Tag Archives: Advice

Polaroid – The Iconic Brand is Back

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Polaroid has launched its first UK website

Polaroid has launched a brand new UK website for the first time since the brand was revitalised in 2010, showcasing its range of new and innovative products at www.polaroid.co.uk

The website launch coincides with the launch of the Polaroid Z340 instant digital camera, which is has just gone on sale and delivers a new twist on the instant photo. The Polaroid Z340 instant digital camera marries the convenience of a digital camera with the classic Polaroid instant printing experience.

Loved by many worldwide for its creativity and innovation, the Polaroid brand constantly strives to push artistic boundaries; creating new products which combine the old with the new.
The website enables Polaroid fans based in the UK to keep up to date with the latest news, browse the array of products, download fantastic Polaroid apps and even buy products online including the much sought after Lady Gaga GREY Label range.

In just two clicks you can purchase limited Polaroid products, from the latest cameras and printers to tripods, filters and flashes.

Graeme Chapman, Managing Director for the Polaroid Licence in Europe commented: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Polaroid website designed specifically for the UK. The website is an outlet for old and new fans of the original instant camera brand, and Polaroid.co.uk reaffirms that the iconic brand is very much back.”

‘Do Good, Get Good’.

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Coldplay and Noel Gallagher have already signed up to the new currency at www.bluedotworld.com, which gives fans access to live shows and exclusive material by artists, authors and movie stars in return for donations, volunteer work and media sharing.

Blue Dot is the new social currency given to people who do good things for their favourite charities by sharing on social media websites, volunteering and donating to any one of the 100k non-profit organisations globally. The idea also influences young people to get involved with charities, as a recent survey conducted by SAGA showed that people over the age of 75 are the most likely generation to give to charity… yet Blue Dot is hoping to overturn these figures by rewarding youngsters with amazing prizes for ‘doing good’.

Within moments of the site going live, Noel Gallagher offered last chance tickets to his debut UK dates exclusively to Blue Dot citizens. Within 48hrs, thousands of positive actions had been taken for causes, including cash donations to over 70 UK different charities. Coldplay also used Blue Dot in the UK and US, to offer the chance to see them live exclusively to fans of Blue Dot.

Blue Dot is rapidly claiming recognition and credibility… founder of Blue Dot, Chris Ward, filmed exclusive backstage footage for Blue Dot with artists at BBC’s Children in Need, including with Ed Sheeran, Rizzle Kicks, Coldplay, JLS, One Direction, Snow Patrol, The Saturdays, Elbow and James Morrison.

One Direction have commented: “We’re thrilled to be part of Blue Dot; It’s a brilliant concept and a great cause. We really hope that our exclusive dressing room acoustic performance of ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ encourages people to donate.”

Nichole Scherzinger, Professor Green, Katherine Jenkins, Rebecca Ferguson, Anton Du Beke and Joe McElderry are amongst others that have donated singed albums and tour tickets.

Blue Dot Founder, Chris Ward said: “I was previously Creative Director of the UK’s Comic Relief, where we work first hand with major stars and brands to create attention-grabbing moments that engage millions of people in volunteering and charitable giving.

I created Blue Dot, as a genuinely new & innovative way to enable every single Cause to create that same impact, every single day of the year.”

How To Not Get Ripped off By a Rogue Trader

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Half of UK Homeowners Have Been Ripped Off by Rogue Traders – Survey reveals

According to Checkatrade.com – the UK’s most trusted website for monitoring the reputation of tradespeople – half of homeowners in the UK have been ripped off by a rogue trader or cowboy builder, while one in seven has been targeted three or more times.

The survey, conducted amongst 2,000 UK homeowners, found that Londoners are most at risk, with 53 per cent having fallen victim to rogue traders. In Northern Ireland just 3 in 10 have suffered at the hands of cowboys.

Despite the perception that older people are more likely to be preyed on by unscrupulous traders, the research highlighted that younger people are almost twice as likely to be ripped off as the over 50s.

Two-thirds of 18-24 year olds have already been ripped off at least once and a quarter three or more times. Only a third of over 55s have been regularly targeted.

Commenting on the findings, Kevin Byrne, founder of Checkatrade, said: “This research highlights the sheer scale of the problem we face in ‘Rip Off Britain’.

“Rogue traders perform substandard work for financial gain, a disgraceful and often lethal practice that ruins properties and costs people thousands of pounds every year.

“It is important that we vet and monitor trades companies to protect homeowners and their families from cowboys.

“Checking up on someone is quick, easy and free. It is an essential precaution that helps avoid accidents, disruption and financial loss.”

Top Tips to avoid rogue traders

* Watch out for contractors who cold call or doorstep you – ask yourself why they need to.
* Make sure you have adequate contact details for your trader in case things go wrong. In addition to a mobile number you should be looking for a landline number, office address and trade association membership details.
* Reputation is everything. Try to use builders who have been recommended to you by people you trust. Take up references from other satisfied customers who have had similar work done and have a look online.
* Have a look at www.checkatrade.com for details of tradespeople who have been vetted to a high standard, and had their insurance, qualifications and professional memberships verified, with scores out of ten from customers.
* Take the time to properly brief tradesmen and put it in writing to avoid any confusion. Be as detailed as possible.
* Obtain quotes from at least three contractors and insist on a written quotation or estimate for the work. Keep them all on file in case of any disagreement.
* To avoid costs spiralling, try and get the job done on a fixed-price basis in case the work takes longer than expected.
* Delayed start dates or long drawn out works can have a major knock on effect on any other buildings works so agree a start date and estimated finish date. However, trades can be delayed by factors outside of their control.
* Avoid anyone who specifically asks for cash – it is illegal to ask for cash payments if the trader does not put it through the books and declare it as taxable income. Cash jobs may result in a receipt not being given, without a receipt you will have no come back if things go wrong.
* Be careful about requests for upfront payments – it may imply they have cashflow problems. In our experience traders who ask for upfront payments often do so because they cannot get credit at their local builders’ merchants, which may indicate they are not financially healthy.
* Once you agree terms and before work starts draw up a simple contract, including the work to be done, the price and the timeframe. Any reputable builder will be happy to sign it, you should sign it yourself and have it witnessed and signed by an independent third party.
* Once work has begun, regularly check that works are on schedule and keep talking your contractor to make sure things are on track.

Let Santa Know What You Are 'Whishin' For.

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A website which believes it has solved the annual problem of being given unwanted Christmas presents has launched in the run-up to this year’s festive season. The site launches on a day which has been dubbed ‘Mega Monday’, one of the busiest online shopping days of the year as shoppers receive their final pay packet before the festive season.

whishin.com, the brainchild of founder Charlie Rowan, will allow customers to create wish lists of gifts from across the web in one easy to use place, and share them with groups of family and friends, or even for people who think they deserve a bonus – their boss.

A simple downloadable tool which sits in the bookmark bar of a user’s internet browser makes it simple to save information, including the web-link and an image, about any item on any website. From there, customers can build lists and invite friends and family to share the details.

“We’ve finally put an end to the days of reindeer emblazoned jumpers,” said Rowan. “Now everyone in your family can have access to what you actually want this year. Christmas has always meant endless lists which either get lost or get you confused. With whishin there is no more forgetting where you saw that special gift, or cutting and pasting the web link and sending to loved ones. By using the whishin.com bookmarking tool you can now store all the details in one place at a touch of a button and share with friends and family to leave a few heavy hints! Children can even make a special list for Santa.”

The social aspect of whishin.com will see customers connect with friends and create lists or events together, as Rowan explained.

“Make a list of gifts you and your brother can buy your Dad; ask your sister’s advice about the earrings you like for your wife; or plan that short holiday with your mates over New Year. whishin.com allows you to do all this, to chat and comment on items, to make joint decisions or get opinions from the people you trust”.

The tool can be found at www.whishin.com. Go onto the website, sign up (it’s free) and download the whishin.com bookmarking tool by following three easy steps. Create your own list on the whishin website, and then start browsing and adding items.

Top Ten Christmas Computer Games

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HO-Ho-HO

Christmas is once again upon us and you know what that means: games; but not just any game, only the finest games will do. Only the finest games will still make it past the Boxing day and New Year trade ins. Only the finest games will be the ones that your special lad (or lass) will be talking about, showering you with praise and calling you erm, ‘Love muffin’ all night long.

