| Product: |
Take A Break |
| Date: |
26/11/04 (1380 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: one form for several competitions, different puzzles, easy reading
Disadvantages: never win!
Take a Break Magazine
One of my favourite magazines, Take A Break magazine is designed mainly for a female market, but there are males readers, who often write in with stories, letters and other contributions. There are plenty of opportunities for reader participation in how the magazine is prepared (more about this later). This magazine is a full colour magazine out every Thursday for 72p.
There are 7 distinction areas which this magazine has every week – the articles may change but the sections remain the same.
1st area “Take a Break” street – where readers send in their pictures and comment on articles, etc. For example, there have been articles recently about the demise of knitting and several readers have sent in pictures of knitting circles, items they have knitted and commented on the fact it is not taught at schools.
2nd area - “Our Lives” where readers write in about their experiences or Take a Break examines a particular area e.g. Care Home’s 12 deaths, this includes the “Reader’s Reality articles which are often very moving articles about people losing touch/finding each other, etc. This section usually includes a Letter from The Heart – a letter from a member of the public to someone close e. g “I gained a son but lost my love” written by a male reader who prayed for a honeymoon baby and his wish was granted only for his wife to require an emergency caesarean and suffer a head trauma.
3rd area – “Health and Vitality”, where the Take A Break writers keep you informed of latest surveys, they concentrate on a particular topic e.g. breast cancer and give you information on cures, drugs, and other useful information; often there is a “My operation” and a “Coping With for example a crying baby or small talk” section, “Take 5 for … e.g. stronger bones or clearer skin, along with a section of Doctors’ questions/answers. This is always a 4-page area in the centre of the magazine, usually starting about page 21.
This always has a column called “Newsbeat”, which gives you hints and tips about what is new or coming up in this area, e.g. save stamps, foreign coins for the British Kidney Association. The magazine usually takes a controversial issue and gives both sides e.g. Obesity – have we been fed a myth?
4th area – “Our Looks” – this includes the Fashion, Liz Wilde’s Beauty Lab and the Makeover Clinic – which shows the results of one of the competitions (more about this later).
Fashion - There is always a double page spread on a particular item of Fashion e.g. Lingerie, Denim, etc.
Liz Wilde’s beauty lab - includes questions from readers about a variety of things (each week is different but can include a) which beauty products to use for a particular problem, b) a “where have they gone?” section, a “pass it on” tips section from members of the public. If you have a question for Liz, and it is used, you could get up to £40, this is if you include a photograph but you could still get £20 if you don’t. Liz always has a column for a new product (Half Price Perfumes) or newsworthy information (e.g. Sun Smart campaign)
5th area – Favourites – for this, read regular items, things that are in every week without fail. These include:
Brainwaves Road show – this is a reader participation area where you get money (£20) for submitting your useful tips for gardening, parents, keeping people amused, etc. If you submit a photograph of your useful idea, you get more money - £50. I have tried submitting an idea to this – but it has not been published, yet! It has been months so I am not holding out any hopes for it being done now.
Boot Sale Tales – another reader participation area, where you need to submit a photograph of a bargain item that you bought at a car boot sale, to get £30, if it is published.
Cookery – a double page spread and can be on a particular topic e.g. Go Greek for the Olympics, Classic Seventies recipes with a modern twist. I have never tried making any of the items but the photos are to die for! The instructions seem simple enough, I just never have the time – I am still reading Tuesday’s paper (it is Friday, today).
David Hale’s True Secrets – this is the problem page and can range from a Growing Pains section to Men’s Problems, with anything in between. They claim that all letters are genuine and Mr Hale’s by-line states, “This tough world demands tough love. That’s why you’ll think twice after reading Britain’s No 1 advice columnist” and he usually gives very good answers and tries to help the person look at it from another angle or point of view.
Dena’s Life Stars – astrology page that has a horoscope for each star sign but then has a quick tip (usually in blue) underneath each horoscope. Mine for week ending yesterday (the horoscopes go from Friday to Thursday because the magazine is delivered/available in the shops on a Thursday) states “Give parents the benefit of the doubt”; next week’s states “Show work of art at colourful venue”. Make of that what you will – especially as I cannot draw for toffee!
The Grumps – a “family” who test and review items (rather like Ciao), each item is reviewed by at least 3 of the family members who range from Boy and Girl to Granny and Grandpa. This week’s edition is cheesecake and next week’s edition is veggie burgers.
Coffee break fiction – a one page fictional story that usually has a twist at the end. These are very well written and very easy to read. My favourite part of the magazine, I think.
Your letters – this should be self-explanatory but anyway there are a couple of unusual items here. Sally Sensible and Betty Barmy want to hear from you! The “Letter of the Week” receives £50 and any other letter submitted receives £20, plus £25 for any photo printed. The unusual items are “On the Throne” and “In the Stocks”. The former item is where a reader nominates someone to be on the throne for helping others even when they are struggling themselves. The latter item is the opposite; you nominate someone for being horrible or not helping people.
6th area – Dream Hols – a double page spread on a different location every week, with a map of the country or area, ideas on what to visit, currency, etc. Very useful page.
7th area – Competitions – these are littered throughout the magazine. There are small quizzes, find the picture, word searches, arrow word style crosswords, crosswords, “I’ve shrunk the puzzle” (which has pictures of small areas of an item such as a peg, etc, which forms one of the clues in the arrow word crossword), code breakers; fit the words in the gaps, etc.
Most of the puzzles in the magazine involves you completing a puzzle such as listed above, but there are usually at least 3 competitions where you do not have to do anything – other than tick if you are interested. These are called “Prizes without puzzles” and can vary from a new toothbrush, to a weekend in London or Paris and are donated by various organisations.
All of the puzzles are fairly simple to do, and you only have to enter one sheet for all the competitions. You can fax the sheet; post the sheet or even text the answers to a mobile number! I have never won anything yet – but I keep living in Hope (not Castleton – Derbyshire joke).
To complete the answer form, you complete the puzzle and the yellow boxes are the letters that you require and these should make up a word (or set of words – each competition has easy to understand instructions above or below it) – enter this word (or words) on the correct section of the form and when you have entered all those you are interested in – send it off!
Every week there is a car up for grabs, a makeover weekend in London, £2500 cash, £2500 in travel vouchers and most weeks has a fantastic holiday e.g. An amazing break for 2 in New York including trip to Broadway. There is one competition where you get to choose the prize from a selection of prizes, which range from £500 to £2500 in increments of £500, to a total of £2500. So you could choose,
1- a holiday for 2 to Jamaica (£2500) or perhaps
2- Double glazing (£2000) and French or Spanish lessons (£500) or even
3- The foreign language lessons (£500) plus Microwave Oven/Vouchers (£500), Fashion Frenzy at Gap (£1000) and chocolates/flowers (£500).
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