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A Royal Day out: Ascot Races

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently returned from my very first Royal Ascot experience and I’m delighted to be sharing this with you all; I had a truly fantastic time and the atmosphere was incredible. Unfortunately my bets didn’t pay off so I didn’t win any mega bucks, but the day was brilliant none the less! So without further ado here is my Amazing Ascot round up…

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We travelled to Ascot as part of a coach trip group leaving from a local Burford pub, The Mermaid, located on the busy high street. I went with my mum, sisters, cousin and aunty and my cousin’s fiancé’s family actually own The Mermaid and they all came with us as well. There was a large group going from the pub and the coach was full so there was a brilliant party atmosphere on board!

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The journey took around an hour and a half and we stopped at a lovely village pub (The George on the Green, nr Maidenhead) on the way for a quick drink before heading towards Ascot. Our ticket price of £45pp included transport there and back, a champagne breakfast and access to The Silver Ring Enclosure at Ascot.

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Upon arrival at The Silver Ring Enclosure we split up in to our separate groups and enjoyed the day with our families. The enclosure is huge and the dress code is much more relaxed than the Grandstand and Royal Enclosures which require you to look very formal and to wear a certain attire. I chose to wear a coral coloured shift dress with matching clutch bag and comfy tan wedged heels. My dress was a bargain from Quiz clothing and I didn’t want to take it off I loved it that much! I would have liked to have worn a fascinator if we weren’t in the Silver Ring, but it wasn’t compulsory and not many other people wore one so I went without!

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The day doesn’t officially start until Her Royal Highness the Queen arrives in the Royal Procession which takes place each day at 2pm. We got a great spot on the sidelines so we could watch the carriages ride past and I got some lovely photos of the Royal family. I’d never seen the Queen before so it was super exciting!

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We placed our bets for the first race and watched the horses gallop past, they were so close we could feel the ground move and it was such a great experience. We moved around the enclosure for the other races that took part throughout the day so we could see the track from different areas. There were tonnes of betting stands dotted around so you could get the best odds on offer. Many race goers took picnics and drinks with them but, if you’re like us and hate carrying things, there’s plenty of food stalls and bars offering a range of products.. just be prepared to pay a bit more than average as it is Ascot after all!

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There are six races in total on each day of Ascot and famous jockeys from all over the world take part and compete for first place. We witnessed horse racing history as we saw the legendary Frankie Dettori win his 50th Ascot race with his horse Osalia. He was congratulated by the Royal family and cheered loudly by the enormous crowds. The racecourse was packed full of around 40,000 people on the day that we went and the atmosphere was electric!

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With a 300 year history, Ascot is a five day long world famous extravaganza best known for its sporting, social and fashion highlights. We had a truly amazing experience and I’d urge everyone to go at least once in their lives as its definitely something to tick off the bucket list! As their strapline says.. Ascot really is Like Nowhere Else..

image Image courtesy of www.essexlifemag.co.uk

Have you ever been to Ascot or are you wanting to go next year? If you’ve been to the races before please comment and show me your best outfits I’d love to see them!

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Love Jess x

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Clothes show live: Birmingham NEC Arena

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Hey everyone,

On Friday 5th December I attended the annual Clothes Show Live at Birmingham’s NEC Arena for the first time. I’ve wanted to go to the clothes show for as long as I can remember, so when my friend sent me a link to some cut price tickets on Groupon I just couldn’t say no!

We had tickets to the event for the afternoon slot between 1pm and 6pm which worked perfectly for us as it gave us time to travel up in the morning . Parking at the NEC is great; it costs £10 for the day and there are complimentary shuttle buses to and from the arena.

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On arrival we headed straight to the main event and checked out all the boutique stores in the hair and beauty section. There were so many stalls offering big brand products  including Rimmel, Barry M and Carmex at discounted prices with lots of demo’s being carried out for free if you fancied a mini makeover. I bought lots of the products that were tried out on me but that was purely because I liked them and not because I felt pressured into buying.

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Next up we headed to the clothes stalls where we found loads of bargains including Lipsy dresses for £10 and Topshop heels for the same price! I didn’t realise how discounted the items were and I ended up spending more than I thought I would but I did get my money’s worth! There were also a host of boutique stalls from celebrity owners such as Millie Mckintosh, Amy Childs and the Kardashian sisters.

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Throughout the arena there were celebs from The Only Way is Essex and Made in Chelsea posing for photos and autographs as well as various calendar signings. Peter Andre was there and I had the pleasure of meeting the cutie pie that is Joey Essex and I have to say he was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met! He’s so funny and down to earth and was really lovely, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting him and my little sister loved her signed calendar.. Thanks Joey!

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Our tickets allowed entry to the Alcatel Catwalk Show which featured a professional show with models and dancers along with special guests and was presented by famous fashion designer Henry Holland. Girl band Neon Jungle opened the show and Henry was joined on stage by Joey Essex before the catwalk began . There was nine different scene changes with dances to well known soundtracks and the models showcased the latest fashion products from big name designers.

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We had a brilliant day at Clothes Show Live and I can’t wait to return next year, I’m booking my tickets as soon as possible!

My next post is a local hotel review so that will be coming up shortly, and I still have my interview with the lovely Char from Taylor Hearts Travel to publish so it’s going to be a busy few days for me! Watch this space!

Love Jess x