This must be one of Belfast' best kept secrets, hidden away in the suburbia of Stranmillis the…read moreYMCA fitness centre has facilities that will rival any private gym. I attended a charity football tournament here on Saturday and was shocked by what I was presented with. When someone says YMCA to me I immediately think of a the song and then I think of a run down church hall in desperate need of repair but to my amazement when I pulled up to Belfast's YMCA I was presented with a state of the art building and a huge car park. I read on the way out that there's an on site gym, youth club and cafe. We were playing on the football pitches out the back. The pitches themselves were a little over grown but as it's off season you can give them a bye ball on this. The facilities at the pitched included changing rooms, floodlights and small goals with netting. I'm not sure how hiring the pitches works but if you're thinking of organising a kick about I would get in contact with the YMCA. I couldn't believe I hadn't been here before Saturday, they obviously have invested a lot of cash in to this facility and it's a shame that more people are not aware of what's on offer here.

A charity football tournament brought me to the YMCA on Saturday, before going to this place the…read moreonly thing I had heard about it was the song. Needless to say my apprehensions were completely unfounded. Great leisure facilities await any young man with little dough, and ample parking providing a place for any size car to stay. They also have a Café onsite too if you fancy a coffee or a good meal. (Surely they do a Cowboy supper?) Great pitches to play on if you are wanting to play football or whatever you feel So if you are looking for a place to hang out with all the boys, consider a kick about at the ol' YMCA.

I've been to two weeks of my aerial class. First yhing, its tough. I have used muscles that I…read moredidn't even know existed. I have bruised, burns and calluses. But on this occasions all worth it. I have hung, swung and stood on a trapeze. I have a new respect for circus performers. They make something that is so tough look simple and elogent. Two skills I have yet to achieve. It you want a new level of fitness, I recommend the circus school. The tutors are brilliant and support everyone. Yes I have slid from the trapeze, but you just present and pretend it was part of the routine. Watch this space, I may still run well on hobble away with the circus.

The Circus School is a great organisation based in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter and they do some…read morereally good work. I was never actually a pupil, but a few friends of mine were and they loved it, so their classes for kids come very highly recommended. Beyond that, they provide performances for the Belfast Festival of Fools, which is an annual street theatre festival and provides a great atmosphere for the city centre and a break form the monotony of everyday life!

I've only used the pool. I win master the front crawl. A few classes is be interested in trying…read moreso will have to fit them in. Then joy of joy Clements. Coffee after exercise. Life just doesn't get better than this. That and the fun of pretending to be a student. Overall the facilities are great. Loads of classes to choose from and good sized pool.

I've been a member of PEC now since just before Xmas, so just under a month. I'm impressed so far…read more Though I've only used the gym its absolutely great. Lots of machines and rarely a wait for anything. Its also extremely good price wise with no long contracts. I'd highly recommend the place if your looking for a well stocked, convenient gym or leisure centre with long opening times. Spot on!

This is probably one of the nicest children's play parks in Carrickfergus, and strangely, a lot of…read morepeople don't know about it, as it is quite secluded! There are two entrances to Legg Park, one along the main Belfast Road, just up from the Model Primary School, and another entrance facing the Windrose. The park is fully fenced off and really well equipped with soft flooring, swings, slides and climbing frames. The park is also really nicely landscaped with lots of benches making it pleasant to sit around on a sunny day.

Ive never been to the swimmers here but i have been at a few kids parties...they do a deal for…read more£68 u get two hours first hour isnin a soft play area were its just ur party no other kids which is great cus u no were everyone is...theres slides a ball pit and loads of other we areas for the kids to play Then the next hour u go upstairs to a room were u have ur party u can bring ur own food which is great means the kids get excatly what they want This is defo worth the money and its that good il b booking my daughters b.day party here

I must start by saying that this review of a leisure centre won't actually cover the fitness…read morefacilities! That's not as odd as it first sounds as there is a fantastic indoor play area in this leisure centre. The whole centre was refurbished last year and so the soft play area is still bright, fresh and new. None of those questionable smells or stains you sometimes see in older play centres. The soft play area was a big hit when we went to birthday party there recently. There are plenty of balls and big squashy things to throw about , loads of space and great equipment right up to the ceiling for climbing, swinging on and generally going mad. There is a member of staff on duty at all times who will step in and firmly but not harshly tell the kids to calm down, there is a seating area within the room for parents too. Party food is delivered to a big party room upstairs which has ride on toys and balls to kick about and again loads of room for the over excited kids. A great play area which is suitable up to the age of about 7. Older kids will dismiss is as too young so little ones only.

The activity centre is like a small leisure centre with limited equipment but puts on good sports…read moreand events as well as the the halls being used for other events like collectors fairs . Decent amount of car parking and its Great for children to attend the sports and climbing activities. The two halls are good for sales and fairs with plenty of room for stalls. There's usually a toy collectors fair on once or twice a year .

I was here last night for the first time and I was hugely impressed by the facilities - It's…read moredefinitely had a recent facelift! I was there to play football and having played at a number of different sports facilities I have to say that these were right up there with the best. The have 6 floodlit 3G pitches that are available to hire. There are also two full size 4G floodlit pitches. They have rebranded the sports pitches 'V36' and they have obviously thought about the logistics of the centre as it now comes with a refurbished car park. Great facility all in all and relatively cheap to hire in comparison with other pitches.

Newtownabbey Council has put a lot of time and money into sprucing up the Valley Leisure Centre,…read moreand they've done a great job in my opinion. Back when I was young, the Valley was pretty dark and everything was brown or cream, but now the lighting's a lot better and you don't really feel like this is a place where joy comes to die. The slide in the pool was the main attraction when I was growing up, and it remains to this day. Beyond that, there are squash courts, indoor football pitches and rooms for classes. There's also a gym upstairs, which my brother is a member of and loves. Municipal gyms are some of the cheapest going and I think they're the best option if you're thinking of joining a gym. The Valley is also the location for many a children's birthday party and they provide a bouncy castle, so it's pretty easy for parents to organise.

This leisure center is quite dated looking form the outside and could do with a revamp inside. The…read moregym is quite depressing, as if its not hard enough to motivate yourself to go and work out it doesn't help when you feel like your in a white wash concrete prison. This gym has a good indoor football court and squash courts. It is also the home of the famous wave maker and has some adequate water slides for the kids. However don't expect to be able to swim lengths or anything because the pools isn't designed for that. All in all it is clean and cheap and the staff are lovely too.

This leisure centre could be doing with a lick of paint in some places, but i love coming here as…read morethe swimming pool is fantastic. The pool is massive and the wave machine is great fun, and you'll see as many adults as you will kids enjoying it lol. This place can be hectic at weekends and school holidays so if you have an aversion to annoying screaming kids you might want to go at a quieter time. My girlfriend goes along to an aqua aerobics class here as well, and she thinks its one of the best classes she's been to. So might be worth enquiring about that if you're interested in seeing this pool but getting fit at the same time.