Landlord's demand to wire funds is sure sign of a scam

I found a bargain flat to rent on Craigslist but the landlord wanted me to transfer �900 via Western Union before I viewed it

I have spotted a new type of scam when trying to secure rental property via Gumtree and Craigslist.

Bogus "landlords" are demanding that potential tenants prove they have sufficient funds by arranging a money transfer via Western Union or MoneyGram, to a friend or relative, then supplying the receipt to the landlord. I haven't heard of anything like this before. SC, north London

You inquired about a one-bedroom property in Marylebone, central London, listed on Craigslist for the bargain rental of �400 a month ? which is very cheap for a property in that area.

The email reply you received was almost unreadable ? the first sign that this is a scam ? and asked you to transfer the security deposit and the rent fee (totalling �900) to a friend or relative in order to prove you have funds. This had to be done before you even arranged a viewing so the landlord did not have to "come in vain or come twice on basis of the rent".

All the landlord required was the "reciept" (sic) as proof that the funds were "remitted with Western Union in your name". Then the email casually stated that the landlord would follow you to the Western Union outlet close to the flat to receive his "rent fee", which would be deducted from your rent and refunded to you when you arrive to view the flat.

You were right to question this ludicrous demand, as it is clearly a scam. To be fair, Craigslist is clear about this, stating: "Never wire funds via Western Union, MoneyGram or any other wire service ? anyone who asks you to do so is a scammer."

Even so, Citizens Advice recently felt the need to highlight the scam in a study entitled Desperate times, desperate consumers, warning that competition for affordable private rented accommodation is currently fierce, and people who are desperate to find a home can be vulnerable to renting scams. Avoid anything like this like the plague.

We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@guardian.co.uk or write to Brignall & King, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number

• Scams
• Renting property
• Consumer affairs
• Consumer rights

Mark King

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jul/01/landlords-wire-funds-scam

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Global economic recovery slips into lower gear as industrial activity dips

? UK factory output grew at its slowest for two years
? Growth in manufacturing activity in China declines

The manufacturing boom that has spurred the global recovery of the last 18 months dropped into a lower gear last month as the UK, the eurozone and China registered a significant drop in growth.

Britain's manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest pace in nearly two years while the eurozone, dragged down by Italy and slowing Germany activity, fell from 54.6 points in May to an 18-month low of 52 in June.

A PMI reading above 50 indicates an expansion in manufacturing activity, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

China's main index of activity dropped to a low of 50.9 in June, a position that analysts fear could show contraction next month if a slide registered in recent months continues .

The general slowdown will pose a dilemma for central bankers who are all poised to raise rates to combat rising inflation.

A succession of weak indicators in the UK has in effect taken interest rate rises off the table, with the Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King hinting that a rise is unlikely until at least the new year.

However, the European Central Bank gave its firmest indication it will raise rates for a second time to 1.5% next week, despite vociferous complaints from many countries still in recession that a shift to higher rates will choke off their recoveries.

Several left and rightwing commentators in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Ireland argue higher interest rates are solely designed to keep the German export boom in check without regard to their own recession hit economies.

Ireland's manufacturing sector shrank for the first time in nine months, while Italy, which has struggled to expand, saw its key manufacturing sector contract. Russian manufacturing expanded at its slowest pace in 15 months in June after the headline reading fell to 50.6 from 50.7 the previous month, its weakest since March 2010.

A sharp bounce in stock markets following agreement in the Greek parliament to pursue EU-sponsored austerity measures became more muted after it became clear a global slowdown in manufacturing was firmly under way.

"Over the past two months, [euro-zone manufacturing] output growth has weakened to the greatest extent since late-2008," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, which compiled the surveys.

The US was the only bright spot, adding to expectations the economy may be recovering from a recent slowdown. The US Institute for Supply Management said its index of national factory activity rose to 55.3 from 53.5 the month before. The reading beat expectations for a decline to 51.8, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

The UK's Markit/CIPS purchasing managers' index showed a bigger than expected drop to 51.3 from 52 in May, revised from 52.1.

David Noble, chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, said: "The UK's manufacturing sector is slipping into 'growth-lite' mode, a far cry from the strong expansion seen earlier in the year."

For the second quarter as a whole, the average PMI reading of 52.6 is the lowest since the recovery began in the autumn of 2009. Export orders and employment slowed to the weakest growth rate since last September.

Rob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, said: "It is worrying to see that slowdown is not just being driven by the demise of domestic market strength, with growth in new exports having also slowed since the start of the year as the global economic recovery drifts into a softer patch."

Input price inflation slowed sharply to the slowest rate in one-and-a-half years, reflecting recent falls in the cost of oil and other commodities. Output price inflation ? measuring the prices charged by manufacturing ? was the weakest since last December.

China's factory production dropped to a 28-month low of 50.9 in June.

Lee Hopley, chief economist at EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, was hopeful the recovery remained on track.

"Despite the pace of expansion in [UK] activity easing for the fifth month running this shouldn't be overplayed. Behind the headline the figure the detail shows production, export orders and employment all still edging up, albeit at a more subdued pace than earlier in the year," she said.

• Global economy
• Manufacturing sector
• Economic growth (GDP)
• Economics
• China
• Germany
• Global recession
• European Central Bank
• Interest rates
• US economy
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Phillip Inman

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jul/01/economic-recovery-manufacturing-activity

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Private sector pensions are largely pointless | David Craig

Suffocatingly high fees mean nine out of 10 would lose more in benefits than they would get from their pension savings

As public sector workers protest about proposed changes to their pensions, many people in the private sector might be looking on with envy as they compare their likely meagre pensions with the supposedly gold-plated public sector final salary pension schemes. But the real burning question in this comparison is not envy, rather: are private sector pensions so small because workers are being overcharged by the companies running their pension schemes?

For a book project on the British financial industry, I recently compared the fees paid by pension scheme savers. British pension scheme charges average between 2-3% a year ? which may seem small. But when you take into account that most British pension funds have only managed growth of around 4% a year over the last 30 years, charges of two per cent or more mean that most of those who save in private sector pensions will see between 50 and 75% of all the growth in their pension savings disappear to pay those who have sold them their pension schemes and those manage their money.

I calculated that pension companies are taking over �80m every working day (�20bn a year) in fees and expenses from people saving for private sector pensions. These unwarranted high takings make it almost impossible for private sector workers to build up sufficient money to retire with a reasonable pension income. Only a consistently roaring economy over 30 years would save the British private pension holder. A simple example illustrates the problem. If you had invested �100 in Warren Buffett's company from the start you would now have stocks worth �300,000. But if you had invested it in Warren Buffett through a British pension fund you would have just �30,000 because of fees and charges.

The suffocatingly high fees taken by pension companies mean that eight out 10 private sector workers have less than �30,000 saved up by the time they retire. This would give them an inflation-linked pension of about �1,000 a year in addition to their state pension (if still in existence at their pensionable age). One out of 10 has between �30,000 and �50,000 in their pension fund, giving an income of around �1,750 a year. And just one out of 10 has more than �50,000. This makes saving for a pension pointless for nine out of 10 private sector workers as they would lose more in pension credits and other benefits than they would get from their pension savings.

The government is keen to point out how generous public sector pensions are compared with what someone in the private sector can expect. But perhaps our politicians are trying to deal with the wrong problem. Instead of cutting public sector pensions down towards private sector levels in a "race to the bottom", perhaps our leaders should be investigating why private sector savers are paying such huge sums in fees and commissions to pension companies and their very well-paid managers.

Unfortunately, as I show in my book, this is but one of the ways in which the British financial industry charges for its modest services at a level that is palatial. Luckily for them, our politicians are immune to any worries about their own wellbeing in retirement. The pension an MP will receive amounts to around �50,000 being paid in every year and nearly double that for a government minister. While lecturing us about the need to control public sector pensions, government ministers and MPs keep very quiet about the fact that they have probably the most generous pension scheme in Britain.

• Pensions
• Public sector pensions
• Public services policy

David Craig

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Source: http://feeds.guardian.co.uk/~r/theguardian/commentisfree/rss/~3/NyP4u4mGTn0/private-sector-pensions-savings

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Forget Moss and Middleton, Withers-Bourne is the wedding to be at

If I don't get an invite to the nuptials of the season, I will be filled with self-loathing and forced to claim business overseas

It was said of the guestlist for Truman Capote's Black and White Ball that the host made 500 friends and 15,000 enemies. Legend has it that those most wounded at their non-inclusion fled New York, claiming business overseas ? but, in actual fact, to escape the shame of missing the social event of the century. I adore the story, but with that mixture of total fascination and total incomprehension that forms the bedrock of my interest in showbusiness. I have never angled for an invitation, nor been remotely upset to be NFI to any event. Being "forced" to spend the night at home instead, eating crisps and shouting at the telly? Chalk up another victory.

