McGoldrick Park is located near Huyton Town Centre in a pleasant residential area. The park…read moreconsists of a playground, bowling green, tennis courts, basketball posts and attractive flower beds. There are many mature trees throughout the park and even fruit trees along one of the main paths. The park is split into two halves by Rydal Road, each with its own distinctive feel. Unfortunately that is where the nicety ends as it was the scene of the horrific murder of Anthony Walker an innocent young man who was killed it is believed because of the colour of his skin- We should all be ashamed that this can happen in this country and it goes to prove why any show of bigotry or hatred because of ethnic origin, colour or whatever the personal circumstances of a person should never be given a public forum. I would ask the Qype Community to support this and to also stop petty little comments without a basis or with no regard to the history of another community member. I give 5 stars to this park in memory of Anthony and as a mark of respect for the loss of such a nice young man. R.I.P.

Many people are unsure of the gym or even swimming. Some people find it uncomfortable. Copley is…read morenot one of these centres. Over the years it has expanded to not only fit in with the times, but to adapt to every need possible. The leisure centre has much to offer such as two swimming pools; one large one for adults and a smaller one for children and teaching swimming lessons. Also within the centre is a large sports hall for football fanatics for 5 a side football as well as badminton, basketball and many other activities. The fitness suite is brilliant. Its all brand new and up to date and has over 100 stations and its nice and cool to so you don't get too warm when your working them muscles! Outside they have a fantastic synthetic turf ground for 6 a side football which is popular with many people. Not only that but they have dance studios, squash courts, spas, saunas and a relaxation area!! It is amazing. If you are looking to get fit or just want to participate in salsa classes or boxercise, Copley Recreation Centre is an ideal place to start whilst not breaking the bank.

This is a fantastic gym the gym instructors are superb and the manager Jackie is fantastic and…read morealways willing to help where she can The facilities are very good,modern and well looked after,the swimming pool is great as are all the classes they offer I would recommend copley to anyone

Stockbrook park is a beautiful open area right in the city centre. There is a vast amount of green…read moreboundaried by lots of trees and bushes. There is lots of space for people to let their dogs run free. For the children there are 2 play areas. There is a traditional area with soft flooring that is gated for small children with Swings, a slide, a roundabout, bouncy things and a climbing frame. There is also a bigger adventure area for older children with a bigger climbing frame and ropes and swinging tyres. There is a basketball court and fenced off hard surface football pitch as well as 2 large grass pitches which is used by several teams at the weekends and in the evenings. There are plenty of seats and benches around for parents and dog owners to sit and watch while their charges run around and have fun. I live right opposite the park and it is always a hive of activity not to mention all the wildlife to see. There are plenty of breeds of birds along with grey squirrels and even the resident family of foxes that seem to roam about at all times of the day and night.

Once a bit of a grim park, with vandelism and very few amenities, Cross Flatts Park has had a lot…read moreof input from the local community in recent years. It now boasts modernised play areas and basketball courts. There is a summer programme of bands in the park, held every Sunday throughout the summer months that provide free music for the community, from brass bands to steel pans. It also hosts the now annual Cross Flatts Park Festival, where there are country style competitions, stalls, art, entertainment and a variety of food available and community initiatives attending. Also in the summer months is the ever popular dog show, which caters for the traditional categories, as well as the funny 'waggiest' tail category. There are also many opportunities to be involved in planting in the park, as well as regular clean ups, which will often end in tea and cakes!

Go there every morning for a walk and it's always calm and filled with friendly people. There's…read moreoften events going on which liven the area and get people together like beeston festival! I often go there with my friends and family during the day to just chill and hang out at the parks there and play tennis with my dad there quite often too! An amazing place especially if you live in beeston!

This park is fairly good sizes with a large grassy area for picnicking, playing ball, walking your…read moredog, etc. There's not much else here, though it's next do a basketball court and children's playground area, though it's unclear whether these are part of the park or part of a school as they are fenced off.

My conscience is telling me to modify my rating of Moss Side Leisure Centre, that is probably one…read moreof the places where I spend most time in Manchester. This is due to some issues that arose over the last month. First of all, the policy about classes has changed, and now it's necessary to register at the counter before each session, whereas up to a few weeks ago it was enough to take the receipt of your booking using the screen at the entrance. This is often causing very long queues, and it's actually incredible if people manage to get to their classes on time. There is a stupid detail that made me think members of staff don't care enough about checking regularly the gym: in one of the rooms all the weights of less than 4kg mysteriously disappeared. I found it funny when my instructor said: "Well, try and do this exercise using 5kg, cause someone stole the lighter ones. If it's too hard you can reduce the number of reps." It's almost two weeks now, and they haven't yet reappeared. All in all, the place is always enjoyable; staff is very nice and the instructors are usually willing to help and give an induction even without booking an appointment.

