Longacres Blog

We are so pleased to see that you have found the Longacres Shelf Elf page! There is quite a lot to read and there are some big words used, so make sure to politely ask your mummy, daddy or guardian to read it out for you.   We've recently received this email from Santa addressed to all of the good boys and girls who have taken home a Longacres Shelf Elf:    Father Christmas Santa's Den The North Pole 1st November 2015   Ho, ho, ho! It's almost Christmas and it's getting very busy for us all up here at the North Pole what with finding out what everybody wants for Christmas, making toys, wrapping presents and getting back in shape ready for the big day (I had an awful lot of mince pies and brandy after Christmas last year which has taken its toll on my tummy!), so to help me and all the busy parents around the world I've decided to send out my team of hard-working elves to join you and your family in your home until Christmas Eve. As soon as you get home, be sure to give your cuddly Elf a name (he is your adopted Elf after all!) and introduce him to your mummy, daddy, guardian, brothers, sisters, dog, cat, goldfish and cuddly toys and don’t forget to give them a guided tour. Remember: your elf is very small compared to you and it would be quite easy for him to get lost in an unfamiliar giant home!   It's not all play though - your Elf has an assigned job to do for me!   Each day your Elf will be taking up a different spot in your home and keeping an eye on everything to make sure all is running smoothly to help your parents. Your Elf will then be borrowing your mummy, daddy or guardian's phone or computer after you’ve gone to sleep to let me know all about his day and what he’s seen which will give me an idea of what to bring you for Christmas. Be careful though - I may from time-to-time ask your Elf if he’s seen any naughty behaviour – so try your very best to be really good at all times!  My team of elves all LOVE to be cuddled, listen to stories, go on adventures and hear your Christmas wishes, so spend some quality time with him each day – but always be sure to take him back to where you first found him that morning or afternoon or I won’t hear about all your good behaviour (if you find him that day at all – they really are experts at their favourite game of hide-and-seek!). Your Elf will then be returning to the North Pole after you’ve gone to sleep on Christmas Eve to help me deliver the presents around the world to all the good boys and girls. You won't be saying goodbye forever though – he is YOUR adopted elf and will be back on duty again next year! Well that's all from me for now – I must dash as it's almost time for the reindeers' afternoon carrots and sugar cubes and they get grumpy if it’s late. Just remember - be good and take care of your Elf! I shall look forward to hearing his daily reports starting tomorrow night.   Lots of love from Santa, Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and ALL of the elves here at the North Pole   xxx   Santa also attached lots of photos of the Longacres Shelf Elves on some of their previous adventures to his email:   Elves just LOVE spending time with other cuddly toys and sharing their stories with each other every night!   You might sometimes find your Elf hidden in your Christmas tree - they get a great view high up there!     Santa might ask your Elf if you've been keeping your bedroom clean and tidy!   Your Elf won't always make it easy for you to find him - he might be in a most unexpected place! Elves spend a lot of time in my den at the North Pole, so make sure to take him on lots of adventures outside too. His scarf and hat will keep him warm!  

Listening to our local radio station yesterday, someone was saying that they start playing their Christmas music in October.   Whilst we’re not quite so early here at Longacres, we thought it worth mentioning – for those of you who like to get into the Christmas spirit early – that we have a range of artificial Christmas trees ready for you to pick up and decorate. Our range starts from just £29 for a 4 foot Green Arctic Spruce, ranging up to £399 for a 7 foot pre-lit Lake Shore Blue Spruce.  Our stock is from Tree Classics and Kaemingk and if you add some ScentSicles hanging ornaments in a range of natural fragrances, we bet your friends will think they are real trees!  Adding a Wicker Tree Skirt makes you artificial tree look even better. Our smallest trees start at just 60cm and are a snip at £4.49.  They are great for a table centrepiece.  We also have pre-lit ones to make your table sparkle that little bit more for your Christmas dinner. Limited space to put a tree and only that one corner of the lounge that it could fit into?  No worries!  Tree Classics present the Green Pencil (needs no sharpening).  This stunning 6ft tree is so slim, we’re sure it would fit into even the tiniest of spaces. There is also a good selection of artificial garlands and wreaths already in store.  Artificial garlands are ideal for decorating a myriad of furniture from bookcases to mirrors without the mess of pine needles ending up stuck in your sofa or embedded in your carpet!  Our artificial wreaths look lovely on their own, but did you know you can also use them as a base to add some real holly too for that extra special look?  Some even have LED lights included! If you want to keep the children occupied for a while, you might like to consider a Lego Advent Calendar.  There is a choice of Lego City, Friends or Star Wars in stock now. We also have a range of house and tree lights and animated figures, as well as the ever popular Lemax Christmas Village collection.  Keep an eye out in store for the full range of Christmas decorations and accessories coming soon. If this is a tad early for you to be thinking about Christmas, don’t forget we have a huge range of Halloween items on offer in store at the moment. Even Santa likes a pumpkin you know!

