There’s no need for youngsters in Dudley to be bored during the Christmas break with lots of fun to be had at the borough leisure centres and the Dell Stadium.

All Dudley borough residents aged 16 or under can enjoy free swimming at Crystal Leisure Centre in Stourbridge, Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre in Dudley and Halesowen Leisure Centre between Saturday 23 December and Sunday 7 January.

The free swimming offer is part of Dudley Council’s Child Friendly Dudley initiative. Young people who have not previously registered will need to register in advance to take advantage of the offer and must be supervised by a responsible adult aged 18 or over.

Family fun disability swims, which are designed for people with disabilities, special educational needs (SEN) or autism spectrum disorders (ASD), will also be taking place during the holidays - check the DB Leisure website for more information.

The popular Waikiki Waves family disco will run on Friday 5 January from 6pm to 8pm at Crystal Leisure Centre in the leisure pool. The centre will also be offering a family-friendly swimming session on Tuesday 2 January from 5pm to 8pm.

For the little ones, Halesowen Leisure Centre is hosting a Splash Time session for children under five and their parents or carers in the learner pool on Friday 29 December and Friday 5 January from 9am to 10.15am and 10.30am to 11.45am. These sessions help younger children build their water confidence with normal admission charges applicable. Outside of the pool, there is also plenty of activities for kids to enjoy.

Crystal Leisure Centre will host a stay and play session on Tuesday 2 January from 10am to 11am, where parents and children can interact with other families and play with foam bricks and soft balls, bounce on the bouncy castle, or ride tricycles.

Planet Play soft play areas at Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre and Halesowen Leisure Centre will offer soft play for children up to the age of 11, while Crystal Leisure Centre’s soft play facilities are open to children up to seven years old. SEN soft play sessions, which are suitable for children under 11 years of age with disabilities or ASD and their siblings, will take place at Duncan Edwards Leisure Centre on Wednesday 27 December and Wednesday 3 January from 5pm to 6pm.

At the Dell Stadium, children aged eight and over can enjoy a kick-about on the 3G football pitch for just £1 each from Wednesday 27 December to Friday 29 December and Tuesday 2 January to Friday 5 January. Football sessions are from 9am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 4pm. For adults who fancy showing off their skills, people aged 16 and over can play for just £2. All players must wear appropriate football boots (with moulded, screw-in plastic, nylon or rubber studs under 15mm) and provide their own football.

Table tennis and badminton is also available at Duncan Edwards and Crystal Leisure Centres throughout the week for children aged eight and over. Equipment can be hired and parents are advised to contact the centres for availability. Councillor Paul Bradley, deputy leader of Dudley Council, said:

"We know it can be hard to keep children active on those quiet days over Christmas and the New Year, so once again our DB Leisure centres are offering a great programme for children of all ages and abilities.

"There are lots of activities on offer and with free swimming and £1 football sessions, families who are on a tighter budget will still be able to take part in the fun. Please remember that availability on all activities, including free swimming, is on a first-come, first-served basis.

"We always recommend checking the DB Leisure website for updates before setting out. "

The borough leisure centres will be operating with revised opening hours during the Christmas and New Year period.