Bright colours and wonderfully soft plush fur make Bella and Bruno adorable companions for young tots. They're sure to become best friends for five lucky winners this Christmas! Which is your favourite?

Enter via our Facebook page. For full T&C's please visit our competitions page. Competition will run until midnight and a winner will be announced at 9 am tomorrow morning.

We were a proud team this morning as the results of the 2014 Slow Toy Awards were officially announced at the John Lewis Oxford Street store in London!

Bigjigs Toys are excited to reveal their Top 10 Toys for Christmas 2014, including both new and established best-selling products from across several ranges.

Today marks the start of the Bigjigs Road Safety Week 2014! We're getting involved with raising children's awareness of risks on roads with a competition to WIN a fabulous Bigjigs Roadway prize! For a chance to win over £40 worth of Bigjigs Roadway toys, simply send us a photo of a roadway set you've designed that promotes road safety. The design might include safety features such as signs, crossings or perhaps people wearing brightly coloured clothes - extra marks for homemade accessories! Your roadway set can be made from roadway track or simply be a picture, colouring or other display of a road system that includes safety features. At the end of the Bigjigs Road Safety Week our panel of Bigjigs judges will choose their favourite design as the winner and one other as a runner up. The builder of the winning design will receive some snazzy Road Safety stickers, a certificate and the following fantastic Bigjigs Roadway/Rail accessories: - Bigjigs Zebra Crossing Set - Bigjigs Signs Pack - Bigjigs Vehicle Pack The runner up design will receive a Bigjigs Rail Level Crossing and Bigjigs Signs Pack as well as some stickers and a certificate. To enter please post your picture/s to our Facebook page, Twitter page or submit it by email to bigjigsrail@bigjigstoys.com Closing date for entries is Thursday 30th October at 11.59pm. The winner and runner up will be announced on our Bigjigs Rail Facebook page on the 31st October. Please refer to our Competitions page for full Terms & Conditions. We're holding our Road Safety Week in October but to find out more about the November campaign coordinated by Brake click here

Have you recently purchased a Bigjigs Toys product or been given one as a gift? What do you think of it? We'd love to hear your thoughts (good or bad!) so post a review on the product's page and be entered into our monthly draw to win a Bigjigs Toys £20 voucher. This competition applies to any product offered on our website www.bigjigstoys.co.uk including Green Toys, Twigz and our other distributor brands. Find out the monthly winner by visiting our Bigjigs Toys Facebook page.

Summer might be over, but Don't let it stop you getting out in the garden with the kids. Planting bulbs is a brilliant autumn activity for little-ones. Even young toddlers can handle them easily, and they're practically fail-safe. If you want a pretty spring display without spending a small fortune, plant them in pots rather than direct into the ground. You can make a bigger impact with fewer bulbs this way. And pots of compost are easier and more fun for children to deal with than digging in heavy soil. There aren't many rules when it comes to bulbs. Some people are very precise about how deep to plant them and how far apart they should be. But the only important thing to remember is to plant them pointy-side-up. I shouldn't think it matters much if one or two go in pointy-side-down though. It might take the shoots a little longer to work out which way is up, but they'd probably get there in the end. Anyway, it's better to have a few upside down bulbs than to micromanage your young gardener, or redo all their work. A few tips: If bulbs get too wet for too long they can rot. But you can put something in the bottom of your pot to improve the drainage. A bit of gravel or a few pebbles would do the trick, and I've never met a small child who didn't like picking up stones. Some bulbs can irritate the skin, so it's best to wear gloves when planting them. Kiddie gardening gloves are great, but if your child has very small hands they might be a bit cumbersome. When my daughter was really little she got on much better with magic gloves; in their un-stretched state they're just right for teeny-tiny fingers. Try to cram as many bulbs in as possible. It will look much more impressive once they flower and as long as they aren't touching each other they'll be fine. Planting them in layers with 1 or 2cm of compost between each level can work well. Bulbs are the ultimate in low maintenance gardening. Once planted, leave them somewhere outside and give them an occasional drink if they get dry. If there are lots of squirrels in your area, it's a good idea to cover them until the shoots have appeared. Otherwise you might find they've been dug up and stashed away in a random corner. Most garden centres and home ware stores will be stocking bulbs throughout the autumn so grab a few daffodils, tulips or hyacinths and get growing! Recently nominated for 'Best New Blog' in the MADS awards 2014, Mary and her family are set to embark on a journey in the garden, covering a number of subject areas including hints and tips on growing flowers and vegetables, suggestions for small gardens, and advice-led ideas for involving children in the garden using Twigz Gardening Tools. You can find out more about Mary and her garden at www.brookendcottagegarden.com.

