tandem skydive, check out the skydiving page to find a dropzone near you!

Sunseeker Half Day Experience
Price £189
Sunseeker yachts are usually reserved for the rich and famous, but this great half day experience is a fantastic way to get an understand of how the other half live! The 40′ luxury boat is kitted out to the highest quality and you will be free to explore its cabins as you make your way from Southampton across the Solent to the Isle of Wight reaching speeds of up to 40 knots! If the conditions allow, the skipper will even give you the chance to take the helm and drive the magnificent vessel yourself while racing through the waves!

Experience Includes: Tandem skydive over Oxfordshire, jump from 13,500ft, best passenger ride available
Where it’s Available: Oxford, Oxfordshire

BCU Kayaking Course Hampshire
Price £80
Kayaking is one of the most exciting and attainable water sports available and this introductory course is the perfect way to start perfecting your paddling technique. The course is led by expert instructors ensuring by the time the course finishes, you will be ready to take the BCU level 1 exam at a later date. Even though the experience is about training for an exam, there is plenty of time throughout the 6-8 hour course to have some fun while out on the water, because after all, that’s what kayaking is all about!

Experience Includes: Introduction to kayaking, train for a BCU level 1 exam, get out on the water for a paddle!
Where it’s Available: Brockenhurst, Hampshire

So there we have it, a selection of the latest offerings the product team has managed to scoop up and get live on our site. With new products being added nearly daily make sure you check back regularly to see what new, crazy and unique experiences they manage to find!

Hi Nicola, thanks for talking to us today. So, What was it that first got youinterested in boudoir Photography?

The idea of combining photography with art, which is what I think boudoir epitomises. It’s not your average photoshoot as it takes place in a blacked-out studio with very low lighting, and quite often as the photographer; you’re telling the ladies to look away from the camera or you’ll be cropping into various body parts. There are no bright lights or flashing your pearly whites in our studio!

What is your favourite part of the job?

I have to cheat as there are two aspects that I love. Firstly, the feeling that is ignited within the ladies following on from their shoot; they are often overcome with a ‘glow’ and have a certain bounce in their step. Secondly, the reaction they have when they see their images; often ladies can’t believe it’s them in the photographs (in a good way), which is always great as it shows you have done your job well.

How long have you been offering the experiences?

Our boudoir studio was launched in 2009 so we’re three years old this year!

What is it about boudoir Photography that makes it such a great gift or experience?

Well, it’s a combination really of a huge variety of reasons. Whether it is to keep a private photo album to share with a partner or for your eyes only, or whether it is just to feel sexy and risqué in the moment – it is a personal preference. Whatever the initial reason, the end result is always the same; a great confidence boost with tangible memories that will stay with you forever.

What can ladies expect from start to finish on a day in the Boudoir by Cameo studios?

Arrive at our studios, relax, drink some bubbly and when they are ready – make their way into the studio with one of our female photographers. They will be fully informed and prepared for what is to come and what the shoot entails, as the photographer will have a little chat to get a better understanding of the client and the reasons for the shoot. With that in mind, the photographer will provide the expertise and advice throughout – providing full direction, including poses, positions and posterior placement! It will be a work out of sorts, but ladies will leave feeling energised, giddy and like they have rediscovered their mojo!

Do you have an average customer?

Not at all! We have photographed ladies of all ages, shapes and sizes. I think the eldest lady we have snapped looking fabulous was in fact 76 years old. With such variety in shape, size, preference and taste; there is no single uniform of ‘sexiness’. With the correct lighting and the most flattering of angles – even girls who’ve convinced themselves they aren’t feminine will be amazed by what is possible – and how beautiful they really are. Even girls who you’d think would be a natural in front of the camera can suffer from stage fright – and shake like a leaf! As the experience is very tailored and bespoke, the personal nature ensures you can be as far in or as far out of your comfort zone as you like – making a boudoir photoshoot perfect for every woman out there!

What advice you would give for someone thinking about booking an experience?