You may think that here at Longacres we're all about gardening. We are (of course) but we do enjoy some lovely food as well so we have a large food hall featuring a wide range of products. From butchers to bakers (no candlestick makers - although we stock a great range of scented candles and holders!), fresh fruit and vegetables, biscuits, snacks and speciality foods from America and South Africa. Our bakers provide fresh bread and cakes daily, along with croissants, doughnuts and hot soups. Bevans Butchers offer a wide range of meats, including some very tasty marinated dishes to tickle your taste buds. Not only that, they also offer cheeses from around the world, speciality cooked meats, pies and fish. We also offer seasonal selections ranging from Easter eggs through to Christmas cakes and puddings, and the most delicious Panettone selection. If you're looking for something different or a yummy treat, we look forward to seeing you in the Food Hall at Longacres Bagshot soon.

On Friday the 29th of July 2016 Longacres completed the purchase of a new site - welcome to Longacres Bybrook Barn! Watch out for our grand opening weekend on the 8th and 9th of October, with some very special exclusive offers... (you can view opening times and contact details here, but please be aware that opening times are subject to change very soon!) Based in Ashford, Kent, Bybrook Barn has been running for over 40 years - family-owned, very similar to Longacres. It was one of the country's leading garden centres, and we aim to restore it to this status as quickly as possible! It's important to note that it's very much business as usual while we start the improvement works - we've retained all of the staff and we are still open 7 days a week. What's taking place? We've begun the big task of clearing out the tired fixtures and fittings - ready to improve every department. After that we'll be adding: Cut flowers! Immediately on your right as you enter the centre will be a brand new flower fridge, offering the same range and value as you'll find at all Longacres stores. We'll also be providing floristry services - ready-made hand tied bouquets, along with a make up service and the usual offerings of flowers for events, funerals and more. More ranges and LOTS more products - indoor and outdoor plants, garden sundries, giftware, seasonal ranges like barbecues and furniture, toys, cards, clothing, chemicals, stoneware, food, fencing - everything you would expect from a modern garden centre. Online shopping and Click and Collect - although Bybrook had a website, it was for information only. In the next month or so (once we have products in place) you'll be able to order online for delivery or collection in store. A drive through area - ideal for loading up on bulky gardening essentials like compost, bark, turf and aggregates. This has proved a great success at Longacres in Bagshot. We'll also be improving and re-lining the car park to make it easier for customers. We're very excited about our new site, and look forward to seeing you there! If you're planning a visit you can find us here: Longacres Bybrook Barn, Cemetery Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN24 9JZ Nigel Long and Terry Burch shaking hands on completion

School is out for summer so we here at Longacres want to help you make the most of it! To keep the kids entertained this summer, we’re running a competition to win £100 worth of Summer play products. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this amazing prize is send us a picture of your outdoors den or play area! Whether it be a tree house, a fairy garden patch, a Wendy house, a pop up tent or even a couple of sofa cushions made in to a fort on the lawn, we want to see you enjoying and making the most of the summer! To enter, simply post your image on the Longacres Facebook page and be sure to show us some love with a ‘Like’ & a ‘Share’ on the pinned post at the top of the page. Good luck everyone and be sure to put on some sun cream before venturing outside to snap a photo! Entries must be submitted by the 07/08/16 at 11:59pm with the winner being announced on the evening of 08/08/16. All images must be your own. Maximum of one entry per child. Parents and guardians can upload multiple pictures if you have more than 1 child. To be in with a chance of winning you must have hit the like and share buttons on the pinned post at the top of the Longacres Facebook page. If any children are included in your picture that are not your own you MUST get consent from their parents or guardians. Longacres does not take responsibility for any pictures that are submitted that break the previous rule - but can remove anything at the request of parents or guardians via a private message to the page. If you do not have a Facebook account but would still like to enter, you can email us a picture to customerservices@longacres.co.uk and we will upload it for you. Winner must be able to pick out and collect prizes from our Bagshot branch (yes you get to choose your own prizes up to £100.00 in value!) We think this is appropriate right now:

Did you know that Pokemon Go is now officially out in the UK? Better still, we have a PokeStop right here at Longacres! If your playing in store then be sure to take a screenshot to let us know. You can find us on Facebook or Instagram and Twitter by searching for @LongacresGC Whether it be a Squirtle amidst the shrubs, a Charmander in the children toys or a Bulbasaur in the bakery - we want to see what you've caught! Good luck!

