This centre has been here for years, and I mean years! To be honest I never really bothered with it…read moreyears ago. But I've been using it a bit recently and was surprised to find out how kitted out it was and how well organised everything is! They have a hall for kids parties with the usual bouncy castle, bikes, toys etc and a desperate room with a small kitchen (should you need it) for the actual party As for fitness, they hold several classes a week, all varied, and have a cracking wee fitness suite upstairs for all your gym needs. My only negative would be that it could do with a bit of updating, but other than that, wouldn't go passed it now.

I can't speak for the tennis courts (maybe one day...), the fitness suite (not a chance) or the…read moreclimbing wall (eeek), but the Ozone laser quest is incredibly fun, and just my sort of thing - no frantic exercise / running, competitive and a heck of a laugh. Recently updated and using the latest laser technology, the Ozone has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. I remember being about ten and being really excited about going to a party here, only to discover that the backpacks weighed an absolute ton and I wasn't going to have as much fun as I initially thought. These days, the packs are much lighter, much more compact and generally easier to use. The last time I was at the Ozone was about a year ago, and there was a quite a big group of us (fifteen or so). We spilt into two teams (you can play this way or individually), girls vs boys, and had a rundown of the game by one of the staff. After this, we selected our packs, which light up either green, blue or red (red and green it was for this game, in order to identify your team members and avoid shooting them), and has a cartoon / superhero / character name which will be used to record your score at the end. It's pretty funny when the most masculine guy in your group gets Barbie. The game lasts half and hour, and the labyrinth comprises of different levels and hiding places. The aim is to shoot your opponents on the back, front, shoulder or gun (the last option is really easier said than done), without getting shot yourself. The stats all appear at the end of the game, so you can see how your shooting was, and how many times you were shot. It's always amusing to see what place everyone came in, and there are definitely a lot of laughs at this stage. At £4.60 per person per game, it's not a bad price for birthday parties / youth events / general banter. Oooh, when can I go again?

This is a top notch establishment boasting a gym, squash and tennis courts, laser quest and a…read moreclimbing wall, not to mention outdoor pitches tennis and basketball courts. My favorite activities of these is the climbing wall. I never knew how much fun and addictive climbing walls could be. A great way to spend an afternoon and is decently priced. The ropes and harness's are provided free of charge. If you don't fancy going so high there are smaller walls with huge safety crash mats were you can learn the ropes!!! (excuse the pun). Another great activity to do here is the laser quest, for young and old I can't think of a funnier thing to do for a birthday or something. Absolutely fantastic.

I love these places and used to go to one a lot when I lived in Spain - I had never seen one in…read moreNorthern Ireland and was very excited when I spotted this one in 'The D' I took my sister and her little boy as a treat a few weeks ago. We called in the middle of the day so it was very quiet and we had plenty of space and time to pick our pottery, choose a design and get them all painted up. It was a fun, cheap afternoon with an entrance fee of only £4.00 each and then our chosen pieces which range in price but nothing that is going to break the bank. My finished pair of shoes are now sitting by the front door with a small plant in them! A good value day out for all the family.

Seaside Ceramics offers an alternative to the usual birthday parties. It is a pottery studio that…read moreis primarily aimed at children but can be fun for adults too if you don't mind getting messy with clay and paint. Seaside Ceramics also offers jewellery making but don't expect any Tiffany diamonds, this is all plastic and child friendly. The good thing about Seaside Ceramics is that it has a large space to make pottery in and is ideal for kids parties. It seats 28 people but is rarely full so if you are protective of your unique designs as I was you can keep away from little copycats. It is relatively cheap too, there is a £4 studio fee during the day and a £5 fee in the evenings but this is relatively reasonable when you consider Seaside Ceramics is an all day activity. You can purchase additional keepsakes for a further £4 but who knows one of your purchases could fetch millions in a future auction.

Everything you need here to work up a sweat. Swimming pools, fitness suites (including weights,…read morerunning machines, and all the usual leisure centre stuff), spin classes etc. It's got quite a spacious fitness suite with a lot of machines and equipment, still it can get very busy in the evenings because it's very popular. Costs around £4 to train here, but the council introduced a "boost" scheme, where you can save money by paying in advance, or arranging for a direct debit to be set up. What is an absolute joke, though, is that "all adult monthly Boost memberships have an administration fee of £15 to activate" - what?! So I fill in a form and hand it in, someone spends 5-10 minutes putting my details into a computer, presses print and gives me a plastic card, and I get charged £15? Who runs this place, Halifax?

