When you are ready to buy your first home, there is a lot to think about. One of the most important things is to fully understand what you are buying and what is involved.

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The main difference

In England and Wales, flats are commonly leasehold; therefore, if you are looking for a flat, you may not have much choice. There are also some houses that are leasehold, which is becoming more common with new-builds; however, the HomeOwners Alliance says that leasehold houses are unnecessary.

In essence, if you own a freehold property, you own it all – the land and the building – and you are responsible for everything. If you own a leasehold property, you pay fees in the form of ground rent and maintenance and service charges to the freeholder; in return, they are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the communal parts of the building. Your solicitor will be able to help you with this. Remember that cheap solicitors do not necessarily mean poor service, as they often have more modern processes.

Other restrictions

If you live in a leasehold property, you may not be able to keep pets or sublet. You may also need permission to do major internal works, so check the lease carefully before you buy. Again, find cheap solicitors to assist with this.

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You should check the length of the remaining lease before you buy. If you buy a property with less than 80 years remaining on the lease, it is harder to sell it on and the value of the property diminishes the shorter the lease. You may be able to negotiate with the freeholder to extend the lease; however, this can be expensive. Cheap solicitors can advise how you can keep your costs down.

Why buy leasehold?

If you are just starting on the property ladder, you will probably be looking for somewhere cheaper. This may well mean a flat, in which case you don’t have a great deal of choice. Leasehold properties are a good way to get started and you will become aware of the maintenance that is required for the property without the responsibility, so you can ease yourself into it.

Ultimately, it is your choice and your responsibility. Even with legal advice, make sure that you read the documents carefully.

When you think of marketing and advertising, you automatically think of a brand or a product that the billboard, advert or poster is trying to promote. But what happens when advertising evolves to the point that you no longer realise what you are reading or seeing is actually advertising a brand and its product?

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Currently, the UK Advertising Codes lay down the law about what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour for advertisers and media outlets, but companies are starting to realise that there are more subtle ways to connect with their audience.

Global Reach

With the explosion of social media and its global reach, brands have realised that there are better ways to promote their products. By connecting with the audience through either a likeable character or story, they can portray a way of life connected to their brand and its products rather than pushing individual items.

This theory is being transferred over into web design, with companies such as Drupal Design Agency  https://www.website-express.co.uk/service/drupal-design-development-agency taking on board these criteria, without ignoring the legal requirements.

Connect on a Different Level

Current regulations that affect all types of advertising include a requirement for accurate descriptions that are truthful and honest as well as being socially responsible. So how does the web design team adhere to these rules whilst incorporating the brand’s desire to connect with customers on a different level?

First, get to know the brand, and understand what it is they are trying to achieve. Ditch the spending on yet another campaign that is branded to within an inch of its life, and instead go back to basics. Pick out the things that make the product great, whether that’s its design, its durability or effectiveness.

Tell the customers why you had the desire to make this product, how it is better than anything else on the market, what it means to you and what it would mean to them if they were to part with their hard-earned cash. Connect with them on a personal level rather than ramming the brand down their throats through the advertising.

Branding should be subtle; it should mean something. If there were less brash branding and more quality products, items would sell themselves. And that means bigger profit margins.

What Is Contaminated Land Remediation?

According to the UK government, any failure to deal with contaminated land could cause ‘harm to human health, property and the wider environment’, and failure to adequately deal with it could go against specific environmental laws such as the Water Environment Regulations of 2017.

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Contaminated land remediation involves the assessment and clean-up of any land which is deemed an “unacceptable risk to human health or the environment”, according to part 2 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The UK government have issued guidelines on how this should be dealt with via their statutory guidance.

Legislative Requirements

Land remediation is a complex process with certain processes and procedures needing to be followed if one is to avoid harm to both human health and the local environment.

Such measures include complying with the legislative requirements for how to deal with contaminated land.

There are also rules surrounding those who intend to dispose of the waste, as they are also required to have a waste management license or permit. Other more hazardous waste materials are also subject to more stringent controls, such as the Special Waste Regulations of 1996. There are then separate guidelines on how to deal with waste soils, which could contain seeds or extracts from other contaminated sources and could be hazardous to both human health and the wider environment.

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There are also strict guidelines from the UK Environment Agency, and workers are required to complete a ‘land and groundwater remediation deployment form’ (MPP2) prior to any work taking place.

The forms are incredibly thorough and require a level of expertise for completion. They require:

An EPR permit number
A grid reference of where the site remediation work is to take place
A detailed site plan for the work
Business and contact details for both the business and main contact of the contractors
A breakdown of the contaminants with security information about the site
Potential risks in relation to the work being carried out

It is therefore essential that anyone carrying out this work is firstly licensed to do so and secondly an expert in the field. It is also essential that all of the above factors are taken into consideration during the designing and planning phase and that any unanswered questions be addressed.

