A hidden gem for all but knowledgeable Newport locals, head out of the city centre over the railway…read morebridge near the central train station and a short walk into the mainly residential suburbs to find this. It's worth the trek. The restored, beautiful old Llanthewy Road Baptist Church is home to the Burleigh Academy, a performing arts organisation set up by a former touring soul/rock singer to teaching dance and music. There are various spaces and studios, but the building's main area is Burleigh Hall, a 300-capacity room with a small, functional bar. An intriguing occasional gig venue covered in jazz memorabilia, unsurprisingly the smoother side of musical sounds are usually the staples of the programme, with regular jazz nights the main attractions. Although once in a blue moon, outside promoters provide intimate shows from rock-leaning acts. It also hosts wedding/civil partnership ceremonies, conferences, birthday and christening parties and theatre workshops.

This is a great little Primary School in the Bailey's Court area of Bradley Stoke. It was built in…read morethe last 10 years, so the school buildings are in a pretty good state (the architecture is pretty modern too), but they have resorted to a few dreaded portacabins for a few of the classrooms, as the school has expanded. The standard of teaching is excellent. Results have been consistently high, and that makes it very popular, so only if you live fairly close will your kids be able to get in. The school is very friendly, and is at the centre of the local community. They have a great Christmas Fayre and Summer Fayre, which are not to be missed.

One of the better Evening Post Newsagents around. With a great selection of Hot and cold food and…read moredrink snack available as well as some sweets and flowers on offer worth a pop in! A very friendly service, and a surprising large shop providing you with all your immediate wants and needs! Also an off license it is truely multi-purpose! It seems as if they are trying to cover every single base possible to them, and I think they have just about done that! GOOD WORK!

On Saturdays i like to take myself out and get a fry up from a local cafe, i tend to venture…read morebetween the different areas of Bristol as a little way of finding new places in the city. When sat with my big greasy fry up it is quite common to find me purusing a saturday newspaper, dependent on my mood this can either be a high-brow paper such as The Times or if i'm after a bit of trashy celebrity gossip i'll pick up the Daily Star. On one of these saturday mornings I found myself around the Stokes Croft area and bought my paper from this little shop. It's a very impressive newsagents,. stocking all those papers that you want and also a huge variety of magazines!

The last thing you would expect to find tucked away in Kingswood is this lovely community farm…read more It's free to get in and run solely by volunteers. There is a cafe that sells drinks, ice creams, sandwiches and cakes. We didn't eat but my son had a lunch box which was basic but adequate. We then headed round the farm which consists of pens and paddocks containing all the usual farm animals. There was also hens, chickens and a lamb roaming free around the farm. It's all designed so you can touch the animals which is great. There is also picnic areas, a large playground and lots of space for running around. My one year old son absolutely loved it. It's a rare treat to find somewhere this good that's free. We'll definitely be regulars now we know it exists!

Grimsbury farm is a lovely little farm in kingswood, they have lots of different animals and it's…read morecompletely FREE! We come here regularly with our 22 month old son as it's not far from where we live and it's perfect if you're stuck for something to do. They have goats, pigs, sheep, horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens & ducks. All the animals look very healthy and happy which is always nice to see. They also have a little shop/cafe and a children's park, you can't fault it.

The Create centre, run by the council, is an old tobacco warehouse with various environmentally…read morefocused things going on. It's free to enter (...and you'll start paying attention) with exhibitions on the ground floor. Expect art with a green theme and stuff made out of recycled materials - maybe a bottle cap curtain, if you can imagine what that looks like. There's an ecohome outside, complete with living roof and solar panels. It's the funny slab shaped thing, that looks a bit like a giant bit of cheese, in case you're not sure. They're very keen on passing on the gospel and will be happy to give advice on making your own home more eco-friendly. Fascinating stuff and I'm glad they get lots of school kids round here. I should mention that it's only open 12 - 3 Monday to Friday. The site slightly isolated (surrounded by a river and a large flyover), but they've got a café, so you won't go hungry. Also, the Nova Scotia pub isn't too far away. They've got a car park, but it's sort of against the ethos to drive. Try cycling, although you might have a steep hill to climb if you live in Clifton. There's a bus stop too. The Create Centre is a worth enterprise, and they've done well to put together something engaging.

Interesting centre with displays of an eco-house (open only 12-3pm) and garden, and little cafe…read more(open only 8.30-11am and 12-2pm). I have been here for a conference on sustainability and we were well looked after with nice little theatre space for the talks and good tea and biscuits between speakers. There are quite a few public events so keep an eye on the council website to find out what is coming up. You can cycle here along the river from the centre, its on the same road as the SS Great Britain entrance.

SPAN, or Single Parent Action Network is a part-campaign, part educational resource just off…read moreJunction 3 of the M32. If you are a single parent then it is worth popping in to see how they can help you Äì they run free courses with free childcare and provide other services such as signposting, debt advice, childcare training and a parenting programme.

This recycling centre, or tip as it's more commonly known, is a fantastic resource sitting over in…read moreSt Phillips. It's a little tricky to find but is well worth seeking out. It's obviously very important to recycle but what of the odd bits and bobs that the door collectors won't take for whatever reason? Well, this place takes EVERYTHING. As well as the obvious things like paper, glass and metal, you can also clear out the stuff that's always left in the bottom of your box, like plastic and cardboard. Going beyond that, they also, off the top of my head, take batteries, clothes, electrical appliances. There's even a special section for TVs and a gardening area where you can dump all the overgrown waste from your garden. A great way to unclutter your house and help the envorinment, all in one. NOTE: IT SHUTS AT 4.15PM IN WINTER, 6.45PM IN SUMMER.

Helping Bristol with its greener-than-thou eco points is the amazing tip, sorry, yes, recycling…read morecentre. So organised and staffed by what most be the most tolerant very large men in the city, you drive through and can throw all sorts of stuff over the precipice into their correct sections. If you want to get rid of it, chances are that they have a section for it. If in doubt, just ask any of the men and they will help rather than blindly going for the 'general' section. It does get very busy on bank holiday weekends and sunny Sundays but even with a queue out to Barrow Road you won't have to wait too long because of said organisation. In one way and out the other, easy as pie.

Spike Island is a leading contemporary art and design space on the docks in Bristol and hosts a…read moremicrocosm of artistic activity. They show frequent exhibitions, hold residencies and offer opportunities in research into contemporary art. The building is huge, an old warehouse (you could almost draw similarities between here and the Tate). Spike Island is also home to the Aardman Animations team, creators of Creature Comforts and Wallace and Gromit.

A large warehouse space which has many functions for artists of Bristol…read more Publicly there is a gallery on the ground floor which has regular exhibitions and a large space for scheduled arty activities with children. There is also a nice little cafe - open on Mondays when the galleries are closed - with some seats outside when it is nice weather (although there is a lot of traffic on the road outside spoiling the harbour-side view). If you become a member of the studios then you can use their good printmaking facilities (Spike Print Studio) and rent studio space. The community here is friendly and supportive. If you just dabble in art then I can recommend their workshops - find details on this website instead of the main one http://www.spikeprintstudio.org They have lino and etching classes for beginners or to brush up rusty skills. They are up to date with some fantastic processes. Classes may run over a weekend or one day a week for a season.