St John's park used to have the town leisure centre at the end of it before it moved to another…read morepart of town. For the park, this was actually a good thing as the space was reused to put in three tennis courts, a skate park and a basket ball net plus practise area. Alongside this, there is a children's playground and the local cricket team class this as their home turf. There is a cricket pavilion here and you can also watch a cheeky free game of local cricket on the weekend. The park is well placed for amenities and is fairly pleasant. Sadly, it is not much more than a big rectangle and it would have been nice to have a wooded area to go on a walk. You will find yourself doing laps or running out of space fast if you want to use it for jogging or an afternoon stroll. Still, as a place to bring your kids for a knock about with a ball or other activities (I actually learnt to ride my first bike at this park) you could do worse.

Lancing Manor leisure Center has recently had an upgrade. On entering the leisure center the…read moreentrance gives a good impression, clean and new. The staff are friendly and helpful. I come her regularly to take my toddler daughter to might mites, a soft play session in the sports hall. It costs £3.70 for a session and parents can sit at tables available and order drinks and even a cooked breakfast from the cafe. Great if you want to have a chat and amuse the children. The gym overlooks the sports hall and looks well used. Situated just off the A27 and next to Manor Park its very accessible to anyone living in Lancing, Worthing, Shoreham and surrounding areas.

I've been a member of a lot of gyms over the years but this one takes some beating for its…read moreall-round offering. I use the gym regularly which is clean and has lots of machines (although it could do with a Smith machine and can sometimes get a bit chavvy after work in the evenings) and i regularly attend circuit training with Dan who is more like a boot camp trainer but his class is great fun and because of his motivation to work harder I have lost around 6% of my body fat in just 8 weeks!

St Ann's Well Gardens is an attractive and traditional park bounded by Somerhill Road, Nizells Road…read moreand Furze Hill in Hove. There are entrances to the park from each road. Opened in 1908, the compact gardens have something for everyone: There's a wild woodland area, popular with dog walkers and wildlife enthusiasts, with different species of trees, birdlife and squirrels; two play areas for children (one for toddlers); a small pond; 8 tennis courts and a bowling green; an accessible sheltered 'sensory garden' with lots of scented plants, plenty of seats and a handrail around the perimeter; traditional lawns and flower beds; and a cafe, open 9-16.30h (depending on the weather - ring ahead on (01273) 735 187). Tennis courts can be booked on (01273) 292704 or online via the web-site. The gardens are named after a 'Chalybeate' (iron bearing) spring, famous for its health-giving waters. The well is supposedly known from Saxon times, although the dedication to Ann may reflect the popularity of dedicating wells to her after the return of Crusaders from the Holy Land from 1150 onwards. The iron-rich waters - which emerged with some force - were recommended as a tonic by Dr Richard Russell (1687-1759) and by Mrs Fitzherbert (1756-1837), the friend of the Prince regent, later George IV. Around 1800 an imposing pump room was built over the spring to accommodate the substantial number of visitors who came to 'take the waters'. Towards the end of the 19th century, artesian wells sunk locally meant that the flow of the waters had considerably declined and the enterprise closed. The Pump House on the site was demolished in 1935, and a small 'Wishing Well' now marks the spot. A small (and rather unreliable) spring now feeds a stream through the park. The gardens are busy all year round with families and dog owners, and especially so in summer. They were awarded a Green Flag in 2006 for their quality and the Council's commitment to nature conservation on the site. It's a favourite spot for mine for a walk, fresh air and a cup of coffee!

This park is somewhere we still travel back into Hove for. We moved to Worthing from Hove in 2006…read moreand instantly regretted not having somewhere as lovely as this within walking distance! Our children never tire of the extensive playareas with the biggest slide they know of. The cafe is always good for tasty wholseome food at very reasonable prices.

Great for beginners, Hove Lagoon offers a safe and enjoyable way to get into windsurfing and…read moresailing. Even if you don't fancy these, you can take your radio controlled boats for a spin, or just go for a walk round the Lagoon to the beach. The centre also allows you to take equipment out to sea once you've become proficient.

If you work or used to work for the Civil Service and are a member of the Civil Service Sports &…read moreSocial Club then you can go into this club. This still does not stop anybody going there providing they are signed in by a member. A small friendly club with music and entertainment especially at the weekends. Food is also served and drinks are pretty cheap. There is a large hall used for various functions including dances and badminton. It can also be hired for a fee.