Who doesn’t love going to a theme park? You may be a fan of fast Roller Coasters, or maybe you prefer the slower and steadier rides; whatever type of roller coaster takes your fancy, there will definitely be a ride for you at one these theme parks. So here we take a look at the top theme parks in the UK.

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Alton Towers

Although Alton Towers has not been short of a scandall or two over the last few years, it still continues to be one of England’s top theme parks. It’s top roller coasters include ‘Oblivion’, ‘Th13teen’, and ‘Nemesis’ – so make sure to add these to your bucket list. They host fun events such as Scarefest, children’s summer attractions, and sometimes they even hire actors that will interact with you throughout the park. Alton Towers also has a range of hotels on their site, so why not make your trip a mini holiday? 

Thorpe Park 

Thorpe Park is not for the faint-hearted as there are a fair share of scary rides that will be sure to increase your heart rate; their best rides include ‘Saw – the ride’, ‘Stealth’, ‘Nemesis Inferno’ (as seen on the Inbetweeners), and ‘Derren Brown’s – Ghost Train’. Don’t worry about your children feeling bored though, as there are plenty of kid’s rides to keep your little ones happy. Thorpe Park even has special events throughout the year, such as ‘Fright Nights’. 

Drayton Manor 

Drayton Manor Park and Zoo is much more family-friendly, and has a bigger variety of rides for children – they even have a Thomas the Tank Engine Land for the little ones. Compared to Alton Towers and Thorpe Park, their rides are less intense and more fun orientated; don’t be fooled though, as they still have plenty of fast roller coasters such as ‘Shockwave’, ‘Storm Force 10’, ‘The Buffalo Roller Coaster’, and of course ‘Apocalypse’ – a ride that takes you up to 54 meters in the air, and then drops you to the ground.

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Oakwood 

Based in South Wales, this theme park has a fair share of amazing rides such as ‘Megafobia’, ‘Speed’, ‘Bounce’, and ‘Drenched’ – a water roller coaster that will leave you literally… drenched. Oakwood is also a more family orientated theme park which includes a wide range of rides for adults and children to enjoy. 

Adventure Wonderland 

This theme park is solely family orientated, and there are lots of attractions and mini rides for the children to enjoy. Based in Bournemouth, this theme park is also a close distance to Dorset, and Weymouth. Some of their attractions include ‘Wild Bill’s Runaway Train’, ‘Giant Yo-Yo ride’, ‘Ghostly Galleon’, and ‘The Flying Elephants’. If you’re interested in having a school trip at this theme park, why not get in touch with https://turnerscoaches.co.uk/, a Coach Hire Dorset based company that will safely transport you and your class to your favourite attractions on time.

1) Start Planning Early

Make sure you start planning about three months before the launch. There will always be delays and obstacles when it comes to planning, but giving yourself enough time will allow you to iron these out, and it won’t cause you any last-minute headaches. Don’t leave it until the last minute to get started, as this will make you panic, and you will be more likely to make mistakes.

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2) Define Your Goals

This is important because it allows you to think about what you really want to achieve. There is a lot to do, and it will be impossible to do everything you want to, so it will be necessary for you to prioritise and hit those goals first. For advice on achieving this, visit https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm.

3) Define Your Market

Who are you aiming your product at? Creating a buyer profile will help you work out how your target market thinks and feels and, more importantly, what will motivate them to buy your products. Get this nailed and it will make the sales process that much simpler.

4) Influencers

Social media influencers are as important as taking out adverts in the mass media, and it can work out a lot cheaper for you too. People buy from people, so find the social influencers who match your target market and they will do a lot of the advertising work for you. Many event management companies Dublin can assist with this.

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5) Choose the Right Venue

Choose a venue that is easy for your target audience to get to. Transport links are important. Think about the theme of your product and decide where you need to launch it. Event management companies Dublin put a lot of time and effort into deciding where to go. Do you need modern and funky or classic and traditional? Good event management companies Dublin can give you some great launch venue ideas.

6) Follow Up

Make sure that you follow your target audience up after the event. Do not see the event as an end but rather as a beginning. Make some calls to your target audience over the days following the launch and you could increase sales greatly. To gather more momentum, it is worth considering an additional incentive at this point.

Good luck with your launch.

Sometimes in life, you can really build a connection with someone, they don’t even have to be family. Being close to someone you’re not related to can be an incredible feeling, and just being able to laugh with them is the best. This definitely applies to comedy and television duos. Here we will take a look at our favourite television and comedy double acts of all time.

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Ant and Dec 

Ant and Dec first graced our TV screens in 1989 on Byker Grove. They quickly became the best of friends, and soon progressed to taking up other opportunities such as singing – Here they became ‘PJ and Duncan’. Their most well-known hit was ‘Let’s get ready to Rumble’, which was nominated at the Brit Awards. During their music career, they had released three studio albums and 16 singles. Today we know them best as television presenters, in which they have hosted Britain’s Got Talent, Ant and Dec Saturday Night Takeaway, and I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here. Ant and Dec have even won ‘Best Presenter’ at the National TV Awards for 19 years in a row. If you want to see Ant and Dec on your TV screen, make sure that your aerial is in full working order, why not get in touch with a Cheltenham Aerial Installation based company, or one nearer to you. Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway is back on our screens early this year, so don’t miss out on seeing your favourite double act. 

