Unless you have been asleep for the last week you will know that an amateur metal detector found a magnificent hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold in a field in Staffordshire last July. The finds, amounting to over 1500, have been partially cleaned and experts are drooling over quite what this means and how it explains what idiots over the years have called the Dark Ages. Dark they certainly weren’t and this treasure shows how capable they were at working metals and how artistic they were as well.

In case you were unaware, we are in the middle of National Cruise Week. Around my way you would have been hard pressed to notice. The travel industry doesn’t even have a big consumer show celebrating cruising. That is held in March (next year 27-28 March at Olympia in London. This year it was at Excel in London last March ). In the local travel agents (supposedly 2000 are involved) I saw no great displays either just the usual Caribbean or Mediterranean cruise cards posted in windows. Yet 1.5 million of us go on cruising; many more than go skiing for example.

From the website:

“This site explains what you have to do to bring your pet dog, cat or ferret into (or back into) the UK through the Pet Travel Scheme (or PETS for short) without putting it into quarantine. It also explains the requirements for bringing many other types of pet animals into the UK. This site also tells you about quarantine in the UK for animals that don’t qualify for PETS. Printable factsheets are available for both vets and the public.”

From the website:

“The Passport Office, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs, issues passports to Irish citizens.

All Irish citizens are entitled to apply for an Irish passport. Services are provided by the Passport Offices in Dublin and Cork and by Irish Diplomatic and Consular Missions overseas.”

From the website:

“The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) promotes standards in travel medicine, providing travel health information for health professionals and the public.

NaTHNaC is funded by the Health Protection Agency.”

From the website:

“The Identity and Passport Service is responsible for issuing UK passports and identity cards and for the registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales. It is an executive agency of the Home Office.”

From the website:

“HMRC’s purpose is to make sure that the money is available to fund the UK’s public services. We also help families and individuals with targeted financial support”

From the website:

“Community Legal Advice is a free and confidential advice service paid for by legal aid.”

From the website:

“The Adviceguide website is the main public information service of Citizens Advice, providing people with round-the-clock access to CAB information on their rights – including benefits, housing and employment, and on debt, consumer and legal issues.”

From the website:

“Consumer Focus is the statutory organisation campaigning for a fair deal for consumers in England, Wales, Scotland, and, for postal services, Northern Ireland.

Advice for individuals on energy and post is given by Consumer Direct (08454 04 05 06).”

From the website:

“The Trading Standards Institute is a not-for-profit professional body formed in 1881. We have members in the public and private sectors in the UK and abroad.

TSI encourages honest enterprise and business and helps safeguard the economic, environmental, health and social well-being of consumers.”

From the website:

“Formed in 1950 by 22 leading travel companies, ABTA – The Travel Association – now represents over 5,000 travel agencies and more than 900 tour operations, throughout the British Isles. Our Members range from small, specialist tour operators and independent travel agencies through to publicly-listed companies and household names; from call centres to internet booking services to high street shops. All of them carry the ABTA logo, which means choice, value, and high levels of service. ”

From the website:

“Consumer Direct is the government-funded telephone and online service offering information and advice on consumer issues. Consumer Direct is funded by the Office of Fair Trading and delivered in partnership with Local Authority Trading Standards Services.”

From the website:

“The Consumer Council represents consumers and gives them a voice. We ensure that the policy makers in Northern Ireland hear that voice and take it into account when they are making decisions that affect us all.”

From the website:

The Department for Transport’s aim is transport that works for everyone. This means a transport system which balances the needs of the economy, the environment and society.

From the website:

The Mission of the Department of Foreign Affairs is to advance Ireland’s political and economic interests in the European Union and in the wider world, to promote Ireland’s contribution to international peace, security and development both through the European Union and through active participation in international organisations, in particular the United Nations, to protect our citizens abroad, and to pursue reconciliation and partnership on the island of Ireland.

From the website:

“What we do

This is where you’ll find information on all our key roles from supporting British nationals overseas to promoting British business to legalising documents. ”

see Civil Aviation Authority.
The AUC was wound up in March 2011.

From the website:

“The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) is a commercial state-sponsored company which was established on 1 January 1994 to provide air navigation services in Irish-controlled airspace, and to regulate safety standards within the Irish civil aviation industry through…”

From the website:

“The CAA is the UK’s independent specialist aviation regulator. Its activities include economic regulation, airspace policy, safety regulation and consumer protection.”

From the website

“We are the independent passenger watchdog. Our mission is to get the best deal for passengers.

We are an independent public body set up by the Government to protect the interests of passengers.”

[ March 27, 2010 9:00 am to March 28, 2010 6:00 pm. ] 27-28 March

Olympia, London

www.cruisingshow.co.uk

£6 in advance, £10 on the door

[ March 26, 2010 9:00 am to March 28, 2010 6:00 pm. ] 26-28 March

NEC, Birmingham

www.TheOutdoorsShow.co.uk 

£12 in advance, £16 on the door. If you book before 10 January you can get 2 tickets for the price of 1. When you go to book quote “Bestprice”

[ March 5, 2010 9:00 am to March 7, 2010 6:00 pm. ] 5-7 March

NEC, Birmingham

www.destinationsshow.com
Price: £10 per adult plus £1.35 booking fee.

[ February 25, 2010; 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. ] 25 February

Five Lakes Resort, Maldon,Essex

 www.tourismandleisureshow.co.uk  

Admission: Free

[ February 23, 2010 9:00 am to February 28, 2010 6:00 pm. ] 23-28 February

NEC, Birmingham

www.boatandcaravan.co.uk,

[ February 12, 2010 9:00 am to February 14, 2010 6:00 pm. ] 12-14 February

SECC, Glasgow

www.holidayshows.com/glasgow.htm

[ February 4, 2010 9:00 am to February 7, 2010 6:00 pm. ] 4-7 February

SECC, Glasgow

www.caravanshowscotland.com