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Richmond offers many varied opportunities for recreaction. On the sporting front there is an eighteen hole golf course towards the northern end of town. Near the River Swale there is an excellent swimming pool with a wet suite attached and a private health club next door to it. On the opposite side of town, on Westfields, there is a tennis club.

Richmond School has an all weather pitch which it shares with the local community for a variety of sports. It is the venue for training sessions for the numerous football and hockey teams in the town. Richmond Town team and several pubs that have their own teams play regularly at Earls Orchard. In addition there is excellent provision for youngsters wanting to play football competitively.

Hockey is a thriving sport in Richmond. The town has four men`s teams, one ladies` and various teams to suit the eleven to sixteen age range. In Summer hockey coaching is also provided for the 9 to 11 age range. Similarly cricket can field three men`s teams and caters well for juniors. Richmond School has a strong Rugby tradition and the town itself turns out two teams to play every week with matches and a clubhouse at Theakston Lane. This year the under 7, under 8 and under 9s train on a Sunday morning. Bowls, horse riding, fishing and badminton are just four of the many other sports available in the town, while many other activities can be accessed in the area around Richmond.

Obviously the area lends itself to the `Great Outdoors.` The town itself is on the edge of Swaledale, which is an excellent starting point for all outdoor activities.
The Swaledale Outdoor Club provides a wide range of pursuits including canoeing, caving, climbing, mountain biking, orienteering, road cycling, skiing and walking. Social events are also on offer at the club`s town centre clubhouse. A local harriers club, which trains at Catterick, is actively involved in track and field events, in cross country running, fell running, orienteering and triathlon events.

A wide choice of musical and theatrical opportunities abound in the town. The amateur dramatic society promotes live theatre in Richmond, while the operatic society has a full social programme and concert groups as well as full scale productions. Both societies perform live in Richmond, as do the choirs and orchestras that meet regularly to practice and then provide excellent concerts on a regular basis.

The Georgian Theatre Royal
Built by the theatre impresario Samuel Butler and opened in 1788, the theatre was a venue for touring players for about sixty years. After closing and having been used as a warehouse, it was restored to its original eighteenth century appearance and reopened full-time for productions in the 1960s. Prince Charles witnessed the opening of a further refurbishment and extension in August 2004. It is now the most complete Georgian playhouse in Britain, offering a wide variety of entertainment, as well as informative theatre tours which include viewing Britain`s oldest theatre scenery. This is a truly amazing building.

North Country Theatre
Based in Richmond, North Country Theatre specialises in taking professional theatre out into the country, touring village halls, churches, castles and gardens. Its outdoor performances are great fun and surprisingly it rarely rains! The company performs anywhere from Hereford to the Scottish borders but most work is done in North Yorkshire. Nobby Dimon, the artistic director, has recently won the highly-regarded Lawrence Olivier Award for best new comedy with his version of ‘The 39 Steps’. He and his team are committed to working in small village halls and they also perform in The Zetland Centre at Richmond, but – beware - tickets at all venues are often sold out within a few days. Every performance makes exciting theatre.