The Two Ronnies 

The Two Ronnies were one of the most famous British comedy duos of all time. Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett met in 1963 at the Buckstone Club in London, and since then their friendship had grown, along with their genius comedy sketches. Their comedic timing and hilarious scripts really set them apart from other comedy duos, which made them very popular with the British public. Their most notable comedy sketches were ‘The Phantom Raspberry Blower’, and of course –  ‘Fork Handles’. Ronnie Barker sadly passed away in 2005, with Ronnie Corbett’s death following in 2016; their comedy presence is very much still alive though.

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The Chuckle Brothers

The Chuckle Brothers were one of the most popular children’s double acts of all time, and their career lasted for over 30 years. One of their first TV shows was ‘To Me, To you’ on the Children’s television programme, ‘The Chuckle Hounds’, and then later, came a show called ‘Chucklevision’, which aired on ‘CBBC’. The Chuckle Brothers; Barry David Elliott and Paul Harman Elliott were well known for their silly antics, and getting themselves into awkward predicaments on their show. Sadly Barry Elliott passed away in 2018 due to poor health. 

Morecambe and wise 

This comedy duo consisted of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise; Morecambe and Wise first met in 1940, in which they started off as friends, and then became a comedy duo (at the suggestion of Eric’s mother). They began the Morecambe and wise show in 1978. This comedy duo worked together for 43 years but ended when Eric Morecambe passed away in 1984 due to a heart attack. Ernie Wise sadly died in 1999 from heart failure and a chest infection. Fans continue to keep their spirit alive though, as their comedy shows continue to be enjoyed by many generations.

How much do human teeth differ from the teeth of animals? Humans, as a species, has only one type of teeth but these vary significantly among animals. Mammals, including humans, are vertebrates and have skin and hair. They are warm-blooded and feed their children from their mother’s milk. Birds are also warm-blooded but with feathers instead of fur and laying eggs instead of live births. Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrates, but they have scales or plates and lay eggs like a bird. Fish have fins and gills instead of lungs and lay eggs. Now we have a glimpse of various types of animals, let’s see how different their teeth can be.

Carnivores eat meat with the need to hunt and kill to survive, because of this, their teeth will all be very sharp. The front teeth have a duty to bite and hold prey and long canine teeth are for tearing flesh. Sharp molars are also used to slice as opposed to chew because they swallow whole chunks.

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Herbivores eat only plants and they are physically unable to digest meat. It requires a lot of plant material to create energy and that is why herbivores tend to graze continuously. Herbivores have more teeth than humans as they need lots of flat grinding teeth. They do not need sharp teeth, just munchers to effectively wear down the branches, leaves and grass.

Humans fall into the category of omnivore, meaning we eat plants and meat. Usually, we cannot eat grass or leaves, but we are able to digest fruits and vegetables. Therefore, we hold a combination of teeth for biting and grinding, sharp in the front and flatter molars at the rear corners. Look after your teeth with a Cardiff Orthodontist at a site like https://cathedraldentalclinic.com/orthodontics-cardiff/

There are other omnivores in the animal kingdom, but this does not mean that their gnashers look anything like ours! What are the other differences?

Humans have 32 teeth but horses can have up to 44 and dolphins may have 250! A snail can have more than 25,000! Imagine how long it takes to brush all those.

We get two sets of teeth in our lives, but dolphins only get one. Shark teeth can regenerate constantly whenever they lose one. Humans really just need their teeth for eating but some animals also have to rely on them for protection and survival, hunting and self-defence.

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Dogs have more teeth than we do and lucky for them, they almost never get cavities because of the high pH of their saliva that prevents the build-up of plaque.

Some mammals have no teeth at all. Blue whales are the largest mammals on the planet, but because they only eat small plankton, they do no chewing. Other large mammals like elephants, have teeth that can weigh up10lbs. Elephants will lose their molar teeth about once every decade, but a new set then grows in.

Prehistoric T-Rex had more than 60 large, bone-crushing teeth, each of up to 9 inches in length and a jaw that measured 4 feet long. Now that’s a scary thought!

Tenants and landlords alike should be aware of the Deposit Protection Scheme, introduced by the government to make agreements concerning deposits fairer.

Congratulations! You’ve bagged a first date with someone you think you might like, and you are really looking forward to it. The only question in your mind now is what to wear. Should you dress down in your jeans, or should you wear your favourite dress? It depends of course where you are going on your first date – if you are visiting somewhere casual like the zoo, day clothing is essential, but if you are going to a fancy restaurant that offers the Best pizza in dublin, you may want to opt for more fancy wear.