Canolfan a Llyfrgell Star Centre and Library is an impressive, purpose built leisure centre and…read morelibrary complex situated on the main street in Splott. The centre first opened in 1981 and was taken over by the Council in 2001 when it underwent minor refurbishment. It has recently undergone a further, more extensive refurbishment programme, which has led to the development of a modern Fitness Suite, as well as a disabled lift that is sited in the foyer. This phase also saw the incorporation of the new Splott Library. Splott is considered to be a 'problem area' and suffers from high unemployment and the associated social problems of economic privation. A small number of the kids in Splott are responsible for some pretty anti-social behaviour, and the sports centre is one of the local amenities where it's hoped that children from all backgrounds can meet and have fun. It offers an extensive programme of activities for children throughout the summer, including indoor athletics, football, badminton, baseball, basket ball as well as more creative pursuits that come under the general banner of arts and crafts, and include things like jewellery making, glass bottle art and clay modelling. In a bid to try and constructively engage the local under sixteen's at the weekends, (when trouble is most likely to erupt), the centre holds a youth night every Friday. Facilities: 6 x Badminton Courts Basketball Netball Indoor 5-a-side Fitness Suite Classes: swimming, gymnastics, soft play, yoga etc... Group Fitness Sessions: circuits, aerobics, boxercise Children's activities: including children's parties and holiday programmes. Full disabled facilities and changing room Food and Drink: hot & cold vending machines, snack machines, and fully licensed Bar Meeting rooms Function room . Membership/Savings: The Max card or Active card membership schemes offer the opportunity to save money on all council leisure activities. Useful Info: Bus Numbers: 11,12,13 Car park at the rear of building, with disabled bays and assistance where required. Email. STARCentre@cardiff.gov.uk

The Star Centre is the hub of Splott! Staff are so friendly. I have developed a friendship with the…read morestaff in the library. They're extremely helpful and polite. They go out of their way to help the community. Staff in the library help children with their homework and entertain teenagers with hilarious stories. Its such a shame that the Star is closing down and it will never be the same without the great local atmosphere. The Star holds events for families which I have taken part of and deeply enjoyed. There is also a gym. I hate to mention a small complaint. 2013 I joined a martial arts class in the Star and it was not very helpful. I learnt the language-not the art of physical activity. It wasn't memorable experience Other that that the Star is a great local place to meet up and have fun!

This is an indoor entertainment complex packing in all the elements you'd expect from a place like…read morethis, such as a cinema, a bowling alley and lots of restaurants - plus it's also home to one of South Wales's best-established radio stations, Red Dragon FM. It's located just a short walk from the main Mermaid Quay area of Cardiff Bay, and offers a warm refuge from the harsh weather that often hits that part of the city in the winter. It's open seven days a week and is home to Wales' only IMAX cinema screen (within the Odeon cinema), plus the 26-lane Hollywood Bowl bowling alley, Grosvenor Casino, the Doctor Who 'Up Close' exhibition, and lots of restaurants - including big chains such as Bella Italia and Chiquito. There's also a Cadwaladers ice cream parlour, an Indian and a Chinese restaurant, and a family sports bar with loads of screens and pool tables called R Bar. Overall it aims to offer a variety of things to do, all in a dry, indoor environment. It's not a particularly exciting venue, but on a wet and windy day it's an easy place to park up for free and take your family for some entertainment or food. Sometimes - particularly during school holidays - they have special events such as craft workshops, live jazz, or even anti-bullying workshops.

This centre is sometimes over looked due to Mermaid quay's reputation shining a little brighter in…read morethe world of attractions for visitors to Cardiff Bay and yet its only 5 minutes walk away. You can watch a film do some bowling and eat and drink to your hearts content, whether it be Chinese, Italian or plain old pub food. It also undercover, which in our Welsh climate can sometimes make the all the difference between a happy day and a cold miserable day. Parking also costs nothing as long as you patronise one of the establishments within the centre. Why wouldn't you want to go there?

If I could give a -5 stars I would. They lie to prospective members, ignore complaints, refuse to…read moreacknowledge mistakes, and fob you off at every turn. It's not worth the money to start with and DEFINITELY isn't worth the hassle. AVOID DAVID LLOYD LIKE THE PLAGUE.

This is the best gym in Cardiff…read more Amongst other things it has a great gym, 2 swimming pools, 1 indoor and one outdoor both heated, squash courts and 14 indoor tennis courts too. It also has a nice social area and plenty of social functions in its diary. So it has the lot and of course you have to pay for it. It is the most expensive gym in Cardiff but hey you've got to expect that what with the facilities it has. If you're thinking of joining then you either have a bit of disposable income or you take your fitness seriously. This is where you will often see well known rugby players working out or more often than not relaxing in the pool. When I was a member here I used ot pay £65 per month and this was just for health and fitness e.g. the gym and swimming pools. It is a bit more expensive if you want access to the tennis courts too. You may see this as expensive but imagine how much a month you spend making your body unhealthy e.g. drinking. So why not spend that amount trying to make it healthy? If you have the money this is the place to join.

Penarth leisure center is great value for money if you're looking to get fit or loose weight…read more It has a decent sized gym with a good range of equipment, a large pool and a lifestyle/wellness suite. There are also a huge range of fitness classes that run daily at the center. In recent years the place has undergone a revamp and so there is now a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi next to the pool in the wellness suite. (Full disabled access) Once a week there is even a ladies only session so the more body conscious or religious females don't have to miss out on the facilities. Prices are okay, for an off peak swim and relax in the wellness suite you pay £6.15 but if you become a member you can use the gym facilities, the pool and the classes from about £23 a month without getting locked into a contract. Bargain.