And yet, and yet ... in the name of all I hold sacred, is there anyone who can somehow get me an entree to the marriage of Miss Heidi Withers to Mr Freddie Bourne? By now you may be aware of Carolyn Bourne, whose emailed attempt to teach her future daughter-in-law a lesson in manners has gone viral. Heidi, whose sins included sleeping in and helping herself to more food when a guest at Mrs Bourne's house, has yet to break her silence. But we have heard from the father of the bride, who declares Mrs Bourne "so far up her own backside she really doesn't know whether to speak or fart".

The upshot is clear: I simply cannot miss those wedding speeches. Please do just take a moment to imagine them, and you'll see why the event has instantly eclipsed the nuptials of Kates Moss and Middleton ? to say nothing of the Princess Bride tribute act going on in Monte Carlo this weekend ? as the hottest ticket of the season.

In the meantime, let us address Mrs Bourne's 95 theses of guesthood. John Mortimer divided the world into cavaliers and roundheads, but it could be just as cleanly split into people who agree with Mrs Bourne, and people who back Heidi.

Alas, it gives me negative pleasure to admit that something ? nurture? Bitterness? Beaten-ness? ? has me siding with Mrs Bourne. It's not that I love how her job is "breeding pinks and dianthus flowers", nor that she appears to be a fictional construct spewed out by the Random Daily Mail Character Generator. It's that I have spent most of my life adhering to her wretched rules of guesting ? rising at dawn so as not to breach some nonexistent breakfast code, packing Mars bars so as not to faint from hunger, and generally coming to the conclusion that the only reason to spend so much as a night under someone else's roof is for the pleasure of returning home.

Furthermore, like the parents who have suffered horrific times at boarding school yet regard it as the most natural thing on earth to inflict the same character-building misery upon their children, I see no reason why everyone else shouldn't live this ludicrous existence too.

They don't, of course, as I well know ? being married to someone disposed to doing as he pleases no matter how excruciatingly in contravention of social niceties he may be. When visiting the houses of friends' parents he will think precisely nothing of locating their TV, drawing the curtains of the room it is in (even if they are in it), and holing up to watch sport all afternoon.

I recall one Boxing Day lunch with some septuagenarians ? I mention their age merely as shorthand for the more mannerly attitudes of a bygone age ? when, having announced he would be skipping lunch to watch the football, he returned just as we'd started eating. He urgently required their Sky password so he could buy the game on pay-per-view. Oh dear, they floundered, after a slightly dazed pause, they weren't sure they'd know where it would be, not having the remotest clue how to work the blasted box and so on, only having bought it for the cricket and not really being up on ? "Would you mind having a quick look?" he cut in, smiling brightly, "only kick-off's in five minutes." The hostess eventually returned to a cold plate 20 minutes later. Chelsea beat Villa 1-0.

Yet in the words of Kevin from The Wonder Years: I learned a lot that day. And not just that the greatest superpower, and one I will never possess, is the inability to feel shame. You see, not only did I actually want to watch Chelsea power their relentless and uninspiring way to a one-goal victory, I was far too repressed to say so. I'm not sure which is the least flattering of these two distinctly unflattering personality traits, but I think we can agree neither is anything to burnish the CV.

So I must confess the most wistful admiration for Heidi, whose ability to sleep till mid-morning in someone else's house makes her, in my book, freer than the freest of spirits at Woodstock. But some drilled-in madness means I must confess it through the pursed lips of her ghastly old future ma-in-law, too pointlessly defeated to realise that half a morning not having to tend to guests is bliss indeed, and that the best way to ensure it keeps happening is to mash a sleeping pill into dinner that night. I can only hope that this ? which comes from a place of love, as well as one of rancorous self-loathing ? is enough to secure me an invitation to the undisputed wedding of the year.

• Weddings
• Family
• Relationships

Marina Hyde

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The 10 best literary picnics

In a boat, in the nude, with cold chicken, warm bananas, Mr Knightley or Mole?

Kate Kellaway

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/gallery/2011/jul/03/literary-fiction-martinamis

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Harrods 'ladies' code' drives out sales assistant

Legal expert says store could be sued under Equality Act after Melanie Stark was told she had wear full make-up at all times

A sales assistant at Harrods claims she has been "driven out" of her job over her refusal to wear makeup.

Melanie Stark, 24, said her battle with the Knightsbridge store left her "exhausted, stressed and upset".

On two occasions she was sent home; on another she was sent to work in the stockroom.

Stark, based in the HMV department in Harrods, said she had been described by one manager as among the best of their employees and worked without makeup for four years, before being asked to comply with the store's strict dress code.

The two-page "ladies" dress code stipulates: "Full makeup at all time: base, blusher, full eyes (not too heavy), lipstick, lip liner and gloss are worn at all time and maintained discreetly (please take into account the store display lighting which has a 'washing out' effect)."

When she refused she was offered a makeup workshop and told, 'You can see what you look like with makeup', she said.

"I was appalled. It was insulting. Basically, it was implying it would be an improvement. I don't understand how they think it is OK to say that.", she said.

I know what I look like with makeup. I have used it, though never at work. But I just could not see how, in this day and age, Harrods could take away my right to choose whether to wear it or not."

Stark had complied with all other aspects of the dress code. "But it's not like wearing black trousers, or a black shirt. This is my face.

"Make up can change your features completely, especially if I was to wear all of what they were asking. I would look like a different person to me. And I never chose to look like that."

Last week she resigned rather than comply with the code after working at the store for five years, three of them part-time while a philosophy, religion and ethics student at King's College London, and the last two years full-time after completing her masters. "I was happy there, but I've been driven out."

One legal expert said Stark could have grounds to sue Harrods.

Lawrence Davies, director of Equal Justice solicitors, said she might have a claim under the Equality Act 2010. "On the facts, she performed her role well for five years without makeup, so it is clearly not a valid prerequisite for her role."

Of the dress code, he said "custom and practice would suggest that her contract has changed over the years to allow her to not wear makeup".

Stark said she had been given a copy of the dress code when she joined HMV at Harrods aged 19, and had been given store approval after an interview during which she did not wear any makeup. Harrods had not sought to enforce the code until last August when, after a "floor walk" by senior managers, she was sent home for refusing to wear it.

In a letter to Harrods at the time she said: "To be told that one's face is inadequate is extremely degrading." She had a commendation for customer services, had been awarded 94% in a "mystery shop", on which unsuspecting staff were monitored, and met every other requirement in HMV's music section.

The next day, she was put to work in the stockroom, away from view.

She had received good support from HMV throughout, she said. The conflict was with Harrods.

Stark was summoned to a meeting with her Harrods floor manager During this, she said, she was told: "You've got two options. You wear make up or you leave". She said she was told: "We're not making you look like the girls on the beauty counter" and it was suggested she could "just wear eyeliner and lipstick". She said: "But if that was my choice, surely I had the choice to wear none."

On that occasion, Harrods appear to have backed down. She returned to work and continued without wearing makeup until three weeks ago, when, during a Powerpoint presentation a new floor manager told staff: "Girls. I want you to be made up."

"Alarm bells started ringing," she said. "Off I go again, another meeting." She was briefly transferred to HMV's Bayswater store while a resolution was sought - but had already decided to resign.

"I just could not go through with it all again. I wasn't going to compromise, but neither were they," she said. "And I felt it was time to move on."

A Harrods spokeswoman said: "All our staff are subject to a dress code which they sign up to on joining the company, which relates to an overall polished appearance. Our records show that discussions with Melanie Stark concerned a general lack of adherence to the dress code. However, no action was taken and she subsequently decided to leave the business of her own accord with no reference made to dress code."

Savile Row claim

Company dress codes and "look" policies are common but their legality has been challenged, with mixed results. The US clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch was accused of "hiding" a sales assistant in a stockroom at its flagship London outlet in Savile Row because her prosthetic arm did not fit with its "look policy".

Riam Dean, a 22-year-old law student from Greenford, west London, claimed she was removed from the shopfloor when management became aware of her disability. Dean, who was born without her left forearm and has worn a prosthetic limb since she was three months old, sued for disability discrimination after she was left "personally diminished and humiliated" when she refused to remove her cardigan at work last summer. In 2009 a tribunal awarded her �8,000 for unlawful harassment.

Clare Murray, of the specialist employment law experts CM Murray, said case law supported the right of employers to impose dress codes with different requirements for women and men provided there were "equivalent" requirements. "But employers must be able to show a good business reason," she said. Employers also needed to consider religious and cultural implications. Caroline Davies

Harrods dress code

Women

Hair Trimmed regularly and styled to flatter features. May have subtle highlights or colour but must be natural looking and complementary to skin tone. No regrowth.