We are absolutely delighted to announce that three of our products have been voted by retailers as award winners in the 2014 Independent Toy Awards. The Bigjigs Toys Fire Station & Engine Playset, Around the World Train Set and Multi Layer Pirate Puzzle scooped gold, silver and bronze medals respectively in these highly acclaimed annual awards. Over 350 of the nation's best independent toy retailers voted for their favourite products and we're thrilled that we were recognised as having a stand-out product in both the Wooden and Jigsaw Puzzles categories. Award organisers, Toy Shop UK, have created a uniquely impartial awards process whereby the 1000+ retailers that list their businesses on the directory, are invited to vote what they think are the best toys in each category. As a result, winners are 'revealed' rather than 'selected' as votes flood in. Toy Shop UK founder, Michael Hawkins, commented: "This year's list of winning toys features a truly diverse mix of products which I think perfectly reflects the life, character, and occasionally eclectic nature of the independent toy retailers that bring so much to this industry. A full list of the gold, silver and bronze winning products can be seen at www.toyshopuk.co.uk/ita/.

When we heard the news that Berlin-based Michael Sailstorfer had hidden 24-carat gold bars on a beach in our very own hometown, we thought we'd better get some digging power down to the dig site!

30 gold bars, worth £10,000, have been buried in the Outer Harbour Beach as part of Folkestone's Triennial arts festival, which runs from 30 August to 2 November this year. Sailstorfer and organisers from Bristol-based arts producers, Situations, hope that visitors will create modern art pieces as they pile up the sand whilst attempting to unearth the hidden bullion. 'Folkestone Digs', as the site has been named, aims to change the perception of what makes public art.

Claire Doherty, Director at Situations commented: "So often public art funding is spent on a sculpture or a bauble on a roundabout and part of what we do is to say, actually sometimes a temporary project can have as much impact in the collective memory as something that has been there a long time.

Art helps you explore places and I think what the artist wanted was exactly what you see here today - people away from their iPads and computer screens, alive with imagination and excitement.

After the news of the hidden treasure reached Bigjigs HQ, we immediately deployed our finest Bigjigs excavation vehicles to assist with the gold digging. Unbeknownst to the skillful collection of vehicle drivers, a gang of cheeky pirates aboard the new Pirate Mini Playset landed their vessel on the beach and began a rival search.

We knew these swash buckling critters would stop at nothing to fill their treasure chest and immediately sent backup in the form of the Big Crane Construction crew. Manned with a crane, roller, trucks and diggers, as well as a supportive crowd of onlookers, they're sure to provide valuable support.

The news of the gold digging even reached the ears of Green Toys pilot, Mr B Ear, who offered support from the sky in his state of the art eco-friendly Seacopter. He hopes that by flying over the area he will be able to spot marks in the sand where the gold bars may be submerged.

Meanwhile the team at Bigjigs HQ wait anxiously to see which side will be the first to strike gold! In can only be a matter of time...

