October Half Term Guide 2018

Wow - it’s half term already?! We’re sure our Halloween Fun Guide has got your cauldron bubbling over, but we like to spoil you! Here’s an overspill of a few fab events around town to keep your little ones excited and occupied!

If you're looking for childcare this half term, take a look at the Half Term Holiday Club Guide for daily activities lasting all week long!

Running until 31st October

The Sudeley Castle Autumn Trail offers a beautiful secret escape from the hustle and bustle of town. The wildlife trail weaves through the autumnal grounds and gardens, with the ambers and golds of the Cotswold countryside providing an impressive display on the horizon, the trees in the October sunlight are a sight to behold! It’s also a lovely way to take in some exercise and burn off some of that Halloween candy energy! As well as completing the trail and enjoying the castle gardens, younger visitors can play on the new fun fort and adventure playground, while grown ups warm-up with a hot drink and delicious food at the Terrace Café! Entry to the trail is free with admission tickets, open 10am - 5pm throughout half term. Find out more.

I think we all know by now which is the greatest show, don’t we? If you don’t, The Greatest Showman certainly does! If you haven’t seen it, now you can enjoy it for FREE at Hesters Way Baptist Church! Come along to your local community gathering at to enjoy this fantastic free film screening with your family, friends and neighbors! From 6pm - 8pm. Find out more.

Sunday 21st October

WOW! Gallery at The Wilson offers a world of wonders on your doorstep! Let your eyes be dazzled! Let your imagination soar! Play, touch, crawl and sing in The Wilson's brand new gallery for little people and their families, carers, friends and fellow adventurers! Come and meet a penguin in a tunnel, find a boneshaker in the sky, and watch rabbits mid-leap! Follow shapes and colours and ice and sun, cross oceans and climb mountains as you play together and wonder at the world, as it comes alive through our incredible collection. The brand new gallery WOW! Gallery is fully accessible, right down to using a dyslexia friendly font. There’s a buggy park and cafe on site, food and drink welcome, changing facilities available and lifts to all floors. Open 11am - 4pm, free entry! Find out more.

Movies For Juniors has become a welcome weekend treat! Check Cineworld Cheltenham website weekly to discover new child-friendly film screenings each weekend, shown Saturday and Sunday mornings and during school holidays. With tickets costing around £3, it’s a sure win! Get 10% off at Smokey Joe's with your Cineworld ticket post movie! Pop in to the cafe for some brunch, lunch or a unicorn hot chocolate - let the fun begin! Find out more.

Monday 22nd October

It’s highly advised you book in advance for this one - there’s limited places and these classes are popular with parents and little ones alike! This week’s Thecolourclub Candy Sushi Workshop is aimed at young creatives ages 7 and over who like to make fiddly things and promise to brush their teeth VERY well after class! Sticky sweets, candy treats, yummy marshmallows good enough to eat! Recreating an array of wonderful sushi never sounded so appetising! But will it last the journey home? From 10:30am - 12:30pm, £15 per child including all materials and goodies! Find out more.

Hop, skip, bounce into Monday at Elim Space Academy’s Bounce Party! Activities suitable for ages 2 - 11 including bouncy castles, an inflatable slide, sumo-suits (yes, really) and a pre-school area! Free refreshments for excited kids and worn out parents! Places are limited so early booking advised. Open for enjoyment on Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd October. Session times are 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm, £5 per family. Find out more.

Tuesday 23rd October

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, well maybe ‘they’ haven’t been to The Rock! For one day only The Rock is offering a host of completely FREE activities and a free hot lunch for primary school aged children. Pre-registration is required to attend, we’re not sniffing at a chance to make friends and fill our bellies! From 11:30am - 1:15pm. Find out more.

We all know that Cheltenham rocks, but who knew Cheltenham now pebbles?! Just a stone’s throw away from town Prestbury Library is offering the chance to prettify your pebble of choice for free! There'll be a prize for the best one, just drop in between 2:30pm - 4:30pm! Find out more.

Aloha - a morning of Moana (PG)! Children LOVE this Disney movie in a big way - and if you missed it on the big screen now’s your chance to see it again, thanks to The Playhouse Theatre. We join Moana on her adventurous mission to prove herself and fulfil her ancestors' unfinished quest. Don’t miss this action-packed voyage; encounter enormous fiery creatures and face impossible odds, while singing along! From 10:30am - 12:25pm, all seats £4. Find out more.

Wednesday 24th October

Thecolourclub is back, and offers something for those a little older! Black Out Poetry is a creative, illustrative activity that may not be on the curriculum - although it should be! Words are left like stepping stones across the page, bringing new meaning and making new sentences that wasn’t there before. Sounds complicated? We assure you it isn’t, older creatives aged 10 or over will get it! Call or email to book your place. From 10:30am - 12:30pm, tickets cost £15 with materials and a tasty milkshake from Smokey Joe’s included. Find out more.

Check out the Cotswold Motor Museum for a morning of arts and crafts in this midweek workshop, running from 10am - 1pm, perfect for budding artists and Brum enthusiasts! Children will learn about the history of motoring, as well as take inspiration from the toy exhibition to create a collection of collages, sketches and paintings. Tricky techniques, proportions and blending will all be taught, assisting with art lessons back at school on Monday! The workshop costs £18 which includes full access to the museum, all materials provided and refreshments. Find out more.

Thursday 25th October

Louby Lou’s Storytelling in launching in Cheltenham and you’re invited to the imaginative and fun-filled session lined up at Cheltenham Children’s Library - the perfect treat for you and your children this half term! Using physical action, sound, props and role play, ‘Let’s Go Find A Bear’ will be brought to life in a way that will be sure to entertain, engage and stimulate your children’s imaginations. From 11am - 11:45am, pre-registration required in order to attend. Find out more.

Friday 26th October

You say soft play? We say yes please! Fun and games for tots aged 6 months to 5 years and their parents this morning from 10:30am - 11:15am. No advance booking necessary, just rock up to Leisure At and ask for Part of the Mini Movers and Makers group! Cost for ages 6 - 12 months is £2.10, ages 1-5 years £4.10. Find out more.

Saturday 27th October

If Mary Poppins were real, we’re sure she’d take the kids to see this today! Ahead of the soon-to-be released sequel, here's a chance to enjoy the original on the big screen at The Playhouse Theatre. From 2pm - 4:20pm, tickets £4. Find out more.

Cheltenham's fabulously funky Yard Sale returns to the Bottle Of Sauce today! Relax and browse the eclectic stalls, with gadgets and gizmos a-plenty, whosits and whatsits galore! A selection Ariel would be proud of! Artisan coffee, splendiferous cakes and pastries, breakfast baps, Dodo Burgers and woodfired pizzas - happy days! From 10am - 4pm, FREE entry. Find out more.

Better get your skates on for this next one, literally! Roller and inline skating sessions available for families and skaters of all ages at Leisure At this evening. No skates? No problem, skate hire is available! Skaters Club has a programme designed to teach and improve skating skills through play, fun and games. The programme has been devised to get families, children and adults to become progressively more active. Roller disco anyone? From 5.45pm - 7.15pm, costing £5 entrance, £2 skate hire. Find out more.