Pitch Invasion is the name of the company who organise 5-aside football competitions in a league…read moreformat throughout the U.K. Though of course, it the Brighton wing, which I'm writing about. Pitch Invasion was started only a couple of years ago, basically to formalise the 5-aside format, which in the past had been hindered so badly by poor organisation, referees and attendance, and by all accounts it has done that incredibly well. Each team must pay £28, which although seems hefty, goes towards the referees, the hire of the pitches, the company and the match co-ordinators, which in fairness, when all's considered isn't too bad. "It's a game of two halves" and "it's six of one and half a dozen of the other" etc.. etc..Of course this doesn't make any sense, but if a football pundit was reviewing Pitch Invasion, this is no doubt the response he would begrudgingly give to the price. I would have to agree. Anyway there are games at Brighton campus 3G pitches, and up Walpole road, in between Brighton college and The Royal Sussex hospital in Kemptown, with many leagues and days to play in and on. The website is brilliant, and really makes playing in the leagues that bit more fun, as you can view your teams fixtures, scorers, league position as well as other fun and quite pointless stuff. If you play footy and you want to get involved as soon as possible, get 4 or more of your mates together, get on the website and register your team for the next season, which comes around every 7 weeks or so. I play on thursdays myself, and wouldn't miss it for the world now, as going running isn't half as fun as trying to do Zidane style turns against people (not chairs in your living room), and playing alongside your mates.

This is a excellent little stop of for Brighton families as it has so much to offer. Not only does…read moreit have sand sports courts where volleyball, beach rugby and bouldering are played, its also a sheltered haven on an often breezy pebble beach with a licensed cafe. An ideal place to spend a Sunday chilling out at the Barefoot Cafe with a vino, watching a tournament while the kids muck about in the sand. The only venue of its kind in the UK Yellowave Brighton has played host to many beach sports events such as the British Women' Volley Ball championship. The venue is also used for live music events ad parties so definitely worth checking out of you have visitors down.

I went to Yellowave for the first time this weekend to play a Volleyball Beach tournie with…read morefriends. I was really impressed with the venue. Being a volleyball player myself and an addict I must say, this is a great place to train and play beach. The sand is perfect, there are around 6 courts available, and the staff clearly know their stuff! There' also a lovely cafe/bar to chill out and have snacks, a climbing wall for fitness and an area for children to play with the sand outside of the courts. The venue is also available for some other sports like beach soccer, beach rugby, frisbee, etc... And for volleyball addicts like me you can hire a court to train for as little as £18/hour. So get your training gear on and try it out this summer!

This crazy golf I believe isn't the one right next to the pier but a 10 minute walk along the beach…read moreheading towards the marina. This is great fun and well worth a couple of quid each. I am very competitive but take losing well which after this experience I should get used to, I wont say by how much I lost! For those who play golf it is pretty good as it is quite challenging so having experience playing golf will not really do you too much favours. This course has a yearly tournament! 'For crazy golf' i hear you say. If you want a different challenge and are competitive get involved if not get involved and beat those who take it too seriously. These types of activities are what make going to the seaside a real day out and not just snoring on the beach, whilst getting sun burn all over. Take anyone you like and support this crazy golf as if we stop playing these games all we will have is a beach!

What would the seaside be without mini-golf? Now, Brighton is blessed with two nice little courses,…read moreone just east of the Palace Pier, and Peter Pan's, further along by Yellow Wave (the outdoor sports centre). If you have the time, take the longer walk down to Peter Pan's: the quality here is so much higher, the course a bit more adventurous, and nowhere near as crowded. I personally love mini-golf; I'm also quite good at it, so it stands to reason that I love to play frequently in the summer months. The mini-golf next to the Pier in Brighton is the most frequently used, but it is a pale imitation of Peter Pan's. Here, there is a semblance of fake grass. Here, there is semblance of theme. In all honesty, the whole thing is very ragged around the edges, but not quite as bad as the other one, and that's the important point. The course itself is relatively painless. Nothing too difficult, nor anything too colourful or shiny. Where some mini-golf courses try and do clever things with windmills and stuff like that, Peter Pan's is simple, basic mini-golf: no gimmicks, the way I like it. In the end, it is just mini-golf, and Peter Pan's is a slight improvement on the other Brighton course. Don't go expecting the world; it is a bit rough around the edges, and could do with some improvement, but it is just an idle past-time.