With their colourful wings and random flightiness it's easy to see why butterflies are so popular with children. Many species have declined over the past ten years due to loss of habitat. But the good news is that even the littlest gardeners can play an active role in their conservation. Keeping plants well-watered is the key to ensuring they produce plenty of nectar, and dead-heading (removing dead flowers) will prolong the flowering season. So set the kids up with mini-watering cans and child-friendly scissors at the ready Teeny, tiny gardens Potted plants on sunny windowsills and doorsteps can create a flowery tapas bar for butterflies and other nectar-loving insects. Lavender is a good choice, flowering early and lasting until the first frosts. It's also very forgiving if you forget to water it for a few days. Alyssum, lobelia and heliotrope (cherry pie plant) are all happy enough in pots and provide cheap-and-cheerful butterfly fodder all summer long. Keep the pots close together so they can flit between them easily. Medium gardens Buddleia... or 'butterfly bush'...is the first plant most people associate with our fluttery friends. It fills the air with a honeyed scent, and it's a sure-fire way to tempt lots of butterflies. Some gardeners dislike this shrub because of its untidiness, rapid growth and ability to self-seed in the most inconvenient places. But Don't let that put you off give it a hefty prune early spring and remove the seed heads after flowering to avoid unleashing a plague of buddleia on the neighbourhood's gardens. Butterfly Conservation has a list of 100 nectar-rich plants, many of which can easily be grown from seed by children. Candytuft, verbena bonariensis, cornflower and coneflower are all wonderful, and the family section of the RHS website has easy-to-follow growing instructions for them. Large gardens If you have a big garden, turning a section of it over to meadow will cater for caterpillars and butterflies throughout their lifecycle. Lots of caterpillars eat grasses and nettles, so letting a hidden corner run wild will be really beneficial. Big Butterfly Count If you're looking for a quick and easy garden activity for the kids over the holidays, why not take part in Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count? Spend 15 minutes in one spot, count how many butterflies you see and submit your sightings online. It's running until 10 August - you can find out more and download a butterfly ID chart here. You can find out more about Mary and her garden at www.brookendcottagegarden.com. Subscribe to our blog to keep up to date with Mary's advice/tips and know how.

Planting can make a brilliant party activity if your little-one has a summer birthday. Turn the kids out into the garden with some pots and compost, give them a quick demo and leave them to get on with it. At this time of year, you can often pick up cheap-and-cheerful late season bedding plants from nurseries and garden centres. They may be a bit leggy, but they'll be in full flower and even clumsy planting will result in an impressive display. Planted pots are a great party bag substitute, so you won't need to bother with all that plastic tat. Get some labels to avoid arguments and tears over which gardening creation belongs to which child at going-home time. If you throw in a few coloured pens and stickers, you might even get away with label and pot decorating as a warm-up activity before the planting starts. It's probably a good idea to provide a couple of pairs of kid-sized gardening gloves in case any of them Don't like getting dirty. And make sure they all wash their hands, especially before they tuck into the party food compost is teeming with bacteria. If your child doesn't have a summer birthday but you'd still like a planting party, one of these ideas might grab you: September-November this is the ideal time for planting bulbs. Try one hyacinth per child in a 15cm pot, or a handful of crocus bulbs (encourage them to plant bulbs 'pointy-side-up'). December-March sweet peas do well from a winter sowing. If you have time, soak the seeds in water overnight before the party as it can help them to germinate. April-May you're spoilt for choice with seed sowing in early spring try sunflowers, clarkia, cosmos, nasturtiums or quick-and-easy veg like peas and runner beans. If you're really organised, you could send the children home with tips to help them (and their parents) keep their plants alive. A little root around the RHS website will uncover gems like this child-friendly advice for growing sweet peas. Happy growing! You can find out more about Mary and her garden at www.brookendcottagegarden.com.