For just 2 weeks only, you can save massive 25% off Furniture sets, Gas barbecues & Charcoal barbecues to help you make the most of Summer 2016! Now you can transform your garden for even less with our amazing range of outdoor furniture and barbecues! We have some astonishing prices including the Emelina 6 Seat Set now at £561.75 (RRP £1079, Was £749), the Wentworth Bar Set now at £674.25 (RRP £1399, Was £899), the Amola Sofa Set now at £675.25 (RRP £1129, Was £899) and more barbecues than you could shake a stick at! You can view our range online and our full range in store at our Bagshot branch. Be sure to call us on 01276 476 778 before placing any orders as stock is selling fast! We also have a huge range of barbecue fuels, accessories and fresh meat from Bevan's Butchers to help you make the most of your brand new barbecues, as well as a range of furniture covers to ensure your furniture stays in tip top condition (these items are not included in the sale - sorry!) Don't forget you can keep up to date with all our latest news and offers by clicking 'Like' on the Longacres Facebook page and 'Follow' on the Longacres Twitter page.

Techmar is the simple and easy plug & play lighting system that anyone can install and enjoy (no electrician courses needed we promise!) Ideal for lighting up any path way, garden feature, wall, bed, porch, decking, pond or any other area of your garden you can think of. We stock a wide range of lamps, post lights, stone lights, spot lights, leads, transformers, timers and connectors to make sure that any area of garden that you want illuminated can be enjoyed even when the sun goes down. You can view our range of products online by clicking here. Take a look at just how simple it really is by viewing our YouTube video below.

Scruffs have created a fantastic new range of cooling mats that help keep your dog cool this Summer, with no freezing or refrigerating needed! Simply unroll the non toxic gel filled mat and watch your beloved dog enjoy a place to sit that is 5-10 degrees cooler than room temperature for a whole hour. When the hour is up, simply leave the mat unused for another hour and it's ready to be used again - it really is as simple as that! You can view our range of cool mats online by clicking here.

For when you want something a little bit more eye catching and bright in your garden, you need Rockin' Colour! Forget your quite little corner of peace and bliss; some people want a garden that the astronauts can see from the International Space Station! And we can't blame them; everyone wants something different and there isn't much that's more different than our Rockin' Colour range! Our 20kg bags are currently £5.99 each or 2 for £10, so you can fill up your garden and make it a unique place to spend time in for less. You can view our range online by clicking here. Love it or hate it? Let us know in the comments section below!

The title says it all doesn't it.  Could anything really be that easy?  Yes!  Wet and Forget really does do what it says on the pack. If you are struggling to clean your drive of lichen or your patio of moss, this is the solution.  Wet and Forget is non-caustic, non-acidic and contains no bleach.  Just one 5L container makes 30L of product.  Spray onto the surface and....yep, forget!   Not only will it remove moss, algae, lichen and mould, it carries on working for 12 months.  The other great thing about it is that if you don't need to use it all straight away, it has an unlimited shelf life.  Currently on sale for £29.99 at Longacres. See it in action here:

Our good friends from 96.4 Eagle Radio will be joining us on Monday 4th of July as part of The Love Tour 2016! The team will be setting up and broadcasting from 6.30am all the way through until 9.00pm in the Longacres Bagshot car park. It promises to be an amazing day with 10% off purchases* all day, late night opening until 9.00pm, fun, games, the £1,000 minute played live, an outdoor barbecue & summer party (weather permitted) and so much more! Why not pop down and say hello to Peter Gordon, Bev, Adam Morris, Simon Rose and Lewis Mason during their day with us here at Longacres to celebrate the 4th of July in style (yee-haw!) You can keep up to date with all the latest news by joining our Facebook event here. *offer excludes gift vouchers, garden buildings & alcohol