I tried out Manchester Aquatic and the Y before deciding on this one. The deciding factors were 1)…read moremembership sale -- £95 for 6 months (the sale is now over) 2) proximity to my house and 3) machines. Facilities: steamroom, dry sauna, pool, about 3 rooms for squash etc, two adequately-sized rooms for machines, weightroom. Prices: You can get a free membership for 7 days, but you need to book the induction appointment first in order to use the machines (also free). Call a few days in advance to book the induction, which is very thorough (!) and will take 30-40 minutes. -The normal non-student membership price as of Ferbruary 2012 was £23.99 monthly without contract, or £18.99 with annual contract. There was also a 4 week pass for £25. Pros: - The machines in the front room by the entrance seem to be constructed for people who are neither massive nor tall. I'm short and skinny, so this was perfect for me. - Other than the weight room, other areas of the gym never seemed too crowded. I very rarely had to wait to use a machine in the front room. - Attentive staff in workout areas - Good mix of different ages, genders, races: mostly working class, some yuppies - Easy and free parking - Affordability Cons: - If you basically use a gym for the free weights, the most popular room seems to be that one, as it's often packed to the gills. I recommend showing up about an hour towards closing, when it seems to thin out. - During busy times, the spacing of the machines in the back room is a bit tricky; once or twice, I was concerned about accidentally hitting a guy who was using a mat which had been placed next to my machine (why the mat was there to begin with, I have no idea.) - Their pool isn't huge like at Manchester Aquatic. To use the pool, you should check the schedule beforehand, because some days and some nights are booked up for private groups. Note: Access to Chorlton Park gym is included with a Moss Side membership last I checked, and karate is held at Chorlton Park-- but, karate costs extra. At some other gyms such as the Y, you can buy a membership that includes unlimited martial arts. I don't play basketball, but in case you're looking for a gym with a court, call ahead and find out if they have one-- I didn't notice one there.

The leisure centre is shared with Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy so is only open to the public out of school…read morehours and longer during school holidays. It has a gym of which I used to be a member, it's well stocked with modern equipment and the staff are helpful and happy to help you with tailoring fitness programmes to suit your needs. They also have 2 glass backed squash courts, a main hall for things like basketball and badminton, a climbing wall, a bouldering wall and a smaller sports hall. They also have holiday programmes throughout the year.

Considering I eat and drink out as much as possible, there has to be some sort of action plan when…read moreit comes to shifting the pounds. That's why I'm exceptionally lucky to live next door to Alexandra park, a leafy oasis in the red brick jungle of Edgeley. Not only are there 3 reservoirs with a multitude of fishermen hogging the banks, there's also tennis, basketball and football courts all free and fully unlocked to the public 24/7. There's also the Edgeley crown green bowls pitches to the north of the park which are super popular with an older clientele, plus there's all ages going for it in the tai chi each morning. It's a great place to go for an early morning run, walk your dog (wow - everyone seems to know each other!) and I personally go to shoot a few hoops most morning to get my basketball on (wind permitting...) Perfect for folks with kids - there's a huge playground onsite!

After last years epidemic of baby births, sorry that sounded shallow. After the delight that was…read moremany of my friends and colleagues creating or expanding their families (better) the seasons are changing and as we move out of Winter into Spring and hopefully balmier climates, talk has turned on where's a nice and safe place to take the kids that isn't pure saccharine wacky zany child fun, and is parent and friends of parent friendly, eg, friends of parents won't balk at the idea of spending time with the kidlets because it's "just too much fun(!)" Anyhoo, an excellent compromise or combination, of green, flowers, pretty, play areas, etc is Pudsey Park. My idea to take friends kidlets here stemmed from the glowing reports this park has. Prior job projects included something on open spaces in West Yorkshire, and Pudsey Park comes in top of the list with regards to awards and such. It's been a Green Flag award winner every year since 2003, a worthy acheivement. The park is always clean, and I've never had any trouble, plus in half term and Summer holidays, there's plenty of families about, which is nice for the kids to play about, without being too loud and annoying for anyone enjoying the park sans child. So what's to do here? If you enter the park at the Car Park side, you'll immediately notice the playground, and there's a basketball court, and a skate park. Wandering through there's a bowling green, flower gardens, a glass house filled with exotic plants and a pets corner and aquarium and aviary. For replenishments there's also a little cafe too. At the moment the park is undergoing some regeneration, so there are some major developments going on, and the structure and layout of the park is changing. But when it's all done and dusted it should be even better than ever.

I'm feeling the love for all things slightly off centre. No I'm not having another Mel meltdown, I…read moremean I'm quite liking exploring the deeper depths of our beloved Leeds and it's Pudsey. Since I'm on a park ting (getting all street again, word up), I thought it'd be rude not to look this bad boy up. Now most of the parks have been reasonable to good it has to be said but this one is a perfectly formed package. It should shout about itself, it's a Greenflag winner and has been on many occasions. That's probably because it's very well maintained and has loads of stuff for the kids. Pet's corner is a nice touch and they keep on reconstructing areas left, right and centre so it's only going to get better. You've got exotic fish and birds and a tropical greenhouse. So get your best silly hat and cargo shorts out and go jungle trekking in your own back yard. There are plenty of flowers and tree lined walks. Plus, skate park, green bowls and a bandstand. Altogether with some air trumpet now.

Not the greatest of parks truth be told and its not a park I go to that often. I guess you could…read moresay this is a park for children who are under the age of nine although there are skateboard ramps for skateboarders out there. The park is right behind Hill Top Library (B70 0RZ) as well as the Hill Top Community Centre. There is a field close by where you can go for a jog or even take your mates along and play football. There are also basketball courts as well so if you do fancy a game basketball, then you might want to go to Hill Top Park. I wouldn't it is a fantastic park but its not the worst. If you are local and have any children, this park is OK for those that want to go on the swings, go on the slides or even climb the monkey bars.