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By Ian Barham, Cultural Leader, AVDC
There is a wide variety of leisure opportunities in Aylesbury, from a stroll alongside the canal towpath to a family visit to the Cinema. For more information on things to see and do in Aylesbury, call into the town’s Tourist Information Centre located at the Kings Head just off the Market Square tel. (01296) 330559

For sports fans the Aqua Vale Swimming and Fitness Centre is Aylesbury’s latest state-of-the-art leisure experience. Three swimming pools allow you the opportunity to choose between an eight lane 25 metre competition pool complete with movable floor, the indoor leisure water with its great river ride and interactive flume or the outdoor heated pool. If you prefer your leisure on dry land there is also a modern gym and fitness suite, dance studio, sauna, soft play room and café. For further information on the activities at the centre please telephone (01296) 488555 or visit www.aquavale.com

The town’s other major sports centre is the Stoke Mandeville Stadium. The centre is internationally famous as the birthplace of disability sport and benefited from a multi-million pound lottery makeover in 2003. A national centre for sport, the stadium boasts a fantastic range of facilities for both able bodied and disabled visitors. It includes a 12 court badminton sports hall, 25m swimming pool, Harpers Fitness Centre, Mondo Athletics Track, Fitness Studio, Creche and Café/Sports Bar, as well as a 100 bed Olympic Lodge Hotel. The venue also offers conferencing and banqueting facilities, for both small and large events. For further details please telephone (01296) 484848

If you prefer to take your exercise in the fresh air, then Aylesbury offers a wide variety of choice. There are a number of excellent golf courses very near to the town including Aylesbury Park Golf Club at Fairford Leys. Walkers can easily access open countryside from the town: the 12 mile “Round Aylesbury Walk” offers an energetic challenge; or there is a range of more manageable, shorter walks; such as the Riverside Walk at Meadowcroft. We have excellent children’s playgrounds and tennis, bowls and a great skate park in the developing Vale Park. There is an all weather football pitch and a new teenage kick about area in Meadowcroft, and there are sports pitches in our parks and open spaces at Bedgrove, Alfred Rose Park, the Edinburgh & Walton Court Playing Field, Dunsham Park and at Fairford Leys. For further details of sports facilities in the town please telephone Aylesbury Vale District Council Leisure Services on (01296) 585210

A new theatre for the town will soon be opened as part of the Waterside development. This will replace the Civic Centre.

Queens Park Centre offers over 60 arts and crafts workshops every week including painting, pottery, needlecraft, circus skills, drama, salsa and sign language. The relaxed Limelight Theatre at the centre hosts a range of professional theatre, comedy, music and exhibitions. Queens Park Arts Centre (01296) 424332 www.qpc.org

Perhaps Aylesbury’s most popular attraction is the Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery which forms part of the Buckinghamshire County Museum. Dahl fans of all ages come and experience the magic of his writing with a visit to this exciting hands-on gallery which is set alongside a lovely walled garden in the heart of the historic Old Town. For details of opening times please telephone 01296 331441 www.buckscc.gov.uk/museum Other family attractions near to the town include the Home for Retired Horses at Speen and the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton.

Additional entertainment choices include the Jardines Ten Pin Bowling Alley in Friars Square, The Multi Screen Odeon Cinema off Exchange Street, Klub Kart Racing in Pembroke Road and Scubanet, the largest dive centre in the South of England, in Rabans Lane. For details of a wide range of visitor attractions in the Aylesbury area visit www.visitbuckinghamshire.org