Jewellery One earring per ear. Pearls or diamond studs preferred. One ring per hand with exception of wedding & engagement rings. No visible tattoos, sovereigns, mismatched jewellery, scrunchies, large clips or hoop earrings.

Footwear Smart black leather shoes such as court shoes with stiletto or kitten heel.

Men

Hair Clean, well groomed, complementary to skin tone.

Beards Clean shaven or full beards. NO goatees or moustaches of contemporary style.

Sideburns Must be no longer than mid-ear length or wider than one inch.

Nails Well-manicured polished nails.

• Employment law
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• Work & careers

Caroline Davies

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/jul/01/harrods-dress-code-sales-assistant

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Pension funds among biggest land investors in poor countries | Mark Tran

Research by NGO Grain shows pension funds in Europe and US are major investors in land deals in developing countries

Some of the biggest investors in farmland in developing countries are US and European pension funds, according to a report released Friday.

Grain, a research group that supports small farmers, says pension funds - often managed by private companies on behalf of unions, governments, individuals and employers - are investing US$100bn (�62.4bn) in commodities, with some $5bn-$15bn reportedly going into farmland acquisitions.

"We usually read about Gulf states or China investing in farmland, but some of the biggest investors are much closer to home," said Henk Hobbelink, one of Grain's co-founders. "As a percentage of the total funds they manage it is not large, but in terms of their impact on small farmers it has a tremendous impact."

International investment in farmland in developing countries, such as Sudan and Ethiopia, has sparked accusations from Grain and other NGOs of "land grabs" that often fail to deliver the promised benefits of jobs and economic development, while contributing to environmental and social problems in the poorest countries in the world. Grain also says the new surge of money will push up global food prices that will hit the poor and rural communities the hardest.

Figures from the Grain report shows that the three pension funds with the biggest investment in agriculture are from the Netherlands, the US and Sweden. APG, in the Netherlands, (administering the national civil pension fund) has invested euro 1bn (�904m) - 0.5% of total assets under management - Ascencion Health, in the US has invested $1.1bn and AP2 Second Swedish National Pension Fund has invested $500m in grain farmlands in America, Australia and New Zealand. The other big players, according to Grain, are CalPers (California Public Employees' Retirement System), Dow Chemical, New Zealand Superannuation Fund, PGGM, also from the Netherlands, and PKA, from Denmark.

Grain says commodities such as farmland make up, on average, 1%-3% of pension funds' portfolios, with the figure expected to rise to 5% by 2015. Pension funds now hold about $23tr in assets, with the biggest pension funds held by governments.

Research published last month by the Oakland Institute in the US suggested that prestigious universities, with large endowment funds, such as Harvard and Vanderbilt, have invested heavily in African land in the past few years. Much of the money is said to be channelled through London-based Emergent Asset Management, which runs one of Africa's largest land acquisition funds, run by former JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs currency dealers.

As for pension funds, Grain says they may be one of the few "classes of land grabbers that people can pull the plug on, by sheer virtue of the fact that it is their money. This makes pension funds a particularly important target for action by social movements, labour groups and citizens' organisations".

• International land deals
• Farming

Mark Tran

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/jul/01/pension-funds-big-investors-africa

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Where to eat in San Francisco from $2

Frustrated by the red tape of putting a food truck on the road, former chef Matt Cohen set up a market instead. A year on, it's the biggest gathering of street food vendors in San Francisco

Matt Cohen's favourite budget eats in San Francisco

The hum of generators, spitting barbecue grills and animated voices carry across the car park. Small children bop along to the slow-paced music of a local band playing under a small garden gazebo. Tempting aromas fill the air: roasted spices, the unmistakable scent of barbecued pork and the partnering smell of a spilt beer. As I devour two pork satay skewers, the sun begins to dip behind the Golden Gate Bridge.

This is Off the Grid, a roving collection of Asian and Latin street food vendors in San Francisco. Organiser Matt Cohen, inspired by the late night food markets of Japan, set up the market in June last year.

"I was having a hard time arranging permits for a ramen truck and had started working with other vendors to get theirs," explains Matt. "The San Francisco Police Department doesn't allow late-night mobile food sellers, so we tried to create a space to operate from."

In little under a year, Off the Grid has grown extensively and there are now eight street food markets a week, at lunchtimes and evenings, spanning several locations across the city. Social media has played a vital role in Off the Grid's success. Vendors use Twitter and Facebook to inform followers of daily specials and locations. "It's the primary way we build and maintain a relationship with our customers," explains Cohen. "People don't need to go out and seek information about our markets, it comes to them automatically."

The biggest of them is held every Friday night at the Fort Mason Center car park, a five-minute walk from the touristy hub of Fisherman's Wharf, where the most popular dish is the seafood chowder, served in giant, hollowed out bread rolls.

At the market, I join the queue for Chairman Bao. The line is long, but I have a cup of Magnolia IPA to take the edge off of the wait. After half an hour, I am tucking into my Chinese Bao buns filled with sticky barbecue pork belly, pickled daikon and shredded carrot.

I meander through the crowd, stepping over spilt noodles as I go. The sun is now buried beneath the Pacific and the market lit with small lamps, and the long queues show little sign of receding. I'm full, but decide I can squeeze one more snack in: a spicy Indonesian taco topped with fresh chillies and a creamy coriander sauce from Se�or Sisig.

Then it's time to call it a night, and I wander into Russian Hill and wait for a bus home. There were countless food stalls I missed, but fortunately they'll be back again next week. Same time, same place.

---

FIVE OF THE BEST VENDORS AT OFF THE GRID

The Rib Whip

With a smoker onboard their stylish food truck, The Rib Whip brings midwestern barbecue to the west coast, turning out beautiful pork sandwiches and the most amazing ribs ($8 for a third of a slab) this side of Kansas. And be sure to order a side of baked beans with burnt ends ($3).
Twitter: @TheRibWhip

Curry Up Now

Paratha flatbreads, aloo, paneer and tikka masala burritos ... the flavours and spices of India are delivered from this hugely popular mobile food truck. Don't miss the aloo kathi roll ? an egg-washed paratha stuffed with pickled onions, chutney and spicy potato.
Twitter: @CurryUpNow

Chairman Bao

Notorious for its long, winding queue that zig-zags across the market, Chairman Bao loads up steamed and baked buns with red sesame chicken, crispy garlic tofu and tender pork belly ($6).
Twitter: @chairmantruck

Cr�me Br�l�e Cart

Flavours vary from week to week and change with the seasons on this dessert cart. Keep your eye out for the strawberry and Nutella cr�me br�l�e ($4), topped with caramelised sugar.
Twitter: @cremebruleecart

Senor Sisig

Filipino inspired tacos loaded with chilli and trademark coriander sauce for $3. Whatever your order, don't forget to silog it, which translates as adding a fried egg on top.
Twitter: @senorsisig

---

MATT COHEN'S FAVOURITE FIVE BUDGET EATS IN SAN FRAN

Swan Oyster Depot

Always a line. Limited hours. Quintessential San Francisco seafood. Keep it simple and go for a bowl of clam chowder and a couple of oysters. And enjoy some of the best San Francisco sourdough you can get ? for free. (Can get pricey if you start downing oysters by the dozen).
? 1517 Polk Street (+1 415 673 1101)

Bakesale Betty

Both locations are in Oakland, but the fried chicken sandwich is so good I'd track it down to Nebraska. There will always be a line. Cash only. Eat outside on a table made of decommissioned ironing boards. Extra points for getting the strawberry shortcake to share with your group ? if they have it.
? 5098 Telegraph Avenue and 2228 Broadway, both in Oakland (+1 510 985 1213, bakesalebetty.com)

Art's Cafe

An absolute hole in the wall in The Sunset, a part of the city that most tourists never make it to. This breakfast place ? owned by a Korean couple with an American-Korean menu ? has an unmissable hash brown sandwich (it's cheap too).
? 747 Irving Street, between 8th and 9th Ave (+1 415 6657440, artscafesf.com)

El Farolito

Neon lights. Grimy exterior. The best late-night super burrito (with sour creme and avocado) in the city. The carnitas super quesadilla (burrito sans rice) is as good as it gets this far north of Mexico City.
? Various locations ? see elfarolitoinc.com for details

Saigon Sandwich

The name says it all. Crazy, cheap amazing b�nh m� ? Vietnamese sandwich made with a wheat and rice flour baguette. SS will make anyone from a broke backpacker to a millionaire financier smile on a cold summer's day. Extra points for having the willpower to resist eating it until you make it to Golden Gate park to picnic among the trees.
? 560 Larkin Street (+1 415 474 5698)

• San Francisco
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• Restaurants
• California
• United States

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Biggest school strikes since 1980s as doubts grow on pension reform

Forecast that cost of pensions will fall in the future leads to row over David Cameron's claim that system could 'go broke'

One of the government's key arguments for reforming public sector pensions crumbled when it was made clear that they are projected to become more affordable in the future, not less, as teachers staged the biggest school strikes since the 1980s over the plans.

