Autumn half term fun in Dudley borough
Children and families can enjoy a range of activities and events this half term, with the school break culminating in the Himley Bonfire and Fireworks event on Saturday 4 November.
Duncan Edwards, Crystal and Halesowen leisure centres and The Dell Stadium are offering £1 football sessions, soft play, SEN sessions, a water disco and much more, with details at www.dbleisure.co.uk/school-holiday-activities.
Borough residents aged 16 and under can enjoy free-swimming at the three leisure centres from 28 October to 5 November inclusive, with sign up and terms and conditions at www.freeswimindudley.co.uk
At the Red House Glass Cone there are several activities including autumn tree and poppy tealight glass fusing, Halloween and bonfire crafts and free spooky trails. The sessions must all be pre-booked by visiting the venue’s ticket source page.
Budding palaeontologists will enjoy activities taking place at Dudley Museum at The Archives, with fossil finder and dinosaur crafts on offer. The museum is also offering a Diddy Dino’s session around the popular children’s book Funny Bones with full details on the venue’s ticket source page.
There will be free Halloween trails in the town centres of Brierley Hill, Dudley, Sedgley and Stourbridge from 28 October to 5 November. There will also be town centre fun days at Brierley Hill market on Saturday 28 October, in Halesowen on Tuesday 31 October and in Dudley on Wednesday 1 November. People can find out more about events and trails in town centres by visiting www.dudley.gov.uk/events or by reading the council’s town events bulletin.
Park Active sessions will be taking place in selected Dudley borough parks. These 45-minute activities are led by a qualified volunteer and gives people of all fitness levels the opportunity to be active outdoors. Families can also enjoy using free outdoor gym equipment with more online about both activities at www.lets-get.com
Children can enjoy being active with the Junior Parkrun at Stevens Park in Wollescote, which will book end the half term break. The activity runs at the park every Sunday (including Sunday 29 October and Sunday 5 November), starting at 9am. To find out more and to register people can go to https://www.parkrun.org.uk/stevenspark-juniors/
There is plenty to keep youngsters busy at Dudley borough libraries this holiday including family fun days, Halloween and bonfire crafts, Lego clubs, board games, storytelling, storywriting, Rattle and Rhyme and Bikeability. People will usually need to pre-book sessions and can find full details by searching Dudley Libraries on Facebook.
The ever-popular Himley Bonfire and Fireworks event, organised by Dudley Council, returns to the park on Saturday 4 November with a huge bonfire and stunning 30-minute firework display. It will also include a giant funfair, street entertainment, a night market and food from around the world. Tickets are on sale at www.himleyhallandpark.co.uk/bonfire-tickets and are expected to sell out ahead of the event.
Councillor Ruth Buttery, cabinet member for children and young people, said:
“We are building on our vision for a Child Friendly borough, and I am delighted to see the huge range of events and activities on offer this half term.
“It’s great to see so many free and affordable sessions being organised, and families who want to stay local have so much to enjoy on their doorstep with our visitor attractions offering a lovely range of autumn activities.”
Dudley borough’s visitor attractions have lots of fun events and activities taking place including a Kids Go Free offer at Dudley Zoo and Castle in October and November. People can find out more by visiting www.discoverdudley.org.uk