JUST DO IT!! All the hesitations and hang ups that you may have are totally natural and very common. But, if you’re feeling nervous just thinking about doing it – I won’t lie – it will be even more nerve-wracking on the day. But, once you’re in the swing of it and have settled into the shoot – trust me, it will all be worthwhile, as it is such an exhilarating experience. And of course, once you’ve finished the shoot – you will have the photos to show off for ever!

So, as the boss – I suppose you must have had one or two boudoir photoshoots?

Yes of course. We’re always in the studios coming up with new poses and taking turns in trying them out to see how it would suit our clients. So, as well as great fun – it’s part of our job to have practice shoots to try and find new or sexy poses to use in customer’s shoots.

Great stuff, this all sounds great to us Nicola – we’ll be trying this out soon! Many thanks for talking to us today, and good luck with your future photoshoots and discovering new poses!

If you would like to enjoy a boudoir photography experience from the experts at Boudoir by Cameo, check out our newly added experiences below:

Boudoir Photography Experience
Price £99
This great boudoir photography experience will allow you to get comfortable in front of the camera with the help of the all female staff. They will work with yu to capture the very essence of who you are during a 45 minute bespoke session in front of the camera in a low-light studio. A makeup artist and hair stylist will work their magic to ensure you look and feel your absolute best and leave with some beautiful images. After the shoot, you will be able to take home a 7′x5′ print as well as 10 photos in your online gallery.

Boudoir Photography Experience
Price £295
Expereience the ultimate boudoir session with an all female team of experts ensuring you look and feel your best while in font of the camera. The team know all of the best poses and positions to make everyone feel comfortable, and after a session with a hair and make-up artist – you’ll be out posing and pouting for the camera. After the shoot, you will be able to take home five 5′x7′ prints as well as 15 of your best images in your online gallery. The Boudoir by Cameo team will be able to put you at ease, and help you strike some truly beautiful poses showing off the feminine form.

It is widely agreed that the term Golfis borrowed from the Dutch as an alteration for the word colf or clove meaning stick or bat. Golf as we know it today was first played on the east coast of Scotland in the 1400′s, but more and more evidence is suggesting that it was first played centuries before by other countries…

The Chinese Dynasties – 618AD – 1297AD

A drawing from the 14th century in China showing the emperor playing Chuiwan

Chinese scholars have found evidence that suggests that Golf was fist played in some form by the Chinese over a thousand years ago! Throughout the Tang dynasty (618-907) and was known as the game of Buda and was the favourite past time of the ordinary people. It was then renamed to Chuiwan (chui meaning hitting and wan meaning small ball) during the Song dynasty when the rules where first written in a book and people are pictured playing several hundred years before the first appeared in Europe. It is now believed by many scholars that it was the Mongolian travellers in the later middle ages that took Chuiwan with them on their trade mission to Europe during the Yuan dynasty period.

The Dutch – 14th century

A painting from Holland in the 14th century showcasing locals playing “Koff”.

Many researchers believe that Golf as we know it today has its origins in a game played by the Dutch on frozen lakes called “Koff” around 1297. Players would aim to use their curved clubs to hit a small ball from point A to point B in the least amount of stokes. At the time, the Duct hand Scotts where very close trading partners and it is even suggested that the first balls used to play in Scotland where brought across by Dutch traders even though the Scotts where playing on parkland opposed to ice.

The Modern Game

Despite the arguments above regarding the origins of Golf, the Scottish are definitely the inventors of the game we know and love today. Being the home of modern golf, St Andrews in Fife is the most distinguished and recognised course in the world and still plays hosts to some of the best tournaments in the world. There are now over 2,700 clubs across the UK welcoming over 4.5 million players from all walks of life and ages and the sport is growing in popularity among younger players thanks to professionals such as Tiger Woods and Rory Mcllory making headlines by winning titles and setting world records!

Why is golf so popular today?