The forecast that the cost of paying pensions to 6 million public sector workers will fall by �67bn over the next 50 years undermined David Cameron's claim earlier this week that the system could "go broke" if it is not reformed.

More than 2 million pupils missed classes as a group of four breakaway unions staged the first mass strikes against the coalition's austerity plans.

Thousands of parents were forced to take a day off work with nearly 6,000 schools closed and 5,000 partially closed. In total, half of schools were affected.

"Today's action across the country demonstrates the anger and distress that this government is causing teachers," Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said.

"Teachers are dedicated to the children and young people whom they teach. But they cannot stand back and see their pensions attacked when all the evidence shows that they are affordable and sustainable and that their costs are falling."

Ministers claimed a lower turnout in the civil service betrayed a lack of support for the unions' tactics. Downing Street said that just half of members of the PCS ? the civil service union that has been at the forefront of the strikes ? took part and that the impact was minimal.

"The figures speak for themselves," the prime minister's official spokesman said. Some rival unions also turned on the strikers accusing them of a "tactical error".

Indicative figures compiled by government departments suggested that 100,000 civil servants had walked out, reducing services and triggering contingency plans at job centres, tax and benefit offices, ports, courts and airports. PCS insisted that 200,000 people took action.

Warnings of chaos at airports, triggered by the UK Border Agency suggesting people should fly another day, failed to materialise. UKBA reported "minimal" impact on the estimated 500,000 passengers.

Thousands marched through central London where there were minor skirmishes between some protesters and the police. In total, 30 people were arrested.

Mark Serwotka, leader of the PCS, claimed that the strike was the biggest in their history. "It's a very, very clear signal to the government that they have been rumbled," he said.

"This is not about pensions, this is about making public sector workers pay for the economic problems, and we are determined to keep going until they change direction." He pointed out that the 100,000 was substantially in excess of the 48,500 who backed the strike in the ballot.

Serwotka accused the Cabinet Office minister, Francis Maude, who is leading the negotiations, of "floundering" when asked to justify earlier statements that pensions were becoming unaffordable.

Maude would only say that the Hutton report, on which the pension plans are based, had "very clearly" said that the status quo was not tenable. "You cannot continue to have more and more people in retirement being supported by fewer and fewer people in work," he said.

He later argued that public sector workers would have to justify the cost of their pensions as schools and hospitals were cutting their budgets.

The report by Lord Hutton, the former Labour work and pensions secretary who wrote the blueprint for the government's reforms, said that the cost of public sector pensions, as a proportion of GDP, was set to fall after peaking last year at 1.9% to 1.4% by 2059/60.

The prime minister's official spokesman dismissed the row. "People are getting caught up in a semantic debate," he said.

The Treasury later claimed that the graphs containing the figures included reforms the unions objected to, including a switch from CPI to RPI for up-rating pensions and the benefits of a "cap and share" scheme to cover extra costs of life expectancy changing. Without these factored in, the cost as a proportion of GDP would remain static at 1.8%.

Government ministers took to the airwaves highlighting the fact that the strikers had not been joined by the majority of unions.

Michael Gove, the education secretary, said: "Two particular teachers' unions thought that it would be a good idea in a way to pre-empt the completion of talks by going out on strike to demonstrate the strength of feeling. I think that's unnecessary."

Unions not involved suggested that early strikes had damaged their argument. "This was a tactical error. It's allowed the government to hone it's propaganda," one union boss said. "PCS was warned that this was the wrong time and could backfire. A lot of other unions will feel frustrated with PCS. Most unions will say today hasn't helped and wasn't very necessary."

Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT union, the only teaching union not to strike, said: "It is important to keep the high moral ground. That has been a key factor in our strategy. We're sticking with the negotiating and responding to what our members tell us."

• Public sector pensions
• Public sector cuts
• Public services policy
• Public finance
• Liberal-Conservative coalition
• David Cameron
• Mark Serwotka

Polly Curtis

H�l�ne Mulholland

Dan Milmo

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jun/30/biggest-school-strikes-1980s-doubts-pension-reforms

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Football transfer rumours: Gael Etock and Javier Pastore to Chelsea?

Today's rumours are big boned

As avid readers of this column will have noticed from the fact that it makes the same joke about John O'Shea being big boned every day, the Mill doesn't like change. So the prospect of Cesc F�bregas actually moving to Barcelona fills us with dread. What's the Mill to do without its staple rumour? Leave the office? Make some phone calls? Do some research?

Luckily, Chelsea are here to save the day. Yep, according to the Mirror they've signed Barcelona's 17-year-old striker Gael Etock from the Catalans' finishing school ? the Mill imagines this is a place in the Swiss Alps where you learn how to pass dead good and develop a massive sense of self-satisfaction ? which means we can all look forward to "Etock: I want to return to Bar�a" rumours for the next seven years.

Chelsea aren't finished there though. They're after the greatest playmaker this side of Sir Trevor Nunn, Javier Pastore. Here's Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini, who is in no way trying to push up Pastore's price. "Pastore is a phenomenal player and there are three or four clubs interested in him," said Zamparini. "I am a businessman and I will not lose my cool, but it is clear that clubs who want Pastore must have the economic power to submit a proposal. Chelsea are one of the clubs concerned."

Ars�ne Wenger is planning what to do with the cash he generates from proposed deals for F�bregas, Ga�l Clichy and Samir Nasri and the Sun reckons they've all but signed Gervinho from Lille. He's also said to be after Anderlecht's 11-year-old striker Romelu Lukaku for �18m and, wait for it, Manchester United's big-boned utility man John O'Shea. An unproven striker and John O'Shea, that will appease the angry focaccia-munching hordes in north London then.

Wenger should sign someone good, like Charles N'Zogbia. But Alex McLeish ? who's probably quite happy he's not at Birmingham City right now ? has already thought of that one and hopes to wrap up a �9m deal in the next 114 hours.

Spurs have got strikers on the brain like they were a radical teachers' union. Or just a normal teachers' union. Anyway, they'll sell Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko and using that cash and a little bit of charm, they'll snap up Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente for �20m. If that bid fails they'll go for Villarreal's Giuseppi Rossi, the man with the most Italian name in football.

Staying in the striking world, Fulham, Stoke, Sunderland and QPR are all in the frame to buy DJ Campbell from Blackpool. The Seasiders are also offering a Charlie Adam for �9m if you're interested.

West Brom are looking to fill a Scott Carson-shaped hole ? think of a large hole sucking tame shots into a net ? by signing Tomasz Kuszczak from Manchester United for �2.5m. Fulham don't really have that many holes but that won't stop them buying Leeds winger Max Gradel.

Leicester are about to sign former footballer Jonathan Woodgate. Then they'll sign Craig Mackail-Smith for �3m. Oh and Lazio will sign West Ham midfielder and author of Madame Bovary, Julien Faubert. The Mill's done that joke before too but, as we say, change is a terrible thing.

• Transfer window

Tom Lutz

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/jul/01/the-rumour-mill-chelsea-javier-pastore

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Rupert Murdoch finally gets green light for BSkyB takeover ? but at a price

News Corporation may pay �1.9bn more than original offer after delay brought about by eight-month inquiry

Rupert Murdoch is likely to end up having to pay nearly �2bn more to secure full control of BSkyB, after being forced to wait over a year for regulatory approval to buy the 61% of satellite broadcaster BSkyB his News Corporation does not already own.

The media mogul proposed a �7.4bn takeover offer in June last year priced at 700p per Sky share, but after objections from most of the rest of Fleet Street ? worried about the combination of the largest UK newspaper owner and the largest broadcaster ? the takeover bid was referred to the competition authorities by the business secretary, Vince Cable.

That triggered an eight-month inquiry ? which all but ended when the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, put the finishing touches to a series of undertakings aimed at safeguarding "media plurality". They would require the enlarged company to spin off Sky News for at least 10 years, capping News Corp's shareholding at its current 39.1%.

While the process dragged on Vince Cable was stripped of his power to take the decision after he was covertly recorded by Daily Telegraph journalists as saying he had "declared war on Murdoch" last December. Meanwhile Sky's share price continued to soar ? reaching 846.5p last night.

