Families looking for a great value day out in Staffordshire over the school holidays can now access a handy what’s on guide.
To help people plan their days out, Enjoy Staffordshire has produced a guide with things to do – which will cost a family of four no more than £30.
The 30 under £30 guide has a huge variety of days out, with something for everyone, and includes a list of attractions which offer value-for-money annual passes, discounts for advance online bookings and for Blue Light card holders.
Meanwhile, a campaign to support residents across Stoke-on-Trent live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives has been launched in time for the school holidays.
The ‘Get Active’ campaign encourages people to become more active and take a step in the right direction when it comes to their physical health and wellbeing.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been working with partners and communities to provide a calendar of activities and events happening throughout the city which makes it easy for residents to take a step in the right direction and get active.
The council wants to help people get out and about and enjoy taking part in activities. Visitors to stoke.gov.uk/getactive can now check out events and activities for all ages in one place.
In Lichfield, a variety of free sporting activities have been arranged for seven to 19-year-olds.
The sessions include kickboxing, street dance, football, soft archery, and glow sports, with no booking required.
SPACE leisure activity passes are also available for £20 giving access to unlimited public swimming, off peak court hire, summer activities, crazy golf and disc and foot golf at either Burntwood or Friary Grange Leisure Centres.
For more details and the activity timetable, visit the Active Lichfield website.
In Newcastle-under-Lyme several organisations, including the Borough Council, are delivering special activities, sessions and events – which are either free or low cost.
At the award-winning Brampton Museum, a series of themed workshops are available every Wednesday at 10.30am thanks to National Lottery players:
- Interactive storytime – 24 July – free admission
- Beginners’ watercolour painting – 7 August – £5 per child
- Play with clay – 21 August – £5 per child
- Wild about Brampton – 28 August – £5 per child
Free tickets to these activities are available to families in need by contacting the free-to-enter museum. More information, including museum opening times and workshop pre-booking, is available here.
New Vic Theatre is inviting young people, aged 10 to 15, to take part in a “Play in a Week” experience from Monday, 29 July to Friday, 2 August – inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett’s much-loved novel The Secret Garden.
They will learn about the world of play, read through a script, be cast in a short play, rehearse with their fellow cast members and then perform the play in front of their family and friends.
Younger children can celebrate the work of Frances Hodgson Burnett on Tuesday, 6 and Wednesday, 7 August through craft making and drama. More details here.
As part of Staffordshire Police’s SPACE 2024 scheme, a whole host of activities are on offer in Newcastle too. They include:
- Free DJ workshops in the safe space, opposite Café Nero, in Newcastle town centre – as well as Clough Hall Park – every week.
- Multi-sports in Newcastle and Clough Hall Park.
- Free tennis sessions at Clough Hall Park, Westlands Sports Ground and Wolstanton Park, with equipment provided.
- Complimentary comic book art and animation sessions with a professional artist at Brampton Museum on Tuesdays.
- Free trampolining coaching, including disability-friendly sessions, at Chesterton Community Sports College.
- Climbing wall at Chesterton Park and Clough Hall Park on two dates.
- Free practical studio sessions at Hitmix Radio, based at Alsagers Bank.
More information is available on all events around the county are available on the Space website.
In Cannock, the Council in partnership with Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles has announced the Kids CAN Club, a dynamic new initiative designed to keep children active, engaged, and entertained throughout the summer.
This programme is part of the Cannock Chase Can App and promises a variety of free activities for kids of all ages – from sports and games to arts and crafts.
Anyone downloading the Cannock Chase Can App before Steomnber 7 will be entered into a free prize draw.
For more information, visit www.cannockchasedc.gov.uk/theCANclub or download the Cannock Chase Can app for free from the App Store and Google Play.
What’s On Where
Among the attractions mentioned in the Enjoy Staffordshire 30 under 30 guide are the Snowdome, Tamworth, where there are special offers on ice skating, the snow fun park, and swimming, and Weston Park, where a family ticket is £24.80 if booked in advance.
Other suggestions include Apedale Valley Light Railway, near Newcastle, where £23 will get a family ticket for the day, and at the neighbouring Apedale Country park, people can roam and picnic to their hearts content.
For those families craving the great outdoors, they can also breathe in the fresh air and relax in the wide-open spaces of the Peak District National Park, Cannock Chase National Landscape, and the National Forest. Or even escape to one of the county’s numerous country parks.
Branston Water Park, near Burton, is a free admission local nature reserve with plenty of activities. Here families can see a whole host of wildlife, along with well looked after walking routes.
Tamworth Castle has free entry to the extensive riverside Pleasure Grounds, and more great value family days out can be enjoyed at Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, near Leek, Lichfield Cathedral’s summer beach installation, and the World of Wedgwood in Barlaston.
At the Staffordshire Regiment Museum near Lichfield, for £20 families can follow the story of the bravery and heroism of serving members of the armed forces over the last 300 years.
The National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, which is also free to enter, has lots of fun activities such as sensory play, arts & crafts, and the immersive Gobbledygook Theatre.
Staffordshire’s visitor economy is worth around £2.3billion annually, attracting around 36.5million day or overnight trips each year and supporting around 24,000 jobs.
People can find out more and read the team’s full list of 30 days out here.