• No two games are ever the same. Every time you go out to play it is a different course and different conditions. Variety is the spice of life.
• There is no such thing as a perfect round. It is the most challenging game I have played with a great round one day and an absolute disaster the next. This alone is one of the main reasons why golf is so popular – the continual drive to improve.
• It can be played by all ages, both sexes and all shapes and sizes. Golf is unique in that it has a handicap system that levels the playing field. It is me and my handicap versus the other guy and his handicap. On this basis I can theoretically beat the best player in the world.

Getting into golf is far easier then it may first appear thanks to the sheer number of locations to start perfecting that swing! A lesson is definitely the best way to get a head start in the sport as the course professional will have years of experience to teach you the correct technique before you pick up any bad habits. If you would like to make a start on your wing, or help perfect it after a few years of playing then a Golf experience at a Marriott hotel with championship course is a great way to learn.

Marriott Golf lessons available on Experience Days:

Play Golf Like a Pro With Marriott
Now £98
This experience is perfect for any golfer who is looking to improve their swing including a revolutionary system for perfecting the technique. The experience includes a 45 minute session with the a PGA professional at the driving range using the Explanar system before putting the practice to the test with a round on the championship course. They will then enjoy a tasty lunch back in the club house before returning to the driving range for some final practice.

Championship Round Of Golf
Now £48
With at least one championship course at each Marriott location, they have become renowned for their great facilities and are the perfect place. This great experience will allow the lucky recipient to choose one of the 6 great nationwide locations to enjoy 18 holes on a truly fantastic course. While there, they will be able to make full use of the practice facilities as well as club house and bar set in beautiful locations with manicured courses and spotless clubhouses.

Learn To Play Golf With Marriott
Now £79
This is the perfect experience for a beginner player looking to get their foot in the door while playing on a championship level course. The 30 minute golf lesson from the PGA professional will teach them all the basics to start enjoying the game, and with free equipment hire, range tokens and a light lunch, this is an all-in-one lesson guaranteed to get the basics mastered. The Marriott golf professionals ensure that skills are taught in the correct order making sure that their students get the most from their lessons

2 for 1 Hillmotts Luxury Retreat
Now £99
Treat your mum to a world of pampering as they are indulge into a world of luxury at the beautiful Hillmotts spa. This 2 for 1 offer will allow her to take a friend along to enjoy 75 minutes of pampering each with a choice of treatments from the expert staff as well as full use of the sap facilities for the entire day. The extensive spa menu includes; Aromatherapy Facial, Aromatherapy Full Body Massage, Luxury Aromatherapy Hot Stone Massage among many others.

Experience Includes: Full day entry for two at the Hillmotts spa, 75 minutes of treatments each, ultimate day of pampering
Where it’s Available: Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

Wimbledon Tennis Tour and Meal for Two
Price £120
If your Mum loves the excitement of the Wimbledon tennis open each year, then this experience could help them realise a lifelong dream. With a guided tour around the world famous stadium with a behind the scenes look at the some of the areas off limits to the general public during the tournaments including the BBC studios and interview room. Your Mum and her guest will then be treated to 3 course meal in the restaurant followed by a quintessential Wimbledon tradition of strawberries and cream.

Experience Includes: Guided tour for two around Wimbledon tennis club, tour of areas usually closed to the public, 3 course meal with strawberries and cream
Where it’s Available: Wimbledon, London

Half Day Falconry Experience
Price £70
Handling some of the most powerful birds of prey in the world in an experience not to be forgotten and will make a fantastic Mother’s day gift. The professional falconer will teach your Mum all about each of the majestic birds they will have a close encounter with as well as learning how to interact with them and ‘fly’ the birds to and from their arm. Some of the birds they will encounter will be Falcons, Hawks, Buzzards and of course the Eagle.

Experience Includes: Handle and fly some of the majestic birds in the world, half day experience with an expert falconer, handle a variety of birds
Where it’s Available: Knutsford (Cheshire, Dartford (Kent), Warwick (Warwickshire)

Champagne Hot Air Balloon Flight for 1
Price £149
A scenic flights doesn’t come much better than this! Held in the air by nothing more than a few hundred feet of Nylon and hot air, they will silently soar across the sky over the patchwork of fields and villages. Your Mum will be one of only a few in the basket being whipped along by the breeze. After around an hour of peaceful flight, the balloon will begin the decent back to earth where there will be a glass of champagne to toast their memorable journey.

Experience Includes: One hour flight in a hot air balloon, silently soar past the world below, glass of champagne to toast the journey
Where it’s Available: More than 35 locations

Ferrari vs Lamborghini Thrill
Price £175
Driving just one of these legendary supercars would make a great Mother’s day gift, but with the chance to compare one of the finest from the garages of the prancing horse against one from Lamborghini, it makes for an unforgettable day! With 3 or 4 laps behind the wheel of the legendary Ferrari 355 of 360 and a further 3 or 4 at the wheel of the Lamborghini Gallardo the day promises to be an unbelievable day of supercar driving! So if your mum has always dreamt about cruising around town in a supercar, then this will be a great Mother’s day gift.

Experience Includes: Drive a Ferrari and Lamborghini, 3 or 4 laps at the wheel of each, expert instructor sat in the passenger seat
Where it’s Available: Dunsfold (Surrey), Canterbury (Kent), Vale of Glamorgan (South Wales), Kenilworth (Warwickshire), Lutterworth (Leicestershire), Loughborough (Leicestershire), Stratford Upon Avon (Warwickshire), York (North Yorkshire)

So there we have it, some last minute gift ideas you show your Mum just how much you care. With next day delivery, vouchers purchased before 3pm on Friday will be delivered Saturday morning in time for Mother’s day. So if you really want to say thanks for being a great mum this year, then why not got her an experience gift certificate and make it a day to remember!

Thoresby Hall Afternoon Tea for Two
Price £35
Treat your mum to an afternoon tea experience in the luxurious surroundings of Thoresby Hall set in the heart of the Nottinghamshire Countryside. Once seated in the pristine dining room, your Mum and lucky guest will be able to enjoy a selection of delicious traditional warm scones with jam and cream, a selection of finger sandwiches, two pastries and a selection of tea and coffee – the very best of a British tradition. While enjoying the selection of fine food and teas, they will be able to appreciate the beautiful decoration of the dining room.

Experience Includes: Afternoon tea at Thoresby Hall, selection of delicious sandwiches and scones, luxurious surroundings
Where it’s Available: Thoresby, Nottinghamshire

Personal Shopping Experience 3 Hour
Price £135
With a personal shopping experience your Mum will have three hours of expert guidance around the hustle and bustle of some of London’s premier shops and department stores. The expert shopper will guide your Mum around the shops showing them the latest and best styles to mix and match to create new and exciting looks. With three hours looking around some of the country’s top outlets, even the most die-hard shopper will be shopped out by the end of the experience.


Experience Includes: Three hours of personal shopping, learn new styles from the expert, explore some of London’s premier shops
Where it’s Available: London

Marriott Pamper Day for Two
Price £75
If your Mum deserves some time to sit back relax and enjoy some time to unwind then a day at a Marriott Spa could be the perfect way to treat them. With full access to the facilities throughout the day, there will be plenty of time for them to explore the gym, spa facilities and pool as well as two 30 minute treatments. The voucher entitles two entries to the spa, so they could enjoy a treatment each or, if she wants the ultimate day of relaxation, keep them both to herself!

Experience Includes: Full use of the spa facilities for the whole day, one relaxing treatment each, world class Marriott locations
Where it’s Available: Birmingham, Coventry, Chepstow, Derby, Glasgow, Maidstone, Manchester, Norwich, Portsmouth, Preston, Shipley, Southampton, London

Supercar Choice 1
Price £89
With a choice of over 12 of the world’s most exclusive and exciting supercars, your Mum is sure to have an experience to remember with this Mother’s day gift! If they have always dreamed of being seen cruising around in a Ferrari with the roof down, then this track driving experience will allow them to immerse themselves in driving their dream car! With the choice of Ferrari’s, Lamborghini’s and Audi, they will be spoiled for choice in selecting which of the supercars to get behind the wheel of and experience 3 or 4 exhilarating laps!

