Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Sport and Leisure Service has launched a broad programme of summer activities aimed at children and families, spanning leisure centres, outdoor venues and community spaces across the borough.
What’s on offer
The programme includes a mixture of paid and free sessions so households can mix low-cost options with coached courses. Leisure Lifestyle centres will run a variety of swimming sessions — from family fun swims and inflatable sessions to short, intensive crash-course lessons intended to accelerate learners’ progress. Full timetables and bookings are being handled through the Leisure Lifestyle app.
- Swimming: family fun swims, inflatables, intensive lesson crash courses (book via Leisure Lifestyle app).
- Sport Scheme: multi-sport sessions across the borough plus football and athletics summer camps (book via Leisure Lifestyle app).
- Park Tennis: free coached sessions at Blackwood Showfields and Ystrad Mynach tennis courts on weekends, run in partnership with the LTA (sessions began at Blackwood on 18 July and at Ystrad Mynach on 19 July; book online).
- Caerphilly Adventures: climbing wall sessions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Centre for Skills and Learning; Junior Adventure Days on Mondays.
- Caerphilly Play: free Pop up Play and Play in the Park events across communities, with Disability Pop up Play requiring advance booking due to limited spaces.
Booking and access
Most activities are accessible by booking through the Leisure Lifestyle app; Park Tennis sessions use a separate online booking system. The council has emphasised that the majority of community play events are free to attend, and only some specialist or limited-capacity sessions require pre-booking.
| Activity | Location | Booking |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming sessions (inflatables, family fun, crash courses) | Leisure Lifestyle centres across Caerphilly | Leisure Lifestyle app |
| Park Tennis (coached) | Blackwood Showfields; Ystrad Mynach tennis courts | Online booking via Park Tennis |
| Caerphilly Adventures (climbing, Junior Adventure Days) | Centre for Skills and Learning and outdoor sites | Leisure Lifestyle app |
| Pop up Play / Play in the Park | Community locations throughout the borough | Free to attend; Disability sessions require booking |
“We’ve got another fantastic programme of activities planned this summer, with something for everyone right across the borough.”
The quotation comes from Cllr Chris Morgan, the council cabinet member responsible for sport and leisure, reflecting the authority’s intent to provide a mix of active opportunities and free community play over the six-week school break.
Local context and consequences
For families in Caerphilly, the offer is intended to reduce barriers to participation — both by providing free sessions in community spaces and by concentrating paid provision in the borough’s leisure network. The combination of coached camps, volunteer-led play and targeted provision for children with disabilities is designed to cater for different needs and budgets.
Practical considerations for parents include advance booking where spaces are limited and checking specific session suitability — notably the Disability Pop up Play events, which are free but require prior registration. The council’s reliance on the Leisure Lifestyle app for bookings means households without smartphone access may need to contact centres directly or seek assistance from local libraries or community centres that provide internet access.
Information on dates, times and availability is being updated through the council’s leisure channels. Residents are advised to consult the Leisure Lifestyle app or the council website for the latest timetables and to reserve places early for sessions likely to fill quickly.
Overall, the programme offers a concentrated period of sporting and play activities across Caerphilly designed to keep children active, support family routines during the holidays, and make use of local leisure assets.