I'll not be going to the London 2012 Olympics as the next big swimmer. I will not be the next…read moreMichelle De Brun, unless then allow so performance enhancing swimming competitions in which case hook me up and watch me go. The pool area which is the reason why I travelled all this way is your run of the mill, typical swimming pool complete with lifeguards and changing rooms. There a separate pools for children, not very good swimmers and the very good swimmers. The biggest pool isn't quite Olympic standard but then again neither am I. The one issue I have with places like this is hygene and Im glad to say this place is excellent. Swimming pools need to be kept clean and the staff here do a very good job. The Leisure Centre also has room for indoor football and gym to flex your pecks. As long as a place like this can be clean and cheap, then it gets a thumbs up from me. A great day out for young folks and old folks alike

I have played football here since I was 10, so that is other 13 years ago and I can honestly say I…read moredo not think they have updated the facilities in all those years. I have never been to the playground and as I said I know this place purely and simply for footballing reasons. There are around 7 pitches but we always seem to get the one that backs on to the road and have had many balls hit passing cars. I do not know what that says for our accuracy but one thing is for sure it gets annoying having to fetch them. Apart from this the pitches are generally well kept and are evenly cut which can not be said for a lot of the council pitches in North Down. The changing facilities are basic at very best but they do the job. It is proper grass roots football as always At Londonderry park.

Excellent park now compared to my last visit about six years ago, top class facilities .only…read morepossible improvement would be to move ards leisure centre down to the park and combine all the facilities together .great for families and dog owners as well as sports

This knocks the socks off Botanic Gardens any day. It's massive, wilder, nowhere near as crowded…read moreand just lovely. I used to take my spaniel Tiko here every day and he loved it - OK, dogs love anywhere they can run about, but he really did share my love of this park, as there's loads of undergrowth he could and did snuffle into and lots of space to run around. (And if the poor girl whose lunchtime Subway sandwich he scarfed is reading this, I can only apologise yet again.) I haven't been back to Ormeau Park since he died, because, well, I just don't want to at the mo, but some of my happiest memories of him are at this park and it''s probably my favourite outdoor spot in all of Belfast. I love walking past the house in the middle of it and dreaming someday of living there. I'd even give up my Melbourne yearning for that... This is a stellar spot for walking, cycling or skating, and I even saw a mini orchestra happily playing near the bandstand once as well. There are bowling greens, a basketball/netball court and tennis courts, at which I would marvel at healthy types playing vigorously there at 10am on a Sunday, as Tiko and I lurched past. (And if the poor guy whose tennis ball he neatly nipped in and stole is reading this, I can only apologise yet again.) A beautiful park that's a bit bittersweet for me at the moment, but hopefully will become a regular chilling out place for me again. Perfect.

Ormeau Park, the underrated green space of Belfast. I love this place its a little emerald in the…read moregrey concrete of the city. Well cultivated and kept with its grandiose gates and lots of little walks and trails, great for a little peace of mind walk or a wee day out for kids at the pretty awesome play park. My only negative is that I think there could be more done here events wise. It always seems botanic has the monopoly on those. Maybe a winter wonderland like they do at Hyde Park in London and a few Summer events to make use of the bandstand and nice open spaces.

This is a beautiful well kept park with plenty of facilities for all ages. There is a lovely kids…read moreplay park, a large duck pond and an aviary with some very pretty birds. For the sporty type there is an athletics track marked during the better months and pitches for cricket and football. There are also a number of tennis courts and a bowling green. This is also where my local Saturday morning 5k park run is held with about 300 runners attending most weeks. If you just fancy a lovely walk Ward Park is the place to go with numerous paths to choose around the pond and lots to see on the way.

Ward park is a great place for all the family to enjoy . If you want a leisurely stroll with the…read morekids and dog this is the place to go. With an adventure play park for the kids and the ability to feed the ducks and geese as you walk along beside the stream. The setting is very tranquil and you can forget that you are only a stones throw from Bangor town centre. For those who are actively sporty there are tennis courts and a bowling green It is an ideal place to appreciate all the seasons of the year.

The Rack and Cue is a great place for pool and snooker enthusiasts alike! It's ok to go in and just…read morepay for a table, but there is a members option which is probably the best thing to do if your going to use their facilities on a regular basis! There is a large number of tables so there's theres always a good choice of getting a table when just walking in from the street. The atmosphere is a little strange. I always get unnerved walking into a place this dark when its so bright outside. It's just weird! But if you don't mind a place similar to the set of an English gangster film and you love your pool, then its the place to go