So when you think about it, you need a Father Christmas like me. I am the fairy tale you can believe in. Follow my top ten and rest assured that although they will be some turkeys out there it all will end happily ever after, ignore it and trust me there will be a lot of booing and hissing and cries of ‘she’s behind you’…

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3

People have got all emotional over which is FPS (First Person Shooter) is better – Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 or Battlefield 3. To quote my special friend out there ‘Hell, why not have both?’. You know what – he is right. Modern Warfare 3 picks up in the explosive aftermath of Modern Warfare 2. With that naughty boy Makarov still at large, you must overcome tougher than tough odds as World War 3 erupts.  In Battlefield 3 you will experience intense fire fights thanks to the all new Frostbite 2.0 Engine. Buildings crumble as you use a variety of vehicles from planes to tanks that seem to do one thing – make the enemy explode. Both titles have great multi-player modes – although my personal favourite is Modern Warfare 3 both titles clock in at around 6 – 8 hours play. Which means you can easily fit them in – both before, and after your turkey coma.

FIFA 12

Having Christmas without football is like having corn flakes without the milk. Running on the all new Player Impact Engine, which incidentally sounds like a piece of PIE to me – FIFA 12 gets you ‘on the pitch’ closer than close to the football action. Of course there are Volleys, dribbles and passing, but thanks to the new Engine even the slightest knock by an opponent can send you tumbling to the ground if you’re off-balance.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Packing around a whopping 90 hours play – Elder Scrolls 5 is the reason why many gamers have just woke up from a gaming coma. Highly acclaimed, highly detailed. This game reinvents the whole the whole idea of what RPG’s should and could be capable of. Skyrim offers action, adventure, huge dragons, and lots of beheadings. There are over 150 dungeons to explore and loads of realms. In your adventure you will travel the countryside, become a blacksmith creating and forging your weapons, talk to people, shoot bows and arrows, and unleash different magic spells. The part that I loved the most was being able to play the entire game in the first person perspective.

Yes, there are faults with this title but not one games player I know would say they are big enough reasons not to get this game.

Batman: Arkham City

Say what you want about superhero games but keep the Dark Knight of Gotham out of it. Rebuilding a franchise in much the same way as Mr Nolan has rebuilt the film series, Batman: Arkham City is just sheer incredibility on a disc. The game mechanics put you firmly into the man of the Cape-and-Cowl and will have you gliding unseen into Arkham City; the new residence of Gotham’s criminally insane. With improved mechanics, free flow combat, and gadgets that would even make James Bond go green with envy the only let down is when the game keeps returning to the ‘Gargoyle’ routine seen in the previous game for taking down a room full of enemies. Other than that it has Cat-woman, Robin, and more than a few other surprises to keep you on the return factor.

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Nathan Drake is back and once again in hot water. You join him as he sets out in search of the “Atlantis of the Sands”.  Head to head against a shadowy group also in search of the lost city, Drake must confront some of his greatest fears as he starts unearthing truths about the lost City. One thing is apparent from the offset, and that is the game looks stunning. Naughty Dog has clearly eked out every last drop of processing power from the PS3 and harnessed it to unparalleled effect. There are some scenes that will make your jaw drop and even the multiplayer stages have multi-levels which is a first. This is one fantastic game to play – but in my opinion way too short on a single player. It is however still a masterpiece and should ride high on any shopping list.

Need for Speed: The Run

EA are certainly going all out to redefine their Need for Speed Franchise. The Run sees you step into Jack Rourke shoes, a character trapped inside a red Porsche Carrera about to be put on a serious diet inside a car compactor. The young man owes the Mob money and they want him dead. Thanks to a Heavy Rain-button press sequence, you are able to escape the crushing and flee. Later you are tempted by a friend into a race across America in the hope of winning a $25 million top prize and getting the Mafia off your back. What is great about The Run is the diversity of environments, taking you to the bright lights of the cities through to the sprawling open highways. The game is really well presented, with great attention to detail in the environments, the cop chases are also heart stopping. However racing is just racing at the end of the day and wont suit everyone.

Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Proving that there is truth in the saying that everything comes to those who wait. Skyward Sword is the game that Wii owners have been waiting for. Re-energising the entire Legend of Zelda franchise but also legitimising motion controls is no mean feat, but one that is accomplished easily here. Trading sliding block puzzles and fetch quests for full action and motion plus puzzles makes this game infinitely more playable and fun. Equally the graphics are beautifully shaded and easy on the eye. The game that the Wii has been waiting for.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

If most gamers are completely honest – Assassins Creed Brotherhood should never have been there – thankfully Revelations brings us right back on track with a quality game that brings a satisfactory conclusion to the Assassins Creed 2 Trilogy. You are Master assassin – Ezio Auditore, returning to walk the path of discovery and revelation as he journeys to Constantinople. But in the heart of the Ottoman Empire is a Templar Army that threatens to dislodge everything.  Aside from a few glitches, this Assassin’s Creed is near as good as it can get – for now.Constantinopleis possibly the best city so far and the few CGI moments are nothing short of stunning. There is a solid 20+ hour single player offering plus an augmented multiplayer mode that could last you for days.