Rupert Murdoch's company insisted that it will not "overpay" to buy BSkyB. However, sources close to the Sky board indicated they believed that a deal would be done at the price of 875p, which would cost News Corporation �9.3bn ? some �1.9bn more than the media giant was originally prepared to offer.

Hunt said he was "aware of the huge interest" in the takeover, but thought that the undertakings to spin off Sky News were "still sufficient to ensure media plurality". He said he had made the undertakings "more robust", by ensuring for example that it was necessary to have an independent director with senior journalism expertise present at Sky News board meetings where decisions on editorial matters are taken.

Hunt was later forced to defend his decision in parliament, answering an urgent question from Tom Watson, MP. In a short, stormy debate, several Labour MPs tried to argue that the News Corp bid should not have been allowed to go through in the light of the News of the World phone hacking scandal, which has seen more than 30 high profile people bring civil actions against the publisher.

"This seedy bid would shame a banana republic," Watson said, while Labour frontbencher Ivan Lewis asked why Hunt had had "so little to say on the phone hacking scandal". However, aided by Speaker John Bercow, who ruled that questions on phone hacking were out of order in this context, Hunt was able to dodge the issue in the chamber.

Shortly afterwards, in the Lords, Lord Prescott went further, arguing that Murdoch "to my mind, is not a fit and proper person to be purchasing such an organisation".

Hunt's advisers reiterated that it was not possible for the culture secretary to take the phone hacking scandal into account, because the minister had been assessing whether the takeover could go through on the grounds of "media plurality" rather than on the basis of a "fit and proper person test" ? which would have brought the hacking issue into account. By keeping Sky News at arm's length from the Times, the Sun and News Corp's headquarters, the minister had in effect done his job.

Those opposing the deal, led by the unlikely alliance of owners of the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail and the Guardian, said they were disappointed by the announcement, and indicated they would consider whether there was any possibility of mounting a judicial review.

However, the group of newspapers will only seek to challenge the ruling on plurality grounds, if they mount a challenge at all. Hunt's slow and measured consultation process was designed purely to avoid a judicial review. Hunt said interested parties had until midday on 8 July to give their opinion on the extra undertakings.

Meanwhile, online campaign group Avaaz, who gathered outside the Department of Culture with an "eight-foot tall stilt-walking Murdoch caricature ? controlling wooden Jeremy Hunt and David Cameron puppets on strings", set up an internet petition in the hope of deluging Hunt with paperwork that will further delay his final approval of the deal.

Roger Parry, a veteran media executive, who has been widely touted as a potential chairman of the independent Sky News, said he believed the agreements would safeguard Sky News's editorial independence because "journalists are naturally independent", but added that "the bigger issue is the economic viability of Sky News", shorn from its parent.

City experts said Murdoch could agree the terms of a �9.4bn takeover bid as early as 29 July. Observers believe Hunt is keen to give final confirmation by 19 July when the summer parliamentary recess begins ? although aides said the minister would not allow himself to be held hostage by the parliamentary timetable.

Chris Goodall, an analyst at Enders Research, argues the two sides are likely to reach agreement on price "within a month" of Hunt's final approval. Nick Bell, equity analyst at Jefferies, said that there was a strong possibility the two sides will reach the terms of agreement on price by 29 July to tie-in with BSkyB's financial results. But it was not completely clear if the spun off Sky News would be viable.

• News Corporation
• Media business
• BSkyB
• Television industry
• Rupert Murdoch
• BSkyB
• Sky News
• Jeremy Hunt
• TV news

Dan Sabbagh

James Robinson

Mark Sweney

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/30/rupert-murdoch-bskyb-takeover-price

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Gambling on smartphones takes off

Betfair and Paddy Power figures show huge growth in the number of bets placed using mobile phones

Gambling via the new generation of smartphones such as Apple's iPhone is rising rapidly, according to figures from bookmaker Paddy Power and betting exchange Betfair. Paddy Power's chief operating officer Breon Corcoran said 34% of its active customers are now accessing the service through their phones, with its mobile revenues more than quadrupling during 2010.

Corcoran also outlined the growth in users. In January 2010, the company had 10,000 mobile customers. A year later in January 2011, this had increased to 50,000. Yet by April 2011, it had 120,000 mobile users, thanks to its apps for the iPhone, iPad and phone and tablets running Google's Android mobile software.

Independent figures released this week by IHS Screen Digest claim that net mobile gambling revenue in the UK rose from �19m in 2009 to �41m in 2010, with senior analyst Ronan De Renesse hailing "a new wave of speedy, glamorous mobile gambling applications" as the key factor in this growth.

Betfair ? which has had a troubled time on the stock market despite strong full-year figures ? said it has been prospering from mobiles, announcing that in its last financial year, it took more than �1bn in bets from mobile devices, and that 168,000 people placed a Betfair bet from their phones ? up 122% on the previous financial year ? while revenues from the company's mobile apps and mobile sites was up 88% year-on-year. "Developing new betting methods and experiences for the increasing amount of our customers who wish to access Betfair through their mobile phones is a key priority of the business," said Raj Vemulapalli, Betfair's vice president of mobile engineering.

The company is investing heavily in mobile, including launching next-generation mobile web apps for handsets running Google's Android software ? already the dominant platform worldwide ? and launching methods for outside app developers to integrate its betting exchange into their own apps. Those who do will get a 5% share of any revenues they generate.

Ever since the launch of 3G data services, there have been great expectations for mobile gambling; it was one of the "three G's" expected to make big money for mobile operators. (The other two were games and "girls", meaning adult content).

But the three content types experienced mixed fortunes in those early years after the operators launched their first 3G services. Games became a steady revenue stream, but operators struggled to convince more than 5% of customers to pay for them. Adult content did better once operators had age verification systems in place. But with the arrival of the iPhone in 2007, and a huge number of apps in 2008, games have become a huge source of downloads and revenues. Mobile adult services however have been sidelined by the approval policies of the store owners, especially Apple.

Yet mobile gambling is one of the few areas where Google has taken a harder line than Apple in terms of approvals of apps for its online app market. Apple has banned pornography, but this year began allowing real-money gambling apps at the App store for the first time. But Google has moved in the opposite direction ? leading Corcoran to take a friendly pop at Google for barring such apps from Android Market, where people with Android phones can buy apps on their phone or a desktop computer.

• Betfair
• Gambling
• Mobile phones
• Smartphones

Stuart Dredge

Charles Arthur

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/30/gambling-on-smartphones-takes-off

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Victoria Wood recalls a historic day for Manchester music

Victoria Wood's new play takes its inspiration from a childrens' choir she loved. David Ward recalls the poignant reunion of the original singers

On 19 June 1929, 250 singing children ? 190 girls and 60 boys ? from 52 local schools travelled by tram to the Free Trade Hall in Manchester to record a happy chorus by Henry Purcell with the Hall� Orchestra, under the direction of Sir Hamilton Harty. They made two nervously bad attempts before finding their form for a third take; it was issued on Columbia 9909, a 12in 78rpm disc that cost four shillings and sixpence and sold 1m copies.

Nymphs and Shepherds, sung by the Manchester School Children's Choir, stayed in print for more than 60 years and was a much-requested radio number; it is available now on a CD called Golden Years of the Gramophone.

For those of a certain age, Manchester's bright-voiced kids singing about Flora's holiday immediately conjures up sunny Sunday dinner times, Two-Way Family Favourites on the BBC's Light Programme, the smell of roast lamb in the oven and the sound of someone chopping fresh mint.

Victoria Wood grew up with Nymphs and Shepherds, thought it was wonderful and played it to her children. Now she has used it as the starting point for That Day We Sang, a new play with songs ("It's almost a musical") commissioned by the Manchester international festival. The story unfolds in both 1929 and 1969, the year of a choir reunion at which Nymph Enid, a secretary, meets Shepherd Tubby, an insurance salesman. It's the first time their paths have crossed for 40 years.

That reunion is Wood's invention; but other reunions really happened. The last was in Manchester town hall (where the choir had sung in 1927 for the building's 50th anniversary) in 1989, 60 years after the recording. I know; I was there.

Then a reporter in the Guardian's Manchester office, I had called Alan Rusbridger (who edited Guardian Weekend and has since gone on to higher things) to suggest a Nymphs and Shepherds feature. But he had never heard of the choir or its famous record. "I'll ask round the office and if anyone knows about it, you're on," he said.

I hung on and then heard down the phone a ragged chorus sing Purcell's tune in a variety of keys. So I wrote my feature and then joined the singers, most of them in their 70s, on their special day in Manchester town hall. By 1989, only 146 singers (118 nymphs, 28 shepherds) were still alive and about 60 had come together for a final meeting. "This will be the last reunion because it's so saddening saying goodbye to our departing members," said Stanley Rose, the mutton-chopped shepherd who had organised the gatherings. "Our recording has a life of its own and is now entirely removed from the people who recorded it. It might live on forever, but we won't."