Experience Includes: Drive a supercar out on the track, 3 or 4 laps of the circuit, huge choice of cars including Ferrari and Lamborghini.
Where it’s Available: Canterbury, Dunsford, Vale of Glamorgan, Kenilworth, Lutterworth, Loughborough, Stratford Upon Avon, York

25 Minute Flight Over London
Price £109
Let your mum explore the capital city in style and from a unique perspective as the luxury helicopter swoops across the London sky line. This unique scenic flight will give you mum a great opportunity to spot her favourite shopping streets, famous galleries or landmarks from the air during the 25 minute flight as the pilot points out the major points of interest. The route starts at the airfield in the country and passes over patchwork fields before the London skyline becomes visible on the horizon as you fly west over the city.

Experience Includes: 25 minute helicopter tour of London, fly over beautiful countryside and London skyline, gain a unique perspective of London
Where it’s Available: Romford

So, with Mother’s day just a few weeks away, now is the time to start thinking about getting your Mum a present to show just how much you care. Why not break away from the standard card and flowers and give your Mum and experience to remember with an experience gift. From relaxing days at a top Marriott hotel and spa, to action packed days of driving one of the world’s tops supercars, there is an experience for everyone.

What was it that got you interested in Animation? Was there one event that stood out?
When I was a kid I spent summers, making basic animations using my friend’s dad’s giant VHS cameras, using toy soldiers. I studied film at University in Kent, and one of my modules was Animation; I ending up spending my final year concentrating pretty much entirely on my animated film over all my other pieces of work – I was hooked! After graduating I moved to Bristol to join the Bristol School of Animation, set up by Aardman to train animators, from which I got a job working on Wallace and Gromit’s Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Can you remember your first animation project?
After finishing Curse of the Were-Rabbit I moved back to Kent, where I began making my first independent animation film called The Windmill Boy. This way about a boy who is kept as a slave in a windmill, and he manages to turn the windmill into a flying machine to escape. This film was screened at 25 international film festivals and gave my work some great exposure through the media.

What is your favourite part of your job?
I love coming up with new ideas and creative styles; exploring alternative ways of telling a story through animation. I don’t get the chance to get my hands dirty as much as I’d like to, but still sculpt a lot of the plasticine characters we use, which is something I really enjoy and can lose myself in for hours.

What other aspects of animation are you involved with? Any big projects or films?
Animate & Create are a Professional Animation Production Studio, producing short films, online videos and commercials for range of commercial companies, but we also run workshops for schools, community groups and individual members of the public. We love running these community workshops, as they are great fun and its really great to give something back to the community, and see people get as excited and inspired by animation as we do.

How long have the experiences been running?
We have been running animation workshops with schools and community groups since 2007, and as interest has continued to grow, we thought it was time we opened up our workshops to everyone to experience

Why does an animation make a great experience?
Many of us have fond childhood memories of animated characters such as Wallace and Gromit, Pingu, Morph, or Creature Comfort – and our Animation Experiences give you a chance to create your own versions of these animated heroes. Our Plasticine ‘Mini-me’ models mean that no matter what your skill level, every participant can successfully create a unique character; without having to worry about getting structure and proportions right. Participants just focus on the fun bit of customising the model by giving him/her clothes, hair, expressions etc.

What can customers expect from a day in the studios?
Our Whitstable Experience Days are held in our professional production studio – so you will get a chance to work within a professional environment using industry standard tools and equipment. But just because it’s a professional studio doesn’t mean it’s all serious – our sessions are run with a laid back, fun vibe to encourage you to explore your creative side and have a great day learning a new skill.

Can you describe your average customer?
There is no such thing as an average customer on our Animation Experiences; no matter your age or experience, our sessions allow everyone to get their get their hands dirty and get creative.

What can customers expect to do during the experience?
Customers will get involved in every aspect of producing an animated ‘short’; from brainstorming, storyboarding, character design and creation, and then bringing these characters to life using Stop-Motion cameras and software. Everyone gets to take their models home with them, along with a date-file of your animated short – so make sure you remember your USB memory stick to put your film on at the end of the session.

