The summer holidays are finally here and is there is plenty of fun-filled activity going on across Stoke-on-Trent for the whole family.
Cllr Lorraine Beardmore, cabinet member for culture, leisure and public health said:
“We have a whole host of activities planned to ensure families across Stoke-on-Trent are spoilt for choice for what to do during the school holidays.
“Whether it’s the Summer Reading Challenge, swimming activities at our leisure centres or fun-filled workshops at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery or Gladstone Pottery Museum, we have something for everyone.”
Here is a comprehensive list of all the events and activities you can get involved in -
Family fun at our Leisure Centres
All of our leisure centres will be offering different pool activities alongside our usual fitness offer in gyms plus a host of classes.
Here is what's going on and where -
Fenton Manor Sports Complex
Monday – Friday (Main Pool)
10.15am -11.45am Inflatable aqua run Session - £6 per session
1.30pm - 3pm Inflatable aqua run Session - £6 per session,
Monday-Friday (Small Pool)
10.15am - 11.45am Aqua-tots with floats and toys - £4.60 parent and child
12noon - 1.30pm Leisure Swims - £4.60 adult, £3.60 junior
1.45am - 3.45pm Leisure Swims - £4.60 adult, £3.60 junior
Booking in advance is advised to avoid disappointment. This can be done via the Active Stoke app or by calling the centre on 01782 233222.
New Horizons Sport and Leisure Centre
Monday – Friday (Pool)
10am -11.30pm Inflatable aqua run Session - £5 per session
12.00noon -1.30pm Inflatable aqua run Session - £5 per session
2.30pm - 4pm Floats and toys - £4 per session
On the day of your visit you can upgrade any pre-booked swim to a day pass and receive full access to the sports hall activities for just £2.50 more.
Monday – Friday (Sports Hall)
10:00am - 16:00pm Sports hall mixed activities (includes bouncy castle, soft play, giant games, football and table tennis) - £5 per day (or just £2.50 when upgrading to a day pass).
Booking in advance is strongly advised to avoid disappointment. This can be done via the Active Stoke app or by calling the centre on 01782 235037.
Dimensions Leisure Centre
Visit Dimensions during the summer holidays, slide down the dragon slide, swim in the rapids and take full advantage of the fantasy pool with lots of sessions to choose from.
Bookings for swim sessions can be made seven days in advance and payment will be taken at the time of booking.
All sessions must be booked in advance. This can be done via the Active Stoke app or please follow this link https://www.stoke.gov.uk/dimensions or call 01782 233500
Please note: Dimensions will not accept any ‘walk-ins’ for swim sessions.
The phoneline may be busy but please leave a voicemail with your name and number and the team will return your call as soon as possible.
The slide/features and pool sessions are subject to change and availability.
Prices are: £6 for adults, £4.50 for children and £1.50 for under 5’s.
General Information about using our Pools
Our holiday programme starts on Monday 25 July and finishes on Friday 2 September 2022. Bank Holiday, 29 August, Fenton Manor and Dimensions open 10am - 4pm on, Hew Horizons is not open.
Please note that all week swimmers / non-swimmers will be provided with armbands that must be worn at all times when in the rapids area of Dimensions pool or on the inflatables at Fenton Manor and New Horizons.
All children under 8 years must be accompanied by a responsible adult aged 16+
Adult to child ratios apply, please enquire when booking.
Locker charges are applicable and car parking charges apply at Fenton Manor and Dimensions.
Summer Camp returns to City of Stoke Gymnastics Centre
The North Staffs Gymnastics Club summer camp returns to City of Stoke Gymnastics Centre from Monday 25 July.
Running for 5 weeks, sessions will run from 9am-3pm.
Children will need to be aged 5 and over to attend the sessions. The cost will be £19 per day or a full week will be £80. Children will need to bring a packed lunch. Bookings can be secured by calling Alison at North Staffs Gymnastics Club on 07376406131.
A deposit of half fees which is non-refundable will be required to secure a space and will be on a first come basis. Please note that your normal classes in the evening will still run whether you are in the recreational, development or squad. Children who don’t attend our normal classes at the centre are also welcome.
Port Vale Football Camps
Port Vale are back with their popular football camps during the Summer holidays at Dimensions Leisure Centre
Summer Camps are now LIVE!
6 weeks FULL of fun football sessions, small football matches, tournaments and plenty of PVFC prizes to be won!
Book here, using the following- https://bit.ly/PVFCSummerCamps
The Summer Reading Challenge is back!
The Summer Reading Challenge has returned to Stoke-on-Trent libraries, with this year's theme being Gadgeteers.