This place is pretty crumby …read more... The building is old and showing the signs of wear and tear. The changing rooms are quite grubby with a very odd aroma. Lots of the lockers are broken. The pool is unpredictable. It has a children's area and a hydro slide but I have never worked out when to guarantee that they are operational. The adult pool sometimes has lane swimming and sometimes not. It is 25m.

Unless you're a UWIC student, a UWIC employee, or a member of a local sports team, you might not…read moreknow that UWIC Sports Massage Clinic exists - but it's actually open to the public, and offers sports massage from just £11. That's not a price that's easy to match at other clinics in Cardiff! Sports massage can help you not only if you have a sporting injury but also if you have poor circulation, a tense neck, achy shoulders or back, poor posture, tired or aching muscles, or poor flexibility. You pay for a session with a qualified and insured practitioner registered with the Sports Massage Association (SMA). I tried the place when I had a cricked neck, and found the massage helped to relieve the problem and enable me to move my neck more, and start exercising it a bit to get it back to normal. The surroundings aren't quite as salubrious as you might find at a more expensive clinic, and it's only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays - but it's still exceptionally good value.

The Xbox sponsored Power league is the only Power league venue in Wales. Self confessed 'state of…read morethe art facilities' means it has plenty of flat astro turf pitches, floodlights and changing rooms. You don't get that in your sunday league do you! What's great about PL is that it is open for all ages and sexes, there are loads of leagues running everyday of the week and you can also hire a pitch to have a kick about with your mates, The pitches are a little small and you really can score from anywhere if you toe punt it hard enough, makes for a less skillfull game. Some leagues are pretty naughty as you will find yourself getting kicked about or getting in some sort of argument, but hey ho thats the fun of the game for me. As far as facilities go, this is a great place to play football the right way instead of lumping a ball 50 yards up a uneven muddy pitch.

Bill Shankly said "Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very…read moredisappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that." Or words to that affect. Though this may be somewhat hyperbolic some people seem to take their football very seriously. Powerleague offers a congregation of such people. They run leagues almost constantly throughout the year on every day of the week. So if you're hoping to play a one off match then you've really got to book ahead on their website or on the phone to find out when pitches are available. It's around £40-50 quid to book a pitch (depending on if you're a student or have any other kind of discount) so the more people you get along the cheaper it is for all of you. It can be a great way to get some exercise and have some fun with mates. If you fancy your chances in a league then they're always looking for more teams to part with their cash. If you get five or six people together you'll play as a team on a weekly basis and have a chance to get promoted (or risk the chance of being relegated) to other leagues if your skills are good enough (or, evidently, aren't). I'd recommend having at least six of you available for matches as playing the full game without having a reasonable break here and there can be an absolute killer.

Channel View is the Council owned Leisure Centre for Cardiff Way and there are a few things I…read morereally like about it. There's no swimming pool but its got all the other expected things like a gym with fitness classes, and various indoor courts for badminton and football. It also has a climbing wall and does loads of sessions for kids. Unusually there is also a music room, IT facility and cyber cafe. I like that they have women only gym periods because we can all feel a bit self conscious sometime and one of my favourite aspects it the outdoor gym they have, free and perfect for sunny days. Its basically quite simple obstacles that can add a bit of a variety to your jogging!

MANAGER SWEARS AT CUSTOMERS IN FRONT OF CHILDREN…read more After being told to go f-word myself I will not be returning to Channel View. On a previous day I'd left a rather sentimental item at the centre and after ringing up four times I was told they had found it. Upon arriving I asked the receptionist if she had it and was directed to a different office. In the corridor I was confronted by the manager who seemed to want to help at first but then for some reason grew furious when I told him what I was looking for. After five minutes of being angrily questioned I tried to walk away. He then shouted to me that he was the manager and that I should ''Go f**k yourself!". I was shocked. There was a children's play class next door and afterward some parents told me they could hear it. A very upsetting experience. Please think twice before giving these people your money to look after your children.

I walked past this community hall for about a year before I decided to go into the entrance area…read moreand have a look on the noticeboard at what goes on there. I'd already seen children wandering in there in their karate gear, so I knew they did some classes there - but I had no idea how many. In fact, they do 5-a-side, basketball, netball, fitness classes, dance classes, yoga, martial arts, and even language lessons! They have a Welsh children's nursery, host after school activities and holiday programmes, and parents and tots groups. I had no idea there was so much going on right through the week. There's also a car park at the back of the building, which is handy! Well worth checking out if you're new to Canton and want to find some local activities.

My first impression of Canton Community Hall was that it had space to park a plane!…read more The hall being a community hall has many functions, it's a yoga studio and martial arts arena among other things, but I know it mainly as a space for toddlers to scamper about. The Thursday group is Welsh speaking and Welsh nursery rhymes are sung, although a lot of non Welsh speakers and triers also go. The hall is vaste and 'islands' of mats, activities and toys fill it. You pay a couple of quid and you get tea, squash, biscuits and apples. The other parents seem friendly and me little one loved it. Next to the hall and within the same building is a Welsh speaking nursery for 2 year olds to primary. I went to check it out and got a really good first impression of it. Forgot all the questions I was going to ask, just saw a room full of happy children, that seemed to be all that mattered.