What advice you would give for budding animators?
Get creative, build your portfolio, and get it out there. It is so easy to host your videos online on sites such as Vimeo and Youtube – so even if you are just starting out, experiment with a variety of styles until you find something that works for you.

Are there going to be any new additions to the experiences in the future?
Stop-Motion animation is not limited to plasticine – there are so many different materials and styles to explore and experiment with, so in the future we are looking to introduce a wider variety of animation styles to our list of experiences including cartoon animation, manga animation and cut-out animation.

Do you have any interesting facts about animation most people would be unaware of?
In Wallace and Gromit’s – Curse of the Were-Rabbit, there are 35 versions of Wallace, each with a variety of interchangeable and replaceable parts – to allow the animators to depict the variety of scenes and poses the character is animated in.

That’s great Dan, Thanks for taking the time out to speak to us today! If you, or someone you know would like a chance to make their own animation film, check out the Animate and Create experiences available on Experincedays:

Claymation Experience Kent
Price £149

Become part of the creation teams and help animate your own short film made entirely of clay. With the help of the expert instructors at the centre, you can witness the process from start to finish including the story planning, creating the characters and filming their stop-motion movements! At the end of the experience you will get to take your model and a raw copy of your short film home to show your friends and family.

Microlight Flight Essex
Price £69
Let your loved one experience flight with this great Microlight flight in Essex. Sat with an expert pilot, your loved one will witness views over the Essex countryside and the London skyline as the back drop. Throughout the 20-30 minute flight, the Microlight will soar effortlessly though the skies at 60mph! If conditions allow, the instructor will allow your loved one to take the controls and be in full control of the aircraft. If your loved one has always had an interest in flying but until now hasn’t had the opportunity to give it a go – Microlighting is a great way to try without breaking the bank!

Supercar For One – Special
Price £75
Driving a Ferrari is an experience that is on most people’s bucket list, and this supercar driving special offer will give the lucky recipient the choice of driving a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche or three others. With the choice of six of the world’s most luxurious and desirable cars and four locations, your loved one will be spoilt for choice as they decide which car to enjoy 3 or 4 exhilarating laps behind the wheel. So whether your loved one is a petrol-head or just admires the style and speed of supercars, this experience is sure to get their heart racing!

Scuba Diving For Two Bristol
Price £49
Learning to Scuba Dive opens up an entirely new world to explore, and this Scuba Diving lesson in Bristol will equip your loved one with the basic skills. The PADI instructors will teach them the standard skills of using the breathing apparatus, before getting in the pool and practising communication methods and basic movements under water! This Scuba Diving experience for two makes for a great present for anyone looking to start Scuba, whether it be in preparation for a holiday or just as a new hobbie!

Special – Sunseeker
Price £49
The Sunseeker brand is synonymous with luxury and extravagance – and going for a high speed ride aboard one of their yachts is an experience not to be forgotten. This special offer will allow your loved one to experience the luxury as they embark on a cruise around the Solent off the coast of Southampton. Everyone can dream of owning their own beautiful Sunseeker yacht, but until that becomes a reality, this experience will make a thirtieth birthday present to remember!

Fairlawns Spa Day
Price £70
Sometimes, all you want to do on your birthday is sit back, relax and be pampered and that is exactly what this experience is about. The lucky recipient will be able to enjoy a full day of luxury as they will have full access to the Fairlawns Spa facilities including the Spa Lounge, Sauna Suite, Infrared Sauna and Aromatherapy Rooms. Including in the package is a aqua massage which uses warm jets of water to work the stresses out of weary muscles and joints as they sit back and enjoy the tranquil surroundings and relaxing music.

So there we are, a few 30th gift ideas that would make a great present to mark he start of a new decade and show that they are still young enough to have some fun! With prices of all under £100, they won’t hurt your pocket but are guaranteed to put a big smile on their face when they open them!