Teignbridge promises a ghostly half-term holiday

Ghostly goings-on and fun activities to keep children active are on offer at Teignbridge’s award-winning parks and for the October half term.

The Council is putting on a whole host of fantastic activities, from lantern making to bushcraft and survival skills to keep youngsters of all ages happy during the week-long school holiday.

Teignbridge are providing lots of opportunities for young people to get out into the parks and get active during the school break. The sessions include tennis coaching, arts and crafts and environmental activities.

It comes after school children in Newton Abbot got the chance to find out more about their local park in a special event organised by the Council’s Green Spaces team.

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The Council hosted a special event in Bakers Park for schoolchildren from Bradley Barton Primary School and Canada Hill Primary School, Ogwell so they could learn more about Bakers Park.

The special event saw the children do some bulb planting and take part in a willow workshop. It was a fun and educational way for children to enjoy the park and learn more about what their local open space can offer.

Cllr George Gribble, Teignbridge District Council’s Executive Spokesperson for Communities, Recreation and Leisure, said: "The aim of the event was to showcase Bakers Park to the children, some of which may not have visited the park previously. We are really proud of all our parks and I hope that this day helped make children proud of their local park too – and the bulb planting will also help make the quality open space even better.

“All our parks offer something unique for residents and visitors. We want to encourage children to visit their local open space, not just with their school but with their own families, so they can enjoy all the facilities it has to offer.”

Bradley Barton Primary School teacher Anne Stevenson said: “The children had a fabulous day, it was so nice for them to get out of the classroom and do something that is going to reap rewards that they will be able to actually see in coming months. They all enjoyed it immensely and they would love to come back again. They learnt so much and are desperate to share it all with the rest of the school in assembly.”

Maria White, a teacher at Canada Hill Primary School, said: “We had a fantastic afternoon and enjoyed the variety of hands-on activities. It was all very well prepared for the rain!”

Now the Green Spaces team and leisure and resorts staff are gearing up for a bumper half term week with events ranging from sports to Halloween activities such as making lanterns to tennis taster sessions. From Monday 30 October to 1 November there will be a huge range of activities for all ages across Teignbridge leisure centres and parks to keep children busy and active during the October half term.

Bakers Park, Courtenay Park, Decoy Country Park, Sandringham Park and Forde Park are hosting a wide range of activities which the Council has arranged with organisations Mad 4 Tennis, Tepee the Teignbridge Play Network and Artstorm Projects. The fun includes tennis taster sessions, play with Tepee, a croquet taster morning, lantern making, spooky park walks and a ghoulish accessories workshop.

Madeline Ramsey, a coach from Mad 4 Tennis, said: “I'm really looking forward to coaching tennis for the Council through the half term. The sessions will be open for all standards and abilities and it will be a fun, enjoyable experience. The aim will be to make sure everyone gets an opportunity to hit lots of tennis balls and is smiling at the end of the session.”

Each of the free parks activities are designed for different age groups. For a comprehensive list and to book a place please visit www.teignbridge.gov.uk/parks or email greenspaces@teignbridge.gov.uk

Newton Abbot, Dawlish and Broadmeadow leisure centres also have programmes packed with a range of events in the same week, from pool-based scuba and swimming classes to trampolining and sports fun days.

There is also a programme of outdoor pursuits such as rock pooling, gorge scrambling and boot camps and lasar games.

Cllr Gribble said: "This half term there's something to suit all ages, abilities and interests at our parks and local leisure centres. We are really pleased to be able to offer such a wide range of activities. These fun events offer a great value way to keep young people healthy and happy during the holidays, and always prove popular.”

Booking may be required for some of the activities and events due to limited spaces. Full details, including dates, prices, times and age restrictions for all activities are available online at www.teignbridge.gov.uk/leisure.

Residents can phone their local leisure centre to find out more. The numbers are: