Budget-friendly summer activities for families

With the summer holidays underway, a variety of libraries, heritage sites and sports schemes are offering free and affordable activities for families.

Clubs, workshops, exhibitions and nature trails are all on offer in Jersey and Guernsey to help parents manage the cost of school holidays, while also supporting the wellbeing of children.

Jersey Sport is offering free taster sessions for kids aged 8 to 15, including gymnastics, dance, football and boccia.

Street Sports is a community programme in Guernsey that aims to improve sports provision for young people and offers free sports sessions at Les Genats.

Young people can just turn up and choose which activities they would like to take part in.

La Vallette bathing pools in Guernsey are natural, tidal sea pools on the east coast and are free to access.

Havre des Pas Bathing Pool in Jersey is a Victorian tidal pool which features a diving platform, fresh water showers and changing facilities, and is also free to enjoy.

Jersey Library is running a variety of free events, including a summer reading challenge, toddler time, a chess club and a LEGO Club.

Guernsey's Guille-Allès Library is offering free workshops and craft sessions for children and families throughout the summer, including a board games day and a paper crafts session.

Guernsey's Candie Gardens feature Victorian flower gardens, fish ponds, harbour views, a museum, an art gallery and a café in an historic setting and they are also home to the oldest known heated glasshouses in the British Isles.

The National Trust for Jersey Wetland Centre on the west coast in St. Peter is built within a restored World War II bunker and overlooks La Mare au Seigneur or St Ouen's Pond.

The centre has 16 viewing windows at various heights, interactive exhibits and remote-controlled cameras via which to watch local wildlife, like marsh harriers, for free.

Saumarez Park in Guernsey is free to use and has a large playground, nature trails, gardens and a wide open space for walking, cycling and picnics.

Next to the park's café is the Folk and Costume Museum which is also free to visit and is showing an exhibition called Inside Out - The Hidden Craftsmanship of Victorian Dress.

Jersey's Coronation Park features two large playgrounds, as well as an outdoor paddling pool and water feature known as the Splashpad, all of which are free for public use.

For those wanting a hands-on experience, Golden Guernsey Goats Farm in St Peters offers the chance to feed goats for £1.

Guernsey and Jersey have a rich history which can be seen through sites around the islands.

Vale Castle in Guernsey dates back to an earthwork from the early Iron Age but the earliest parts of the stone built castle visible today date from the 15th Century.

The castle overlooks the north eastern end of the island and is freely open to the public throughout the year, although access may be restricted due to private events.

Fort Grey in Guernsey is a Martello Tower built in 1804 to defend Guernsey's west coast.

Today it is home to a shipwreck centre and entry is free for children under seven and costs £5 for adults.

Le Hocq Tower is a coastal defence tower in Jersey that was developed in the late 18th Century and is free to visit.

Howard Davis Memorial Hall, also in Jersey, features a rose garden and the war graves cemetery, and is likewise free to visit.

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