This last half-term has felt like it was very long and we were truly ready for it to end. So finally when that last bell rang at school on Friday I picked the girls up for a few hours girlie time.
First stop, our local town Battle where we had some jobs to do ready for our holiday. Prescriptions to fulfil, keys to be cut, summer reading challenge to be signed up for and celebratory ice-cream milkshakes to be enjoyed! Miss M opted for a bubblegum flavour and Miss E white chocolate; I'm not much of a fan so I had an Oreo cupcake instead.
When we'd had our fill of sweet delights we drove over to Bexhill-on-Sea, which is our nearest beach and we all love it over there as it has free parking, is never too busy, has an amazing ice-cream shop, a number of good fish & chip shops, loads of charity shops, a fabulous play park and super smooth beach-side promenade perfect for skating and scooting.
The order of the day for Friday was to give the girls new 2-wheeled Sprite scooters from Micro Scooter a really good going over. They had received the scooters as part of a test we are taking part in for Start-rite to make sure that their leather school shoes can stand the beating that busy little boys and girls give them at school.
The girls received their Start-rite shoes at the end of June, so they have been wearing them every day for school for the last month and Miss E particularly loves hers and has worn them everywhere for everything. It's not often that you find a kid likes their school shoes enough to do that! This is what they received -
Left - Miss M, Senior Girls Loafer and right - Miss E, Senior Girls Brogue
Miss M's Senior girls loather in leather/ patent mix retail at £52.99 for adult sizes 4.5 - 7 and are available in F and G fittings. They are also available for £49.99 in smaller child size 10 - to adult 4 and again in F and G fittings.
Miss E's Senior girls brogue are available in either matt black leather or patent black leather and retail for £54.99 for adult sizes 4.5 - 7 but they are available in fitting E, F and G, so are great for those with slimmer feet. Again there are smaller sizes available for £49.99 in child size 10 through to adult 4 with the same three width fittings. The leather laces are great, really durable and they don't fray at the ends like so many do.
It is worth bearing in mind that Start-rite sizing is a little different to most other shops, so you should definitely measure your child's feet to ensure you order the right size. I printed off the measure from the Start-rite website and this helps you to measure the length and width of their feet so you can get great fitting shoes. I really was super impressed with how well this works as both girls received their shoes and they fit first time! This in itself is a first!
Both are very comfy shoes and I have been pleased that neither girl has got a blister from wearing their brand new shoes as they have a padded ankle to prevent rubbing. There are also rubber soles for durability and comfort, are leather lined to ensure comfort and the absorption of any moisture and have a removable cushion insole.
From a parents point of view I'm very pleased with both of these Start-rite shoes as they are nice and sturdy and I can see they will last. Both my girls are heavy footed and I can't buy them dainty school shoes as they get knocked out in no time. I feel confident that even after wearing these over the summer they will still be good for going back to school in September. Of course they'll need a good polish up as the girls will scrap and wear them out but that is the great thing with real leather, you can polish them back up to perfection.
You can find Start-rite shoes in many high street shops, we used to buy ours in John Lewis but now we live in the middle of nowhere we get them online and it is £2.99 per order (so regardless of the number of shoes you order) and this gives you next day delivery (except weekends) and free returns should you need to.
As you can see the girls really have been putting their shoes through the mill. No gentle footsteps round here, shoes are for wearing and life is for living!
We've worked with Start-rite before on a shoe test, back in 2014, when I was really pleased that Start-rite asked me to get all three of my children to wear their shoes and to report back with photos at regular intervals to see how the shoes were wearing, you can have a look at the results over HERE. It is great to find a brand who want honest opinions from the bloggers they work with, not just a quick fix!
I'm linking this post up with Fiona at Coombe Mill for #CountryKids.
Disclosure: We received two pair of Start-rite shoes and two Micro Scooters for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest.
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