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Everyone needs to switch off for a while from the daily demands on their time and energy.

And what better way than to take advantage of the full variety of sport and leisure activities which take place in the Borough.

They range from rambles in parks and open spaces to the more energetic demands of football and swimming.

Sports centres will be of particular interest to those wishing to maintain a healthy quality of life and visitors can sample more than 50 different sporting activities from football to croquet, badminton to volleyball and tennis to martial arts.

There are leisure facilities at Knutton, Chesterton, Kidsgrove and Newcastle town centre.

As well as providing an extensive range of sporting opportunities, they are also equipped with state-of-the-art health and fitness suites.

Swimmers can enjoy a dip at the Jubilee Pool in Newcastle, Kidsgrove sports centre and also Chesterton Community Sports Centre.

There are a range of other swimming pools based at schools, hotels and health clubs in the area.

The Borough Council is working in partnership with other groups including Newcastle College and Staffordshire County Council to create a multi-million pound Sports Village in Newcastle. It is proposed to have the state-of-the-art facility open within 18 months.

If you want to get in the swing with golf, then Newcastle can accommodate you at three private courses. And although the former municipal golf course at Keele has been transferred to a private company under a long-term lease, it is still available for pay-as-you-play.

For the more adventurous there is a dry ski slope at Kidsgrove Ski Centre.

But if you are hooked on something a little more sedate, then there are plenty of facilities for fishing. Cloggers Pool at Halmerend, has been opened in a joint initiative between the Borough Council and Government agency Advantage West Midlands.

Many other coarse fisheries and pools provide anglers with the chance to try for everything from huge carp to perch.

Just outside Newcastle is Keele Sports Centre, which is owned and run by the university. Facilities include an athletics track, squash courts, all-weather pitches, a gym, climbing walls and fitness suites.

The Borough boasts a wide variety of clubs, covering many sporting activities and including pursuits such as bridge and chess.

The advent of the lottery has helped many clubs to raise funds for improvements. Lottery cash was used to build a pavilion at Newcastle Athletics Club, close to the town centre.

The Borough contains a number of country parks, where walking and other informal pursuits can be enjoyed.

There are a total of 1,500 acres of parks and open spaces in the Borough, which provide opportunities for walkers, anglers, bird watchers and people who enjoy water sports. Traditional park sports are also on offer, including bowls, tennis and croquet.

Two country parks are in the Kidsgrove area – Bathpool Park, which includes attractive woodland and a large lake, and Birchenwood Countryside Park, an industrial area that has been reclaimed and developed by the Borough Council. Its features include sports pitches, tennis and netball courts and a fitness trail.

Bateswood Country Park, near Halmerend, is another area that has been reclaimed for leisure after being used for opencast mining. The park has been turned into a local nature reserve and volunteers are now managing the area, where the lake attracts varied wildlife.

Another popular country park is at Apedale, near Chesterton, also reclaimed following opencast mining. The site includes a number of signed nature trails and the recently-opened Apedale Heritage Centre, which focuses on the area’s coal mining history.

A footpath from Newcastle town centre runs through to the Lyme Valley Parkway which has recently been transformed thanks to significant investment through a Greening for Growth initiative.