The cost of taking children out of school during term time is rising, as UK councils continue to crack down on unauthorised absences. With fines starting at £60 per child, per parent, and doubling to £120 if unpaid within 21 days, families are being forced to think twice before booking a cheaper holiday outside of peak season.

More and more families are now facing having to pay “the most hated tax around”, an expert has warned. Steve Bish, of S Bish Estate Planning, warned rising numbers of people are contacting him after finding they’ve been unexpectedly impacted.

County Durham’s Raby Castle, Park and Gardens has created a new exhibition for 2025 celebrating the history and transformation of its historic five-acre Walled Gardens. The exhibition ‘The Story of Raby’s Walled Gardens’ takes its name from a quote from the 4th Duchess of Cleveland in 1870, who adored the historic gardens.

From Tuesday 1 April, Treasurer’s House, a gentlemanly townhouse tucked behind York Minster will reopen its doors for the public to enjoy. Treasurer’s House is one of York’s hidden gems. Built on the site of the former Treasury to York Minster, the late 16th century townhouse holds stories from the history of York, spanning over 2,000 years.

Newby Hall and Gardens is launching its 2025 season with a special Mother’s Day event in its Grade II listed Orangery. The stately home will open to the public on Saturday 29 March followed by its Mother’s Day afternoon tea on Sunday 30 March. Visitors will be treated to a stroll around its stunning gardens followed by 'scrumptious' sandwiches and scones.

Over the course of two exhilarating days, Hull has been buzzing with the creative and scientific curiosity of 800 primary school children and young people who participated in the city's new look Science and Arts Festival, Colliderfest.

Yorkshire children’s cancer charity Candlelighters is raising a toast to their Philanthropy Manager, Chris Salt, who has received the Yorkshire Fundraiser of the Year award from the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. The award is recognised as a top accolade for the work done in the fundraising sector. Chris says: “It’s a real honour to be recognised for my work at Candlelighters.

Charity looks forward to welcoming new supporters to Russell House following the outpouring of support in response to its urgent appeal.

Discover the 7 Hidden Leprechauns to See If You're the Luckiest Person This St. Patrick's Day! This St. Patrick's Day, Kitty Bingo is excited to present a fun and challenging brain teaser designed to test your cognitive skills while celebrating the holiday with some Irish luck.

Forward Leeds is launching Nicked, a game designed to help young people identify the risks associated with child criminal exploitation and county lines grooming. The city’s alcohol and drug service is launching the game on 18 March 2025 which is National Child Exploitation Awareness Day.

Yorkshire charity Martin House Children’s Hospice has announced the completion of phase one of its £21.9m transformation project – THE BUILD.

Windmills and watermills are some of our landscape’s best-loved structures. National Mills Weekend is an annual celebration promoted by the Mills Section of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). Across the country, hundreds of mills – including some not normally open to the public – will be taking part and welcoming visitors.

People in Sheffield are now being asked to help choose a name for the newborn llama, also known as a cria. The three-week-old was born at Graves Park Animal Farm at the end of January to mum, Nancy, and joins two siblings called Lettuce and Humus. This is a very exciting time at the Animal Farm for the farmers, who simply adore the start of spring and new life on the farm.

Medical students at the University of Sunderland are using drama and performance art as a training tool to help them tackle challenging situations in preparation for their lives as doctors.

On Saturday 14th June, Forget Me Not’s Colour Run is back at Greenhead Park in Huddersfield. Great fun for all the family, up to 1000 participants will take on an easy 3km or 5km walk, jog or run through all the colours of the rainbow! Georgia Lane, fundraising manager at Forget Me Not, said: “Firmly established in Huddersfield’s event calendar, this will be our 8th Colour Run!

Children with Cancer UK, the childhood cancer charity, is set to open a new holiday retreat in North Yorkshire for families affected by the devastating disease . Raines Retreat will be the UK's first holiday let designed solely for children affected by cancer and their families.

Since the introduction of the new ‘no fault’ divorce process in April 2022 an increasing number of people in the UK are attempting to navigate their divorce proceedings without seeking legal advice. However, whilst the process of actually getting divorced has been simplified, the business of resolving financial claims between spouses has not.

With the first half term of the year just around the corner, The Bowes Museum has a vibrant programme planned between Saturday, 22 February – Sunday, 2 March 2025, consisting of exciting new activities, and some familiar favourites. With nature, sustainability and innovation at the heart of this year’s programme, the museum celebrates 200 years of its inspiring co-founder Joséphine Bowes.

Martin House Children’s Hospice has achieved recognition for its outstanding fundraising efforts, after securing two major accolades at the Chartered Institute of Fundraising Yorkshire Fundraising Awards.

Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool is opening Nickelodeon Land early this year in time for February half term – and it’s one of the first theme parks in the country to do so.

For parents seeking a stress-free half-term escape, the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR) offers a fine family day out. Running daily from 15th to 23rd February, this much-loved heritage railway promises a magical journey through Yorkshire’s stunning countryside, with steam and diesel trains operating along the five-mile route between Keighley and Oxenhope.

The team at Jones Myers Harrogate town centre office is celebrating the promotion of Brittany Dyer who has qualified as a family lawyer with the multi-award winning firm. Since 2023, Brittany has worked as a paralegal in the practice’s internationally renowned Children’s Team whose extensive expertise across private and public children law jointly combines over 16 decades.

One in two cite the high cost of driving lessons was the reason behind them teaching a family member to drive. Three in 10 motorists turned to a parent or other relative to give them lessons or driving practice before they passed their test. The Green Insurer’s short-term Learner Driver insurance protects the car owner’s No Claims Discount while the learner practises driving. The Green Insurer offsets all miles driven by the learner driver and can provide green driving scores to their driving instructor to help refine driving practice

Visitors to Raby Castle, Park and Gardens’ New Year’s Day charity walk have helped to raise funds to support the work of a local charity. Following the popular charity walk through Raby’s picturesque Deer Park earlier this year, over £2,200 has been donated to the Great North Air Ambulance Service which provides lifesaving and critical care services across the North of England.

Candlelighters, the children’s cancer charity, is marking World Cancer Day on February 4th by recognising the first year’s work of the Candlelighters Supportive Care Research Centre (CSCRC), at The University of York. Supportive care is an emerging area of research which looks at improving the care surrounding cancer treatment, rather than finding cures.

Our wellbeing expert has offered her advice on how to best talk to young people about mental health.

This month has seen the introduction of VAT on school fees, which has had serious implications for both fee payers and the schools themselves.