The singers were scattered at tables around the Great Hall with its Ford Madox Brown murals of great Manchester moments including The Proclamation Regarding Weights and Measures in 1556 and The Opening of the Bridgewater Canal in 1761; the Nymphs and Shepherds event, at least for me, turned out to be another great Manchester moment. The plan was that the veterans would enjoy tea and fancies and receive a gold disc from a representative of EMI; a carefully rehearsed ensemble would then stand on a podium and sing their special number.

"Before we do," announced someone (possibly Rose), "we'll play the record to remind you of the words." The hall fell silent and the Hall�'s long-dead players set off, through 60 years of fizz and crackle, on the intro to the chorus. As the 1929 children began to sing, I was aware of a haze of sound that at first I couldn't identify; then I realised that every nymph and shepherd in the room was gazing into the long-ago and very quietly singing along with his or her 1929 self.

Sixty years disappeared as the chorus flowed through this grand space for three minutes or so. It was an eerily beautiful, unforgettable, soul-stirring musical moment; not authentic Purcell, but rather the sound of people connecting with the sheer joy of singing together.

I had earlier interviewed Stanley Rose, who had written a little book describing his intensely happy four years in the choir and his memories of the day of the recording. "The pleasure [of singing] meant more to me than any of my other boyish interests, whether they be our new loudspeaker wireless set or the new talking pictures at the cinema. Or even watching Manchester City playing their brilliant football."

Rose is dead now but it's clear that no experience in his life rivalled his Nymphs and Shepherds years. And that singing time, and particularly the day of the recording, is the inspiration for Wood's play. "I have stayed true to that first idea that people can have a day in their lives that is very important and if they can reconnect with that day, reconnect with the people they were then, they can suddenly revive their emotions," she says. "That's what it's about ? the power of music to revive your love of life. And hopefully it's funny."

In That Day We Sang, Enid and Tubby are brought together for a film being made by Granada TV about the 40th anniversary of the record, in 1969. "They are two people who don't know each other but just happen to meet on this day when they are being filmed," Wood says. "That sets off a chain of events. They put headphones on Tubby and play him the record, which he hasn't heard since he sang on it, and he starts to cry. That's the start of his emotional journey triggered by hearing the music. He's very jolly and jokey but everything has been locked down. He has lived with his mother who doesn't like music. She has only just died; now he is able to listen to music and it is able to propel him on to the next stage of his life." And the next stage of his life is a relationship with Enid. "The play asks what as a child do you aspire to be? As a man, what do you feel you owe that child? The story goes forward and back."

And back it goes to the Free Trade Hall in 1929 when 250 terrified children ?"Some would have called us a scruffy lot of elementary school brats," suggested Rose ? trembled, overawed by the place and the occasion; they sang with confidence only after their inspiring teacher, Gertrude Riall, told them they were braying like donkeys and were as soggy as yesterday's bread pudding, and clapped her hands to free them of the spell she said had   gripped them. For the play, the fear and the music of the original nymphs and shepherds will be recreated by two choirs of 50 (accompanied by the Hall� Youth Orchestra) from four north Manchester primary schools. They have been coached since last October by the soprano and choir trainer Anna Flannagan. The 1929 children were selected by audition; the 2011 children are almost all volunteers and Flannagan has had to take her choir, as Riall did with hers, on a long, improving journey. "They are singing a million light years away from how they were singing when I first met them," Flannagan says. "They know how to breathe and they sing beautifully in tune."

They have also been taught to sing posh, as Riall used a blackboard and phonetic spelling to ensure that her choir employed received pronunciation vowels, said "end" for "and", "darnse" for "dance" and "mewsic" for "music". The 2011 children have found some of this hilarious, even if they were initially not keen on Purcell and his tune. "They told me they didn't like singing Nymphs and Shepherds," Wood says. "I told them that was show business, get over it. But I think that by the time they come to do it, are in their costumes dressed as 1929 children, they'll feel differently."

It would be nice to report that the 30 singers from Bowker Vale primary, one of the four schools involved in the production, have been joyously singing Nymphs and Shepherds ("Your flocks may now securely rest/ Whilst you express your jollity") in the playground. But they haven't, though acting head Gloria Hinz says her 10-year-olds have loved an experience that has done an immense amount for their confidence.

Leah found unforgettable the time she spent recording four songs in a studio; Athar says working with Wood was an amazing opportunity; and Zac met lots of famous people on a trip to London. Aisah adds: "This event made me realise that there are lots of other musics out there. This is a huge event and ? wow! ? I'm in it."

Which is probably how many of those 250 children must have felt as they rode the tram to Peter Street in 1929.

? That Day We Sang is at the Opera House, Manchester, from 6-17 July as part of the Manchester international festival: mif.co.uk

• Victoria Wood
• Theatre
• Classical music

David Ward

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/jun/30/victoria-wood-historic

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Wimbledon 2011: Maria Sharapova overcomes shaky start to reach final

? Sharapova beats Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-3
? Favourite will play Petra Kvitova in final

Maria Sharapova set up a Wimbledon final against Petra Kvitova after storming back from a shaky start to beat Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-3.

The Russian fifth seed, who won the grasscourt grand slam in 2004, slipped 3-0 down to the German wild card in the first set of the semi-final but suddenly found her groove to rattle off a string of winners.

Rain was in the air just as Sharapova was excelling but the drizzle held off and her momentum was maintained.

The second set was again inconsistent from both players but the 24-year-old prevailed and will now fancy her chances against the Czech eighth seed in Saturday's final.

• Maria Sharapova
• Wimbledon 2011
• Wimbledon
• Tennis

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jun/30/wimbledon-2011-maria-sharapova-final

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50 family freebies for summer

School holidays needn't be financial hell. Britain is bursting with free activities ? from arts and crafts, festivals, music, cinema and much more

Festivals

1. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta is one of Britain's biggest free events, typically attracting half a million visitors over its four days. This year it takes place on 11-14 August and the schedule includes several "mass ascents", when more than 100 hot-air balloons will take to the skies (weather permitting), "nightglows", where 30 or more balloons "glow in time to music", plus a variety of arena and air displays. It is held at Ashton Court on the edge of Bristol.

2. Four days in August will see Stockton-on-Tees in the north-east of England transformed into a vast performance space when the 24th edition of the Stockton International Riverside Festival rolls into town, bringing with it aerial performers, dancers, comedians and street theatre acts. "Expect the unexpected" is the mantra of the organisers, who promise "a stellar lineup of co-commissions, UK premieres and international artists". The event attracts around 250,000 visitors; your diary dates are 4-7 August. Most events are free.

3. If you want to see flying squirrels, skateboarding cows and Incredible Hulks throwing themselves off Worthing Pier to see who can "fly" the furthest, aided only by non-motorised "wings," make a beeline for the Worthing International Birdman event, taking place in the West Sussex seaside town on 13-14 August. This annual competition for "human-powered flying machines" is always a big draw. Many flyers take part to raise money for charity, while others have their eye on nabbing one of the cash prizes on offer for flying the furthest.

4. It's billed as Europe's largest free city-centre music festival (organisers claim 320,000 people came along last year), is one of Liverpool's flagship cultural events, and it's free. This year's Mathew Street Music Festival takes place on 28-29 August, and will see bands from all over the world perform on six outdoor stages, from 11am until 6pm. Tribute acts are a speciality; if you don't like the Beatles, you might want to give this one a wide berth.

5. A football match played in the middle of a river ? what's not to like? If you're in the Cotswolds area on Bank Holiday Monday, 29 August, pack your cagoules, head for the Gloucestershire village of Bourton-on-the-Water and bag yourself a good waterside spot for the annual Bourton-in-the-Water Football in the River match. For 30 very wet minutes, two six-a-side teams of players from Bourton Rovers Football Club will do battle in the middle of the River Windrush. The match is free to watch, and is due to kick off at 4pm.

6. Organisers of the Bristol International Kite Festival, taking place over the weekend of 3-4 September, are planning an aerial extravaganza to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Kite flyers from New Zealand, Kuwait and Thailand are expected to join flyers and enthusiasts from across Europe at the event, which will feature flying displays, kite-fighting battles and synchronised routines. Admission is free, though there is a �7 charge for car parking. It takes place at Ashton Court Estate, Bristol.

7. The Carrivick Sisters, Uiscedwr and Bag of Rats are among the acts lined up to play at this year's Burnham-on-Sea Folkfest in Somerset on 1-4 September. This is the sixth Folkfest, and it's free.

