In The Spotlight: The aunt at a loss for what to buy her niece.

During lockdown, we were contacted by a busy doctor who was struggling to find a gift for her young niece. Not only did she have very limited free time to search for a present, but she also felt that she wasn’t really in tune with what young children were into, since she didn’t have any of her own.

After a quick chat about her niece, we learnt that she loved science, animals and aliens. That’s when we had an idea. There's something magical about telescopes – they turn stars and supernovas into real-life movies, and allow kids to explore the boundless nature of the universe. A telescope would bring science, and astronomy, to life and nurture her niece’s interests in the most engaging and exciting way. The problem? Telescopes can be notoriously difficult to assemble and use.

 After chatting with a few of our trusted vendors, we sourced the perfect entry-level telescope. With a red-dot finder, which makes spotting celestial objects easier, straight-forward assembly and child-friendly instructions, it would be simple enough that she could use it on her own. On the other hand, it boasted some interesting advanced features, which he could he slowly learn about, meaning he’d grow with it for years to come.