Gadgeteers will inspire children across the country to feed their imagination over the summer holiday with a reading challenge focused on science and innovation.
Children can take part through their local library or at home through the online platform.
This year's Summer Reading Challenge book collection features 67 inspiring titles for different reading levels encompassing picture books, early readers and middle grade titles, with fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and graphic novels included. The books all engage with the key Gadgeteers themes of everyday science, invention and creation and fun with friends.
Find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge.
Tales in the Park comes to the six towns!
The National Literacy Trust are bringing Tales in the Park to the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent this summer.
Stoke Reads, a National Literacy Hub, in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent Libraries will deliver seven storytelling festivals across the school holidays.
Events take place on
- Friday 29 July - Tunstall Park
- Tuesday 2 August – Burslem Park
- Friday 5 August - Yeaman Street Park
- Tuesday 9 August - Fenton Park
- Friday 12 August - Hanley Park
- Tuesday 16 August - Longton Park
- Friday 19 August - Bucknall Park
Find out more on Facebook
Spend the summer in Stoke-on-Trent libraries
Throughout the summer Stoke-on-Trent libraries will continue to offer their wonderful weekly early years sessions.
Singing Bears sessions are available at all Stoke-on-Trent Libraries. These sessions are a mixture of songs, rhymes, music and actions and are perfect for very young children and babies.
Bouncing Bears sessions will be running at Bentilee Library, City Central Library and Longton Library. Bouncing Bears are perfect sessions for active, confident toddlers and are a wonderful mix of songs, rhymes, music and movement.
Singing Bears and Bouncing Bears sessions are a lot of fun but they also help children to develop their gross and fine motor skills, grow their speech, language and vocabulary and are also a great way to develop a bond between adult and child.
Days and times of early years sessions are listed on the Stoke-on-Trent Libraries webpages.
Come and see Hive Mind perform
The Q20 Theatre Group heads to The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 6 August for a performance of Hive Mind.
Drawing on the golden age of Hollywood, Hive Mind explores the world of the Honeybees, the plight of the humans and our own relationship to nature. An off the wall, steampunk look at the life of worker bees featuring music and dance straight out of an MGM musical!
The show opens with giant flowers being handed out throughout the audience. These turn the audience themselves into a vibrant colourful meadow and bring them into the world of the Honeybee. Flipping our world on its head, 2 worker bees navigate their way through hive life, worrying about Nectar targets and hive hierarchy.
Find out more about Hive Mind.
The Stoke on Trent BID's School's Out Program is offering FREE City Centre events for the whole six-week period.
Starting on July 25, events are planned beneath the umbrellas on Piccadilly, Hanley. Yoga for young children and teens, performance & workshops with entertainers Circus in a Box are among the activities. Long Rest Board Game Café will also be offering board game sessions, and children’s fitness classes are being held by DP Fitness.
Additionally, the Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID is collaborating with Stoke Reads and Stoke-on-Trent City Libraries to bring a children's reading room to Piccadilly for the duration of the summer holidays.
Location: Piccadilly, City Centre
Dates: 25th July – 2nd September
Time: Weekdays, 10am – 3pm
All events scheduled are Weather Dependent
Click here to view the full programme: https://www.stokeontrentcitycentre.co.uk/whats-on/schools-out-p1766961
Visit the Staffordshire Hoard: Treasure of Mercia Gallery
The Staffordshire Hoard: Treasure of Mercia gallery is re-open now at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.
The new and improved gallery features more Anglo-Saxon artifacts than ever before plus more audio/visual elements transforming the Hoard into a more immersive and interactive gallery.
Find out more about the Staffordshire Hoard: Treasure of Mercia.
Discover Commonwealth Connections at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Join Ozzy Owl as he explores some of the Commonwealth countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Americas before visiting the Commonwealth Games.
Commonwealth Connections is the latest temporary exhibition at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, running until 11 September 2022.
Find out more about Commonwealth Connections.
Summer programme at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery will also have a jam-packed summer programme for the entire family to enjoy, including:
- Our July family pack will be based on Anglo-Saxons to coincide with the recent re-opening of the Staffordshire Hoard: Treasure of Mercia
- Anglo-Saxon pots on 28 & 29 July plus 25 & 26 August
- Plasticine flower painting on 4,5,6,18 and 19 August
- In July we will have our Flower Trail of the museum plus in August we will have a summer trail for everyone to enjoy
- On 10 August we will have pre-bookable Fossil sessions
- On 12 August we will have pre-bookable Clay Head sessions
- Flower hat making on 11,12 August and 1,2 and 3 September
Find out more here
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