Being the proud owner of a Blue Peter badge has always been something to shout about, and now CBBC is giving kids the chance to earn six for themselves this summer.
A different Blue Peter badge will be celebrated over six weeks, with children between the ages of 6-15 encouraged to apply for each one and show CBBC how they’re getting on by sending in photos and videos of their achievements.
Whilst the badges won’t simply be awarded for just sending/uploading projects to the CBBC website, kids can use what they have made to apply for each badge.
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Owning a Blue Peter badges also entitles kids to FREE admission at over 200 events/attractions across the UK.
The six badges up for grabs are – Green, Sport, Music, Blue, Fan Club and Silver.
Green badges are awarded for sending in letters, pictures and makes that are about the environment, conservation, nature and saving the planet; the Sport badge is awarded for getting active, and for trying a new sport or physical activity; the Music badge – designed by Ed Sheeran – is awarded to those who show off their passion for music by learning a new instrument, or being part of a musical performance; Blue badges are awarded for sending in interesting letters, stories, makes, pictures and poems, as well as potential ideas for the show; the Purple badge is a special badge awarded to those for joining the Blue Peter Fan Club; and finally, the Silver badge is given those who already hold a Blue badge and is awarded for making an extra effort and trying something new.
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How do you apply for a Blue Peter badge?
Applications for each badge in the Blue Peter Six Badges of Summer programme are now open.
If you would like to apply for a badge, you’ll need to do so by post at the moment. Even though email applications were previously accepted for certain badges, these are currently on hold due to the volume of applications received amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The BBC has increased the size of its team in recent weeks to cope with extra demand, but is currently receiving an overwhelming number of emails, which is affecting how quickly it can respond to badge applications.
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Only one badge at a time may be applied for per application.
Children must apply for badges themselves and are encouraged to put in as much effort as they can with their application to make sure it stands out amongst the thousands of others received.
Whilst children between the ages of 6-15 may only be eligible for the Six Badges of Summer, the little ones have no reason to feel left out as they can still get involved with the six-week wall chart and sticker pack that’s available to download on the CBeebies website here.
Even little CBeebies kids can join #BluePeter's 6 Badges of Summer challenge!
Six weeks. Six stickers. Six reasons to get involved.
For more information about the Blue Peter Six Badges of Summer programme and to check out some of the amazing work already submitted, visit the CBBC website here.
You can find further T&Cs, FAQs and apply for Blue Peter badges here.
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‘Significant risk’ of UK gas shortages this winter, regulator warns
Georgina Pellant
Energy regulator Ofgem has warned that the UK faces a ‘significant risk’ of gas shortages this winter.
According to reports in The Times, the regulator has unveiled concerns that the country could face blackouts over the coming months thanks to an undersupply of gas to Europe caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Warning that a “gas supply emergency” could be looming ahead, the energy regulator has said that some gas-fired power plants could see their supplies cut off, which in turn would stop generators from producing electricity.
The alert comes just days before an expected update from the National Grid on the likelihood of countrywide power cuts this winter.
Responsing to arequest from SSE, which owns several gas power stations, Ofgem outlined what is set to be a huge issue of concern given that the UK relies on large gas plants to produce the biggest share of its electricity supply.
The regulator also pointed to rules that could see power plants penalised as a result of shortages, warning of a worst-case scenario that would see the “potential insolvency of gas-fired generators” caused by rules that require plants to pay huge charges if they fail to deliver on promised quotas.
A letter from Ofgem has revealed the energy regulator is concerned about a "gas supply emergency" this year.
The letter said the war in Ukraine and gas shortages in Europe had led to a "significant risk that gas shortages could occur" this winter in the UK.
Adding that the issue must be addressed to prevent a “significant impact on the safety and security of the electricity and/or gas systems”, the regulator echoed concerns now widespread in Europe as its comments followed a similar statement made by the International Energy Agency (IEA) this morning.
Europeans are already being told they must lower their thermostats and boilers in preparation in case gas supplies are cut off, with Paris-based agency IEA warning today that the EU must focus on getting underground gas reserve levels to 90% of capacity in case of a complete Russian supply shut-off.
Preparation are already being made in Europe with the German government having approved a set of energy-saving measures for the winter to limit use in public buildings. In France, meanwhile, companies have already been warned they may face energy rationing this winter.
Whilst the UK government is yet to announce any energey saving measures, Ofgem has said that it expect s“this winter to be more challenging than last year” and that it is taking “reasonable regulatory steps to mitigate and reduce the risks”.
However, there are concerns that if gas-fired power plants incur costs these could, in turn, lead to energy bills rising for consumers once again.
SSE estimated that it could be fined as much as £276 million for every day it is unable to generate power, rising to £475 million for its largest plants.
This risk, it said, will force generators to reduce their advance sales and could end up “raising costs for electricity consumers” in the long run.
Incredible misty drone footage shows how Manchester earned its ‘Manctopia’ nickname
Daisy Jackson
Drone footage captured from way above Manchester shows just how quickly the city has grown – and proves that our hometown is well on its way to earning its ‘Manctopia’ nickname.
Cast your mind back just a few years and you’ll remember that Beetham Tower stuck out like a sore thumb, towering many storeys above the next tallest building.
In fact, until just four years ago, the next-tallest building here was City Tower, which was a good 17 storeys shorter than Beetham Tower.
Then along came Renaker with visions for an entirely new skyscraper neighbourhood – Deansgate Square.
The drone footage captured above Manchester. Credit: Instagram @lef_tsotour
This group of skyscrapers now completely dominate the Manchester skyline, with the tallest building a massive 65 storeys tall.
South Tower is not only the tallest building in Greater Manchester, it’s also the 10th tallest in the entire UK, and the biggest outside of London.
It’s all led to Manchester being coined ‘Manctopia’, the name of a BBC documentary that followed property developers Capital & Centric as they redevelop buildings around the region.
One local photographer has managed to capture the unbelievable scale of our new, ultra-modern city skyline, with drone footage soaring among the skyscrapers.
Known on Instagram as @lef_tsotour, they shared a video taken on a misty Manchester morning.
It captures both Deansgate Square, with sun glinting off the many windows of the towers, and the now-dwarfed Beetham Tower.
You can also see the railway lines snaking through the city centre, cars nipping around the ring road, and the comparatively small apartment blocks around Castlefield.
Commenting on the video, one person said: “This is mint.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th July 2020 