Just Dance 3

Christmas isn’t just about playing games on your own – no way, this Christmas get the whole family together with a ‘dance off’ that pairs granny with uncle and if you really want to have fun breaking down barriers why not get the ‘in-laws’ together. Yes this is Just Dance, featuring over 40 tracks from a wide range of music genres and for the first time properly featuring vocals with lyrics displayed on the screen. As a game it is something you can’t really go wrong with – and don’t even pretend you weren’t thinking about getting it, I the look on your face when it came up in the advert break in TOWIE. Just  make sure you have the Mics and the Move controllers already in the house before you go out and buy.

Saints Row: The Third

Whereas Grand Theft Auto always took itself too seriously – Saints Row: The Third always stood back; tongue firmly in cheek. If you’re not too worried about the realism of a game and more about the fun factor – this is for you.  What other game has a special mode called “Whored Mode”, where you can be chased around by prostitutes in leather “geek suits” wielding long purple dildos?  Yes, it’s that kind of over the top fun that has been a staple of this entire series. Some would say that it is a true sand-box game in that you can do anything you wish, in many ways the most amount of fun that you can have in this game is when you do just that. Wreak havoc.

So there is my list – of course there are games that just missed the top ten; Goldeneye Reloaded, Mario and Sonic at the 2012 Olympic Games, Sonic Generations and of course Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom, ooh and Rayman – games that are all good in their own right.

I know what you are thinking – games aren’t cheap and its true – however take heart – prices are always changing as everyone feels the pinch and companies try to get one up on their competitors so my advice is get out there and check on-line (from reputable dealers) to see if you can save money. Zavvi for example has a Mega Monday where there is a price drop on most of their major titles, Play has a deal of the week, even Sainbury’s had a deal on Elder Scrolls 5 – knocking an amazing £5 of the asking price. So seek and you shall find.

Life of a Super Sports Blogger

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—Independent bloggers drive sports industry—Fortune 500 companies engage with the citizen journalists —

It’s the ultimate dream for many a football fan. Swapping the nine to five for a career spent posting on a blog about the sport you adore. No editorial limits, no suit, no boss. For Alan Spurgeon and his blog Footy-Boots.com, that dream is reality.

What started as a series of niche articles in 2006, Alan’s blog which focuses primarily on reviews of football apparel now reaches four million people worldwide, three hundred thousand of whom read his words on average every other day. It’s the sort of platform any of the major football brands would pay serious sums to control, but Footy-Boots.com remains independent, relying upon a small team of mostly volunteer staff and freely available publishing technology to engage the fans.

In a year which has seen every major sports brand jump on the social media bandwagon, Alan’s seen a shift in attitude when it comes to dealing with the marketing departments representing the kit he reviews—

“Our job is to review everything we can get hold of and when a product comes with an already established online fan-base that can explain the benefits in our terms, an invitation to meet the people who produce the product and a willingness to engage in feedback, there’s an obvious advantage. For years we struggled away ordering products as soon as we could get hold of them, crawling through the maze of PR departments to get comment or information and then taking the stuff to the field to run it through the paces before posting our opinion online. These days it’s a little different. Whilst we’re still just a couple of lads operating from their laptop, it’s not unusual for us to be invited to meet the people who produce the kit or to go down to the pitch to chat to the premiership players who are wearing it. The biggest names in the world like Nike, adidas and Puma have got used to the fact that if you want to sell your boots to a digital generation, it’s not just the print media and broadcasters you need to engage with celebrity endorsement, it’s the little guys like us. We need data and it’s in their interests to make sure we have it.”

Whilst the manufacturers are falling over themselves to accommodate the ‘super-bloggers’, some team brands have been better than others at adjusting to the social media era. Manchester United and Arsenal rule Facebook with 20million and 7million fans respectively. Arsenal in particular have embraced the digital revolution, recently hosting web chats for up to 2.5million international fans at a time. The players themselves are thrust into this world, somewhat dazed, to play their part. In May this year Rio Ferdinand posted on Twitter “Yesterday I’m signing a few autographs + a guy pulls out his phone + says ‘can you follow me’! A follow is the new autograph!”.