Today marks the fourth annual campaign of 'Independent Retailer Month', which calls upon you, the general public, to support small, independent businesses by making more informed decisions on where you spend your money. Independent Retail Month is an annual campaign which runs throughout all of July, aiming to raise awareness of thousands of local businesses and to increase footfall into towns and villages ultimately helping retailers stay in business. Many consumers are unaware of the value they can add to their local economies by shopping with independent retailers. Research carried out by the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) for Federation of Small Business (FSB) found that for every £1 spent locally, 50-70p re-circulates back into the local economy. In contrast, only 5p of every £1 spent out of town finds its way back to the local community. At Bigjigs Toys, we are proud to support and supply independent retailers around the world something which we have been doing for the past 29 years. As part of our commitment to those who have supported us, we continually try to find ways to support these businesses through differentiation and innovation. One example of our continued support is our online shop, which allows consumers to purchase our products but the orders is fulfilled by our retailers based on meeting certain criteria i.e. stock levels, geographical location etc. This way our retailers do not miss out on sales placed online, garnering extra income, sales and custom. We also stopped retailers from selling on third-party websites...helping to support our retailers further than we did before. In an age where austerity meets a shift in purchasing behaviours, many of our high street retailers have found trading conditions difficult, partly due to consumers being able to find the same products cheaper on third party selling sites. By stopping people selling on these sites, we can maintain the RRP, ensuring that bricks and mortar stores are no longer fighting and competing against a price war. Whilst we try to make changes to support our retailers, we hope this campaign encourages you to re-engage with your local businesses and to discover the benefits of shopping closer to home. You can be support the Independent Retailer Month campaign by joining in the conversation online across social networking sites using the hashtag #indieretail. Followers can like the Independent Retailer Month UK facebook page, follow @IndieRetailUK or subscribe for updates at www.independentretailermonth.co.uk. Alternatively you can pop to your local town or village and buy from your local indies.

You may not be aware but today is Fairy Day. Those that choose to celebrate it are likely to see more female fairies than male ones, along with lots of pinks and purples paraded on a range of pink dolls, pink costumes and pink accessories. In recent years, it has been highly publicised through campaigns such as Let Toys Be Toys, that particular colour or themed toys should not be marketed at specific genders. In a lot of retail stores there have been pink sections of playthings aimed at girls, comprising dolls, handbags, jewellery and all manner of other 'girly' items in pink and purple colours. At the same time, boys have been targeted through cars, action figures and roleplay weapons, usually in darker shades such as blues and greens. To some, this is blatant gender-specific marketing that is having a detrimental effect on our children and should not be allowed. One organisation that shares this feeling is the Pink Stinks movement, started by a pair of mums back in 2008 with the aim of confronting the "damaging messages that bombard girls through toys, clothes and media. Founders, Abi and Emma Moore, were frustrated by the gender-segregated products aimed at young children and wanted to make a stand against the pretty, passive girls' products which they feel "promotes a dangerously narrow definition of what it means to be a girl. Abi Moore stated in an article for The Guardian in 2009 that 'pinkification' "sets them (girls) on a journey, at a very, very early age. It's a signpost, telling them that beauty is more valued than brains; it limits horizons, and it restricts ambitions." Some retailers have responded to pressure put on them by campaigns such as Pink Stinks and Let Toys Be Toys. Toy giant Hamley's, have recently scrapped their pink and blue colour coded floors after they were accused on Twitter of "gender apartheid and Sainsbury's updated their dressing-up clothes to a range of unisex items after they found themselves in the spotlight. It was shortly after the end of the Second World War that the pink-girl and blue-boy colour coding really took off, which critics say was a result of the retail industry wanting to make more money by differentiating between boy and girl products. The crux of the issue seems to be whether colour preferences are purely natural or learned through outside influences. Some studies seem to show that girls are drawn to toys such as dolls and household roleplay toys, while boys are attracted to more physical games and toys with moving parts. Perhaps by offering a choice of colours and themes gender marketing will be a thing of the past. Here at Bigjigs we like to think that we provide toys that appeal equally to boys and girls. For us, toys should encourage imaginative play, cognitive development, be good quality, safe and of course, fun. Whether they're pink or blue doesn't really come in to it. In the long years that the company has been going we've found that boys enjoy our kitchen roleplay toys just as girls do, and that girls are as happy as boys when playing with blue magnetic trains. We fully understand this is a contentious issue but we would really love to hear your thoughts and feelings on the subject to ensure that we rectify any mistakes we have made in the past and to ensure that we continue on the correct course in the future.