Visit Tamworth for half-term holiday fun
There’s plenty to keep families entertained in Tamworth during the half-term, from castle questing and outdoor theatre, to free craft activities and sports.
If you’re looking for things to keep the children entertained next week, the Visit Tamworth website is a great place to start. It’s full of ideas and has a busy What’s On section, as well as highlighting some of the fantastic attractions the area has to offer.
For a family fun challenge, head to Tamworth Castle for the special Castle Quest between May 28 and June 1. Based on a series of challenges throughout the castle, questers will encounter cunning characters and tricky trials, each of them revealing a secret word.
Recording the words and trading them with the Quest Master results in participants winning the opportunity to take the ultimate challenge to walk the grid…blindfolded. Succeeding will not be easy but those who are prepared to take the risk will win a rare reward that cannot be bought, only earnt by those who are worthy.
More crafting opportunities are available on Thursday, May 31, when willing volunteers will be invited to take part in one of Tamworth Borough Council’s largest ever community arts projects. A total of 1,400 individual square-yard tiles need decorating to form part of a huge Mercian Mosaic that will be laid out in Tamworth Castle Grounds this summer. The project is near completion, but artist Maggie Carney is hoping people will help her give it a big push to the final stages. The free drop-in workshop will take place in Maggie’s base of operations in a unit near Druckers in Ankerside Shopping Centre.
For physical activity in the great outdoors, Tamworth Borough Council’s Sports Development Team are continuing to offer a free programme of sporting events called ‘Street Sport’ which will be coming to parks across the borough during the holiday.
Sports include football, basketball, tennis, handball and zone hockey. Sessions are aimed at 13-18-year olds, but younger children will be able to join in too.
The timetable of Street Sport events is available from Tuesday, May 29 to Friday, June 1:
• Tuesday: Belgrave, Irwell: 9am – 1pm and Wigginton Park, Leyfields: 1pm – 4pm
• Wednesday: Amington, Kerria: 9am -1pm and Glascote Heath, Hawksworth: 1pm – 4pm
• Thursday: Stonydelph, Crowden Road: 9am – 1pm and Castle Grounds tennis courts: 1pm – 4pm
• Friday: Wigginton Park: 9am – 11.30am and Stonydelph, Crowden Road: 11.30am – 1pm
Get ready for Tamworth’s second ‘Streets Eats and Beats’ event to hit St Editha’s Square on May 25 from 5.30pm. This event will be hosting world street food traders, bars, local acoustic musicians and DJs.
Outdoor theatre comes to Tamworth Castle Grounds on May 29 when the wonderful Fabularium return with their performance of ‘The Town Band of Bremen’. This free outdoor family show features four fellow animals who all share a passion for music. The show includes storytelling, live music, mask work and puppetry. Don't miss this perfect family afternoon on the upper lawn and don't forget your picnic!
On June 2, a truly fun-packed day is planned in the Castle Grounds with two exciting events that everyone is invited to. Firstly, Together 4 Tamworth is pleased to announce the return of The Tamworth Carnival and the record attempt of the #DoTheAethel.
And Tamworth Urban Arts and Sports presents their family friendly festival event from 11am with activities including over 70 artists, a skatepark jam, skateboard BMX and scooter competitions, pop up BMX track, street food, fun fair and much more.
Other activities listed on Visit Tamworth include cycle hire, a big bounce at Wilnecote Leisure Centre, activities at Middleton Hall and a packed programme at Ash End Children’s Farm - including unicorn and JCB days.
There’s also plenty on offer at the wide variety of Tamworth attractions including Tamworth Snowdome, Drayton Manor, Jump Xtreme, Namco Funscape and Monty’s Indoor Adventure.
When the sun is shining, Tamworth is a great place to get back to nature with an abundance of nature reserves and country parks to explore; perfect for a sunny walk.
Tourism and Town Centre Development Officer for Tamworth Borough Council, Stacy Birt, said: “Tamworth has so much to offer when it comes to family and child-friendly activities to keep the boredom at bay during the school holidays. The spring half-term is no exception and we’d encourage people to visit some of our great local attractions, or take advantage of the free activities we’ve put on as part of the Street Sport and Mercian Mosaic projects.”
Visit www.visittamworth.co.uk for more information, including dates, times and prices where applicable. Or visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/VisitTamworth/ or Twitter @VisitTamworth.
Groups, bands, organisations, attractions and businesses are invited to advertise their events free of charge on the Visit Tamworth website. Visit the What’s On page for more information.