So what does it feel like being taken from your backroom office to the glorious highs of sports stardom? According to Alan, whose site is successful enough to “pay the bills”, some things will never change. “We are now considered de facto I guess in our niche, particularly for the Football Boot Awards we run every year where the public come to us to vote for the product of the year. That’s great and it’s astonishing of course to get to meet your heroes through your work as we have done when premiership players are lined up to take part in things like the awards sessions, but other things remain the same. We’ve not yet been able to get to some of the international product launches, not because of the cost, but because we’re a simple set up, a couple of guys and a few computers, we just wouldn’t be able to take the time for a long flight which would mean being offline for 9 or 12 or 24 hours. We miss out on that sort of stuff. We’re still geeks attached to our umbilical tech.” When asked if they would accept a private flight sponsored by a major sports brand, their reaction is typical of the new generation of citizen journalists— “No way, the fans of the blog would slaughter us. Our greatest asset is being unbiased. You can’t buy our opinion.”

Nobody at Footy-Boots.com has made a dot com million, but the site owners need an income. The key to success might be seen in the addition of sponsors and affiliates on the boy’s website which help to bring in stable financial support whilst they focus on reviewing kit and steering conversation in the forums. “We’re not salesmen, we never have been, never could be. We’re not good at going out there to find sponsors. I’m sure there are plenty of ways the site could make more money, but it’s never been about the money for us so we’re happy to just let a couple of sports shops link through the site as long as we get positive feedback about them. It’s a happy compromise between running a basic blog and being a commercial website.”

As someone who has tested every major boot released since 2006, Alan has a few pointers for those wanting to be on the Christmas list this year and next. “The best boot in the world is only good for one man. Reading our forums (especially the “ask geeks” channel), you know every player has their own strength, speed, accuracy, strength, ability and confidence to take risks on the pitch. No one cleat is going to fit them all. Just like social media has opened up a million different varieties of opinion, the manufacturers of the product are going to have to follow too. Bespoke might be the way to go. I’m sure the technology will exist to let players pick every aspect of their kit through an app very soon.” Which raises an interesting question- what will be the value of celebrity if and when every boot is customised not to the famous foot, but to every man or women on the pitch? There will be bigwigs in PR breathing a sigh of relief in some cases— we all know Football and Twitter don’t always a happy marriage make. Alan has a list of social media disasters on his site to tell that story.

So where next for Alan and his happy team of sports bloggers? “2011 was a great year, we saw some astonishing products hit the pitch and through our relationships with the brands, we felt like we were pretty much front row. We’ll continue to offer a space where your opinion matters and we’ll be bringing that to a climax with this year’s awards which launch online December 5th and we’re expecting tens of thousands of votes again.”

The one difference between this year and last for Footy-Boots.com, a 1765% rise in the number of visits originating from mobile phones. Let’s hope that Nike and co have their iPhone apps in order when voting kicks in.

How To Get Over A Break Up.

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SGPFew things in life are as hard as a break up. Having your heart broken is not for wimps. Yet everyone will go through it at some point. Being left by someone you love will leave you bereft but you will survive. Here is the Frost guide to healing as quickly as possible.

[Note: although this articles is about getting over a man, the same advice mostly applies to women too]

Give yourself time to mourn

Nothing stops the end from being so hard.

When something ends in your life, no matter what it is, it is going to hurt. The end of a relationship is the death of that relationship and you have to give yourself time to mourn.

However, only give yourself a few days, a week maximum to really mop. Sounds tough, but it’s the best way. After that, go out a lot, join some classes, talk to your friends, exercise, or even just spend an evening watching a good boxset or reading magazines. Treat yourself and be kind. You are fragile so treat yourself as well as possible.

Cut him off.

When someone hurts you, react. Forgiveness comes later. Keep your dignity at all times, but don’t let yourself be manipulated. There is a reason you broke up.

Delete him on Facebook, stop following him on Twitter. Delete his number, his email from your contact list, cut him off. If he doesn’t want you in his life, then he doesn’t get to have you as a friend. Don’t settle for second best. He will probably want to keep you around and have you as a ‘friends with benefits’ but you are worth more, don’t do it.

Remove him from your life with surgical precision. Sell everything he bought you on Ebay and use the proceeds to go on a holiday with your girlfriends. Get ride of every mementos. Change your surrounding as much as possible and have a clear out. All of this will help.

Some people think you can be friends with an ex. Maybe you can after a long period, But, I think, the only reasons two exes can be friends is if they still love each other, or if they never did.

Don’t just rebound with the next guy.