8. The Faversham Hop Festival is an annual, two-day, free family event held on the first weekend in September (3-4 this year) which commemorates "the golden days of hop-picking, when families would come to Kent and pass the evenings with music and stories". It takes place in Faversham and there will be live music, street theatre, morris dancing ? and, presumably, large quantities of beer.

9. If you're hankering for a bit of pop-festival action but money is tight, how about Little London Fields in Hackney, north London, on Saturday 20 August? It's billed as "2011's biggest, little, free, completely independent arts and culture festival", and the organisers say there will be plenty of bands, art displays, food stalls and other attractions. The event will run from noon until 9pm. Register for free tickets at the website.

10. The world's biggest (and free) seafront airshow takes place in Eastbourne, Sussex, from 11-14 August. There'll be displays by the Red Arrows, the Breitling WingWalkers, Royal Navy Black Cats helicopters and a flypast by the Belgian Air Force's F16s.

11. The Sunderland International Airshow, 29-31 July, launches in spectacular style with a free celebration event for all the family, from 7-10pm. Organisers promise live music, night-flying and dramatic fireworks display over the sea.

12. Celebrate south Asian culture at Manchester's Mela from  23-24 July. The event will feature music, poetry, street arts, kabbadi sports, and a huge array of food stalls. It takes place in Platt Fields Park, Fallowfield, Manchester.

Sports and activities

13. There's a great deal on offer at Schwim Free, which lets adults and children swim free at 400 pools across the UK, many in fancy private clubs. It is sponsored by Schweppes, and you have to buy a 500ml or 750ml bottle of its Abbey Well water; they sell for just 50p in Tesco. There are some drawbacks ? you can only go at specific times, usually off-peak (mid-afternoon in city centres, lunchtimes in residential areas) and can get a maximum of five entries only, but it's worth a try. The website lets you put in your postcode to find pools participating in the deal near you.

14. All youngsters in Wales can swim for free at local pools throughout the school holidays. Publicly-operated leisure centres have to offer at least 14 hours of free swimming per week, including a minimum of seven hours of "structured aquatic activities" such as snorkelling, life saving and water discos to under-16s.

15. There's a patchwork of free provision across the rest of the UK. Glasgow's 12 public pools give free access to schoolchildren during the summer holidays ? but you have to live or go to school in Glasgow city and first obtain the (free) Young Scot/Kidz card. Other councils, such as Edinburgh, have axed free swimming because of spending cuts. Much depends on whether they are in receipt of government grants. Newcastle has free swimming sessions at all council-managed pools for under-18s. Norwich offers free swimming to under-16s at its Riverside Leisure Centre for holders of its Go 4Less card.

16. During the school holidays The FA Tesco Skills coaches run taster sessions for boys and girls of all abilities. These sessions are free, as Tesco hires the venues. Free holiday sessions take place during the Easter and summer holidays, as well as every school half term. It runs at 36 venues across England during the school holidays. You don't need to buy anything, just book online at least two days in advance. Each session lasts two hours, from 10am-12pm or 1pm-3pm, over one or two days.

17. Asda has thousands of free school holiday sessions available in a variety of sports across all parts of the UK. Advance bookings can be made from today (11 June) for Scotland and Northern Ireland, and from 16 July for England and Wales. "To date, more than 120,000 children have tried a new sport for free through the scheme, out of this number, 45% have continued to participate in sport," says Asda. Pick up free vouchers at Asda stores and then find out what sessions are available. Book early to secure your place. Centre phone numbers will be provided on the search results page.

18. Find thousands of free tennis courts and get free coaching sessions at 14 locations across the UK organised by charity, TennisForFree. If you don't have your own racquet, they'll even loan you one. Sessions tend to run at weekends, are suitable for all ages and last around two hours. For example, Birkenhead Park in the Wirrall offers free coaching between 10-12 on Sundays. No booking is required. All that you need to do is turn up on the day.

19. There are a large number of free family-oriented cycling days organised by Sky Ride. For example, Sky Ride Leicester, which takes place this year on 28 August, attracted thousands of riders last year. The route is entirely open and optional, so you can come and go as you please and ride for as long as you choose. Sky Ride is a national campaign from Sky and British Cycling created to inspire and help everyone, whatever their age or ability, to get on their bikes and have fun. "From big traffic-free events, to local rides, from routes and trails to courses and training, there's something for everyone," it says.

20. Go-ride, also sponsored by Sky, offers coaching for six-to-16-year-olds in mountain bike skills at centres around the country during the holiday period for around �10 a day.

21. Youth clubs offer a huge range of free after-school and holiday time activities. Local clubs can be found at Clubs for young people and UK Youth or by contacting your local council. Scouts run summer camps, such as that at Tolmers in Hertfordshire, for a bargain �80 a week, while most of the 8,000 scout groups across the UK organise summer day trips and activities. Membership typically costs �40 a term. Go to scouts.org.uk/join or call 0845 3001818. You can also download a "Parents Summer Holiday Survival Guide" on the site.

Free play/activity days

22. National Play Day is on 3 August. The idea is for children and their families get out to play at hundreds of community events across the UK. Over 850 events took place in 2010, making it the biggest on record.

23. Breeze Leeds is an annual summer festival of music and arts for young people in the city. The centrepiece is "Breeze on Tour". Every week, one of the city's parks is taken over offering a range of free activities, including events such as Breeze has Talent. Only open to Breeze cardholders, free to Leeds residents aged 18 and under.

24. Lark in the Park is a community event, provided by churches in Thanet, Kent, which takes place each summer (this year 12-21 August) in Sidcup and Ramsgate, providing kids clubs, youth activities, fun days, community action projects and evening events where everything is free.

25. Sheffield's Super Summer Weekend is in Graves Park and offers free entrance to see characters from favourite children's TV shows, trampolines, vintage fire engines, inflatables and food stalls. Also on site is a funfair with the all rides, bar one, at 99p a go on the Friday. It runs from 5-7 August. Also in Sheffield but more for teens is Tramlines, a free, "for all" music festival in the city centre featuring dozens of acts from 2 -25 August.

26. Brighton & Hove city council's Play Service is running five community play days through the summer, as well as a National Play Day event at Hove Park on 3 August. There will be activities aimed at getting kids and families involved in active play. All are free and will run from 11am-3pm. The community play days are: 27 July, Farm Green, Bevendean; 10 August, Queens Park; 17 August, East Hill Park, Portslade; 24 August, East Brighton Park; 31 August, Preston Park.

27. There's a free summer festival at the Museum of Childhood, in Bethnal Green, featuring rickshaw rides, children's performers, stalls, food samples, live music, clay model making, face painting and a day out in the museum's gardens: Sunday 7 August, 11.30am-4.30pm. Among other free events at the museum is the Feline Festival on 19 August, 12pm-4pm. Come dressed as your favourite feline for an afternoon of music and games. Admission is free and there is no need to book in advance.

28. The South Bank beach, London, is outside the Southbank Centre on the Thames, an area that is transformed with tonnes of sand, beach huts, and a pop-up cafe into 70 metres of urban seaside. It's part of the Festival of Britain anniversary celebrations and you can experience the beach until 4 September, plus a host of other free events around the area.

Free cinema

29. Manchester's Spinningfields hosts a season of free, family open-air film screenings through the summer holidays. Films are shown every Saturday morning at 11am from 23 July to 27 August, with the current schedule including Toy Story 3 and the Jungle Book. Sporting events are also screened free, while there's an evening programme at �2 a ticket every Thursday for adults and older teenagers, which includes Touching the Void, Sex and The City and Saturday Night Fever. The season finale is a double-bill of The Devil Wears Prada and The September Issue. Bring your own picnic and blankets, or hire them for �2. Soft drinks can be brought in but only alcohol bought on site can be consumed during the film.

30. FreeFilmFestivals.org runs events, mostly in London, but sadly there's none on the schedule during the school holidays, unless your holidays stretch to 9 September, when there's a free screening amid the ruined chapels and derelict tombstones of Nunhead Cemetery. There are lots of other take-your-own-picnic open-air events across the country, but they tend to charge entry prices. Try The Nomad for listings ? for example, Lulworth Castle in Dorset screens an open-air Pirates of the Caribbean on 11 August, but it costs �9 adults and �6.50 children. Or the Whitley Bay Film Festival is this year playing The Fog in the town's Lighthouse building on 22 August. Ticket prices yet to be announced.

31. Glasgow Young Scot and Kidz Card holders and an accompanying adult get in free to special Saturday morning screenings at 11.30am at the GFT, Rose St, and Cineworld Parkhead.

