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!

What a laugh this was! We have some epic videos and what a laugh it was. 14 of us couldn't stop…read morelaughing for the whole hour and so glad that we did it.

Barry leisure is my local and as a lifestyle member I get to use all the facilities of the three…read moreparticipating leisure centers. The best thing about Barry is the fact that there are at least three pilates classes a week and as someone who only deals with really low impact exercise you can see how this would appeal. For the less lazy, there is cardio, circuits and aerobics. Like the other two centers you'll find a decent sized pool and a health suite with sauna, steam room and jacuzzi as well as sunbeds and of course the obligatory water slide. A local leisure center is great for just dropping in without paying a hefty annual fee, a much underrated service in my opinion.

I used to work very close to this leisure centre, so tried it out a few times for pilates and other…read moreexercise classes. It's a friendly place, with good facilities, and my only gripe would be that the changing rooms and showers offer no privacy! I don't know about you, but I don't really fancy bumping into one of my colleagues naked in the changing rooms... If that doesn't bother you, however, the centre has a good range of activities on offer. Classes include aqua aerobics, circuit training, Tone & Stretch, Pilates, Cardio Tone, Body Blast, Boxfit, and Young at Heart (for older people) - amongst many others. In addition to the regular classes in the main sports hall area, there are swimming pools (a main pool and a small pool, with reasonable prices), plus there's a gym, squash courts, and a health suite (which includes a steam room and a sauna).

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.

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?

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.

I'll admit that I'm not a hugely sporty type of person, but a while back a friend convinced me to…read morego to a couple of classes and gym sessions at the Welsh Institute of Sport. I like to think she just wanted the company, rather than thought I could really do with the exercise... This is a large leisure centre that caters for a massive variety of different sporting needs. It's location is just out of the city centre, so can be ideal for many workers. It has all the commonplace essentials: swimming pool, gym, tennis and badminton etc. It also has a large cricket ground (I think the Ashes might have been played here recently, but I could be wrong). They also have table tennis, trampolines and gymnastics for the more flexibly minded. As far as I could tell, the classes (yoga and pilates) I attended were professionally run and welcoming. The pool is clean, although basic. This is a good place for serious gym people to come, while remaining welcoming for the rest of us. If you're after somewhere to take the kids though, perhaps look more towards Llanishen Leisure Centre for controlled wet fun.

A massive venue for all your sporting activities. Professional and up to date. Runs a varied range…read moreof classes and rents out its courts, pool and facilities at reasonable rates. League games are also held there regularly. Free parking, or walking distance from town through pretty Bute park.