Having casual sex will just make you feel worse. Embrace the good things about being single, not the meat market aspect. You will be a different person from who went into the relationship. Give yourself some time to grow and settle into yourself.

Remind yourself what you didn’t like about him.

Write everything down. No one is perfect and there are things he done that drove you mad. Did he play computer games all day? Watch football? Whatever it is, that has also gone from your life too. Thumbs up.

Take responsibility

Take note of what you did wrong in the relationship, the mistakes you made. Learn from every bad experience. It takes two people to destroy a relationship. Your next relationship will be the better for it.

Enjoy being single.

Embrace all the great things about being single. Do all of the things that you love that he hated. Go out and flirt. Flirting is fun and there are a lot of amazing men out there. Go out and date. Enjoy yourself knowing you have no ball and chain.

Become an independent women who loves her life. Remember when Prince William dumped Kate Middleton? Kate shortened her hem lines, and went out with Williams friends looking absolutely stunning. No wonder he fell back in love with her.

[If you follow all of this advice and your ex comes crawling back, think hard before taking him back, all of the old problems will still be there. Don’t throw more good time after bad.]

Let go

Know that everything will get better and that time will heal. After removing him from your life and embracing your new one, let go. Nothing good comes from hanging onto the past. Go out and live your life, knowing that you are better off without him.

My final piece of advice is to not let a bad man ruin you for a good one in the future. There is a good man out there for you. If you become bitter, he wins. Always know that even in the darkest moments that there is a good man out there for you, and one day you will find him. Just keep searching and live your life.

New Ski Policies To Encourage Holiday Makers To Be Safe.

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UK INDUSTRY FIRST: ESSENTIAL TRAVEL DISCOUNTS SKI POLICIES TO ENCOURAGE HOLIDAY MAKERS TO SKI SAFE

15% discount for ski and snowboarders willing to wear helmets


EssentialTravel.co.uk is pioneering a new policy discount to encourage skiers and snowboarders to wear helmets on the slopes to launch as of 21 November 2011.

As part of its “Use Your Head” campaign EssentialTravel.co.uk will be working with mountain sports retailer Ellis Brigham and brain injury association Headway to educate skiers and snowboarders about the importance of head protection this season by offering a 15% discount to those willing to wear helmets.

EssentialTravel.co.uk is also offering a 10 per cent discount on helmets in store or online at Ellis Brigham to every customer who buys winter sports cover. These discounts were prompted after 75% of EssentialTravel.co.uk’s customer base admitting they would wear a helmet if a discount was levied against policies.

The leading travel insurance provider has also enhanced its winter policy this year to ensure better cover for ski equipment, piste closure and ski packs.

The Use Your Head campaign was originally launched last year after 40% of Essential Travel’s ski and snowboard customers said they would not be wearing a helmet despite 75% admitting to suffering an accident on the slopes that was serious enough to warrant medical assistance.

18.2% surveyed after the Use Your Head initiative last year said they wore helmets for the first time last year.

Stuart Bensusan from Essential Travel commented: “Following the initial success of our inaugural campaign last year we’ve decided to take serious action and lead from the front by being the first insurance specialist to offer discounts to skiers and snowboarders willing to wear helmets.

“An alarmingly high percentage of people are still intent on not wearing helmets and the reality is they save lives.

“Our survey showed over 65% of those individuals in a ski related accident believed that wearing a helmet lessened the severity of their injuries. We are urging skiers to recognise the importance of wearing a helmet for protection and to start placing the same value on helmets for winter sports as they would for cycling.”

Peter McCabe, Chief Executive of Headway, said: “We are delighted to see the number of skiers and snowboarders wearing helmets increasing year-on-year.

“Even a minor blow to the head can have major consequences, and even the most experienced of skiers are at risk of falling at some point during their holiday.

“By offering reduced premiums, EssentialTravel.co.uk is providing an incentive to its customers to wear a helmet, but the ultimate incentive should be protecting your delicate brain from injury.”

Mark Brigham, Founder of Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports says: “Ellis Brigham are delighted to be involved with the Use Your Head campaign for a second year. Helmets have become the norm on skiers large and small in recent year, they are now lighter, better ventilated and much more comfortable and we encourage their use.”

EssentialTravel.co.uk has launched a dedicated “Use Your Head” micro-site which features full details of the Ellis Brigham discount and Headway charity donation as well as snow injury facts and testimonies from customers who’ve been injured on the slopes.

For further information about Essential Travel visit www.essentialtravel.co.uk or call 0845 803 5434.