32. Vue Cinemas have a summer screening programme, which isn't free ? but at �1.25 is a bargain ? and runs every day through the school holidays. Vue also has a Teenscreen programme aimed at 13-18-year-olds, at �2 a ticket. Times are usually around 5-6pm.

33. Free previews can be found on sites such as Show Film First, See Film First, Momentum Screenings and Disney Screenings. Sign up and get screening codes for selected new films. But the tickets aren't plentiful and go soon. The films may also be unsuitable for under-18s. A useful starting place is the Free Cinema Tickets Forum on the moneysavingexpert.com website.

Free theatre and live shows

34. Free tickets to the X Factor Shows ? and many other popular TV programmes ? can be found at the Applause Store. The drawback is that most are age restricted (16+ and 18+ is common) so it's not great for families with younger children. The website is currently taking free reservations for the X Factor auditions in Cardiff, Liverpool, London and Manchester during June and July. Applausestore is currently operating a reserve list for Sing if You Can, a new ITV primetime singing show, that only has a 12+ restriction.

35. The More London Free Festival runs during the summer featuring free theatre, music, film screenings, fringe events and live music performances for all ages at The Scoop, the outdoor venue at More London near Tower Bridge. Wednesday 1 June - Friday 30 September.

36. Not free, but terrific value at just �5, are the groundling tickets at Shakespeare's Globe theatre on the South Bank, London. After all, it was Shakespeare who coined the phrase "Neither a borrower nor a lender be." You have to stand in the yard but it's right in front of the actors and is an experience not to be missed. This summer's programme includes Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It and Anne Boleyn.

37. Shakespeare's Globe on Tour returns this summer with Hamlet and As You Like It, playing at venues across the country. Again, it's not free but tickets start at �5 for children in spectacular locations such as the open-air Minack Theatre on the coast near Penzance.

38. The Watch This Space London Festival takes place outside the National Theatre with outdoor theatre, circus, music and dance events over the summer, including highlights such as science fiction inspired light projections, aerial circus performers, paintball jugglers and wire walkers, from Friday 1 July to Sunday 11 September ,with most events free to attend.

39. Free theatre workshops are thin on the ground, so it's a matter of checking local drama clubs. For example, Flash Musicals Youth Theatre in Edgware, Middlesex, runs a week-long summer holiday workshop free of charge to children aged eight and up living in Harrow or Brent. At the workshop, participants learn a musical and perform it in the theatre at the end of the week to family and friends. There are lots of fee-charging theatre groups offering week-long summer workshops for young people, such as TheatreWorks in Leeds and Creation Theatre in Oxford, but prices start at �100.

Free arts and crafts workshops

40. Free family arts and crafts workshops take place at Somerset House in central London every Saturday afternoon throughout the rest of the year. All of the workshops give families the chance to explore Somerset House, the Courtauld Gallery and Embankment Galleries: Saturdays 2pm-3.30pm. Suitable for children aged six-12. Free tickets available from the information desk in the Seaman's Hall at 1pm on the day on a first-come first-served basis.

41. Free workshops at the British Library are based on its world famous collection and are suitable for ages six to adult. They take place from 11am-12.30pm and 3pm-4.30pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2-25 August. No booking required.

Free museums

42. Despite cutbacks, national museums remain free. Check the DCMS website for a list of the museums and galleries which are free to all. Many are in London, but you'll find ones outside the capital too, such as the National Railway Museum in York, and the National Media Museum in Bradford.

43. Impact at Royal Observatory is a free exhibition exploring the history of meteors, comets and asteroids and their potential effects on our planet with photographs, awe-inspiring films and interactive exhibits. Saturday 12 March to Monday 29 August.

44. Tate Modern in London is to open a new under-five's zone: a free play space for toddlers and their families which invites "children on a creative, physical and sensory exploration of themes inspired by Cubist art works". Tate Modern and its sister gallery Tate Britain offer Children's Multimedia Guides, available daily from the respective information desks, and priced at �4 (�3.50 concessions) for five-year-olds and over.

45. "BP Saturdays at Tate Britain" will kick off as soon as schools break up on 23 July. These free events for families will include drop-in artist-led activities and gallery workshops, taking place on Saturdays from 10am-3pm. Watch out, too, for the first big open-air screening of the Tate Movie Project in Trafalgar Square, due to be unveiled in the summer. It will show contributions towards an animated film made by and for children across the UK, as part of an ambitious national project involving five-13-year-olds.

The National Trust

46. Entry prices into some of the National Trust's properties can seem steep, but in tune with austerity, it has created a programme of activities you can enjoy without spending a penny.

47. Free National Trust activities in Yorkshire and the north-east include "spot the dancing bear and turtle" at Brimham Rocks and "Go rock pooling in Robin Hood's Bay". In the north-west, you can get poetic with Wordsworth in the Lake District; stand among 38 stones at Castlerigg Stone Circle, or walk in the footsteps of Beatrix Potter in Hawkshead.

48. In central England, the National Trust is tempting families with crabbing at Brancaster, and bird watching in Dunwich. Or take in the views at Wenlock Edge and see Shrewsbury's last remaining watch tower.

49. In the south of England, children go free at Waddesdon Manor, a French-style chateau in the Buckinghamshire countryside. Learn about the space race at the Needles' New Battery on the Isle of Wight or learn about the Magna Carta at Runnymede.

50. In Northern Ireland, scale the highest peak at Slieve Donard, or go wildlife spotting in the Murlough Nature Reserve. In Wales, become a Roman centurion at Segontium or uncover the secrets of smugglers at Port Eynon.

And what you have to pay for

Summer camps They may not be cheap, but activity day camps can offer a vital childcare solution for many working parents worried about how they are going to manage the long school holiday.

They tend to be run by private companies or charities, typically cater for children aged between four to 16, and are usually based at schools and colleges. Some offer a wide range of things to do; others concentrate on a sport or activity such as football or tennis.

One of the biggest operators is Super Camps, which has 67 venues around the country, from Manchester to Cornwall. You can expect to pay around �154-�164 for a week (five days) at a multi-activity day camp.

Another of the biggies, King's Camps, has around 40 venues, from Bath to Aberdeen, with a concentration in the north of England and the Midlands. For a "standard hours" five-day week this summer, you might typically be looking at around �132-�135 (a few venues are cheaper ? for example, at the Leys School in Cambridge, a week currently costs �102.60). King's Camps is part of the King's Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to developing children and young people through sport.

Barracudas has 24 locations offering summer camps, predominantly in the Greater London area, the south-east and East Anglia ? they include Barnet, Brighton, Chelmsford, Sevenoaks, Twickenham and Welwyn Garden City. The typical weekly price is �134.

Camp Beaumont is another leading day camp operator in the south-east, with 11 summer locations in London and the home counties. A week typically costs �227-�235.

In all the above cases, these are usually the full brochure prices. Ask about special offers and deals such as introductory/early booking/online booking/buy one get one free and corporate discounts.

Cheap getaways The Youth Hostel Association is offering family rooms during the summer holidays in a number of its locations for just �29 per night.

The rooms, which sleep up to six people in bunk beds, have to be booked before 30 June, and you have to arrive in your chosen hostel between 22 July and 25 August 2011 ? which is bang in time for the school summer holidays.

Unlike lots of cheap-stay offers from hotel chains, the special offer hostels are in locations in which you would actually want to spend a few days. Seaside destinations include Salcombe (pictured), Tintagel, and Scarborough. Walkers and scenery lovers could head to the Lake District staying at hostels including Helvellyn or Derwentwater. Theatre fiends could stay at Stratford upon Avon ? there are over 40 to choose from, all over England and Wales.

The accommodation is basic but the advantage it has is you can choose to self-cater in the kitchens provided ? saving a fortune on eating costs. Children love it, as they tend to meet others the same age. Often there is great walking or a beach within walking distance.

Plenty of hostels are linked by public transport, and at �29 a night it's the same price as camping.

You will need to join the YHA or pay a nightly premium; family membership costs �23 a year.

You can book this summer scorcher online using promotional code SIZZLER-001. Alternatively, call the YHA on 01629 592700. Don't delay, because the rooms are expected to sell out fast.

? This article was amended on 13 June 2011. The original included the National Football Museum in Preston as an example of a museum which is outside the capital and free to enter. This museum is currently closed to the public, and is expected to open in Manchester's Urbis building in early 2012. This article also said that Trafalgar Square will see the first-ever screening of the Tate Movie Project. This has been corrected.

• Saving money
• Family finances
• Consumer affairs
• Festivals
• Museums
• Day trips
• Family holidays

Patrick Collinson

Rupert Jones

Rebecca Smithers

Jill Papworth

Miles Brignall

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jun/11/50-family-freebies-summer-holidays

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