Stockports Rollergrove has been going for years! its a great place the kids love it you pay about…read more£4.00 inc. boot hire and the kids get to skate for hours they set the scene with loud disco music and flashing lights. There is a cafe within the rollergrove so refreshments are always available Private parties are catered for at a reasonable price.

After last years epidemic of baby births, sorry that sounded shallow. After the delight that was…read moremany of my friends and colleagues creating or expanding their families (better) the seasons are changing and as we move out of Winter into Spring and hopefully balmier climates, talk has turned on where's a nice and safe place to take the kids that isn't pure saccharine wacky zany child fun, and is parent and friends of parent friendly, eg, friends of parents won't balk at the idea of spending time with the kidlets because it's "just too much fun(!)" Anyhoo, an excellent compromise or combination, of green, flowers, pretty, play areas, etc is Pudsey Park. My idea to take friends kidlets here stemmed from the glowing reports this park has. Prior job projects included something on open spaces in West Yorkshire, and Pudsey Park comes in top of the list with regards to awards and such. It's been a Green Flag award winner every year since 2003, a worthy acheivement. The park is always clean, and I've never had any trouble, plus in half term and Summer holidays, there's plenty of families about, which is nice for the kids to play about, without being too loud and annoying for anyone enjoying the park sans child. So what's to do here? If you enter the park at the Car Park side, you'll immediately notice the playground, and there's a basketball court, and a skate park. Wandering through there's a bowling green, flower gardens, a glass house filled with exotic plants and a pets corner and aquarium and aviary. For replenishments there's also a little cafe too. At the moment the park is undergoing some regeneration, so there are some major developments going on, and the structure and layout of the park is changing. But when it's all done and dusted it should be even better than ever.

I'm feeling the love for all things slightly off centre. No I'm not having another Mel meltdown, I…read moremean I'm quite liking exploring the deeper depths of our beloved Leeds and it's Pudsey. Since I'm on a park ting (getting all street again, word up), I thought it'd be rude not to look this bad boy up. Now most of the parks have been reasonable to good it has to be said but this one is a perfectly formed package. It should shout about itself, it's a Greenflag winner and has been on many occasions. That's probably because it's very well maintained and has loads of stuff for the kids. Pet's corner is a nice touch and they keep on reconstructing areas left, right and centre so it's only going to get better. You've got exotic fish and birds and a tropical greenhouse. So get your best silly hat and cargo shorts out and go jungle trekking in your own back yard. There are plenty of flowers and tree lined walks. Plus, skate park, green bowls and a bandstand. Altogether with some air trumpet now.

The older I get the less cool I seem to be able to exude to my friends' kids. This amuses me and…read moreconcerns me in equal measures. I've never really been that fond of kids, but as they get older they grow out of being kids and more into being young adults and then I realise I do have more of a common ground with these young folk and no idea how to reach it. One of my friends suggested I grabbed a couple of the stroppy teens, hauled their butts and their skateboards into the back of the car and took a drive out to Hyde Park Skate Park. It's summat to do for a nice afternoon, and it's not the usual museums I feel obliged to force down their throats, nor the consuming crap that their mothers scorn me for. This seemed like a happy compromise, under the one condition that they promised not to break any of their bones. Deal. Great place for them to roam free, with enough leash room for me to pick a green spot to crack open a book and peer over the edges whilst they practised their moves, and there seems to be a good solid group of people practising their skills and just generally showing off to people seated around the periphery. If the kidlets slash young adults are feeling sociable they'll mutter and mumble over at each other and trade some skills and secrets all trouble free, all in the name of improving their own techniques. There's a steady mix of skills knocking around, from the novices just finding their feet or wheels, to the more confident show boaters ready to perform all what they've got. Either way, if you've got a book to read, you won't get much read.

A Mecca for local kids and students alike, and apparently the coolest place to hang out if you're…read moretoo young to get served in the pub, the Hyde Park Skate Park is also quite good for skating too. It's concrete with metal coping, and has a decent collection of ramps, banks and ledges to keep even the most adventurous extreme sportsmen and women entertained. There's a fairly high concentration of BMXs, and the usual animosity between them and the skaters, but other than that it's a fairly accepting park that, thanks to its location in the heart of studentville, doesn't really pay much attention to new faces.

Hi Mike. You have proved that it is definitely possible to teach an old dog new tricks! Your advice…read morehas transformed our relationship with Angel, our 11-year-old rescued Bichon. We've had her for about a year but her possessiveness over food and resources was getting much worse and we were really worried that things were not going to work out with our current family situation. After one home visit from you, we have put in place all of the advice and training measures you suggested and everything is going really well. The daily growling incidents have reduced considerably now we know how to avoid and distract. Mealtimes in particular have improved - we are putting only small amounts of food in her bowl, then putting it down after she waits and then repeating the process until she has had the whole portion. One of the key things you helped us realise, is that just because she is 11, not to let her get away with things. For example, she used to have a set route she preferred for walks, with lots of little foibles about where to cross the road and stop at certain points. We used to indulge her routines and because she is an old dog, let her do what she wanted. But now, if we want to go left and she doesn't, I stand still until she stops pulling. Then I start to move towards the way I want. If she pulls again I stop, and I do not look at her. Eventually she starts to come towards me and once we are trotting off in the new direction she is fine. Thanks again for your advice. It has made Angel a much happier little lady.

From the owner: Dog & puppy training in Northwich & Cheshire…read more A well-behaved dog is a pleasure to own. At the club we show you how to interact with your dog and improve your dog handling skills. What's more, socialising with like-minded people and their dogs is a treat for you and your dog too.