Comments Off on Barking & Dagenham’s Best Half-term and Halloween Activities!
Barking & Dagenham’s Best Half-term and Halloween Activities!
With the half-term holidays and Halloween both taking place next week, parents of school-age children may be scratching their heads trying to think of ways to entertain their little ones without breaking the bank.
Luckily, Barking & Dagenham and the surrounding area is full of excellent attractions and family-friendly Halloween events, so we’ve picked out some of the best for your consideration. Read on to find out more!
Jolly Jungle Halloween Party.
If your kids need to let off some steam this half term, head over to the Jolly Jungle for a special Halloween party!
One of Dagenham’s best soft play destinations, Jolly Jungle features a huge play area, a ball pit and a seriously big slide! This Halloween, it’s put together a special package that includes one hour of play time, one hour of game time, treats, giggles and ghostly surprises!
Two Halloween parties will take place, both on Thursday, October 30th, from 12:30pm – 2:30pm and 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm. To book spaces, please call: 020 3889 6238 and remember that fancy dress is encouraged!
The Jolly Jungle, Becontree Heath Leisure Centre, Althorne Way, Dagenham. RM10 7FH.
Ingrebourne Spooky Lantern Making.
Looking to get crafty this half-term?
If the answer is ‘YES!’, then head over to the Ingrebourne Valley Visitor Centre on Wednesday 29th from 2:30 – 3:30 for a very special Halloween session where your little ones can create their very own spooky lanterns!
Decorate jar lanterns with bright tissue paper and spooky shapes, then pop in a tea light to take home and watch it glow at dusk!
Ingrebourne Valley Visitor Centre, Hornchurch Country Park, Hornchurch. RM12 6DF.
Tots N Tunes!
Perfect for very little ones, this musical fun-fest is for 0-5 year olds and involves nothing more than playing and singing!
Head over to Barking Leisure Centre from 9:30am throughout half-term and check out their website for information about their other activities and events!
Barking Learning Centre, 2 Town Square, Barking. IG11 7NB.
Stay in control of your finances this Halloween.
However you decide to spend half term, we can help make it more affordable with one of our loans. For more information and to see how much you could borrow, click here.
Comments Off on Wakefield’s Best Half-term and Halloween Activities!
Wakefield’s Best Half-term and Halloween Activities!
With the half-term holidays and Halloween both taking place next week, parents of school-age children may be scratching their heads trying to think of ways to entertain their little ones without breaking the bank.
Luckily, Wakefield and the surrounding area is full of excellent attractions and family-friendly Halloween events, so we’ve picked out some of the best for your consideration. Read on to find out more!
Pugneys Light Railway Halloween Spooktacular.
On Friday 31st October and Saturday 1st November, Pugneys Light Railway is transforming into a haunted haven of thrills, chills and ghostly giggles, with train rides through the spooky nearby woods taking place!
Suitable for all ages, even the trains might scream!
Head over to the Wakefield Exchange (WX) events venue this half-term for its annual Halloween playground, a week of fun activities for all ages – some of which are absolutely free!
From craft workshops and lively parties, to graveyard scenes, crazy golf, spooky discos, face painting and live music, there’s something for everyone!
However you choose to spend this half-term and Halloween, we hope you have a great time! And if you need an affordable small loan to help make your money go further, you can apply to borrow as little as £250 here!
Comments Off on Leeds’ Best Half-term and Halloween Activities!
Leeds’ Best Half-term and Halloween Activities!
With the half-term holidays and Halloween both taking place next week, parents of school-age children may be scratching their heads trying to think of ways to entertain their little ones without breaking the bank.
Luckily, Leeds and the surrounding area is full of excellent attractions and family-friendly Halloween events, so we’ve picked out some of the best for your consideration. Read on to find out more!
Stockeld Park.
A Grade-I listed country house and estate situated between Wetherby and Harrogate and spanning around 2,000 acres, Stokeld Park is a great place to visit all year round.
From the 25th October until 2nd of November, however, it’s absolutely unmissable, as its half-term and Halloween activities come to the fore, with something for guests of all ages, from the Woodland Witches forest trail, to the Monster Maze or the incredible Laser Zombie Experience!
And for those that love to dress up, there are also daily prizes for the best Halloween outfit!
If you like your pumpkin picking with a side of cute farm animals, then Swithens Farm is the place for you!
Throughout half term, you’ll be able to enjoy their famous Pumpkin Festival, which boasts tractor rides, mysterious woodland trails, furry friends like donkeys, piglets and meerkats, and lots more besides!
One designed especially for your littlest monsters (it’s suitable for ages 3 and over), this soft play session at the popular Grasshoppers in both Tong and Tingley will be packed with ghoulish games, creepy crafts and a fancy dress competition that your little ones will love.
Taking place on Friday 31st October 2025 from 2:30pm, follow the link below to book tickets in advance.
From Saturday 25th to Friday 31st October, the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Harehills is hosting a series of Freaky Phobias events, where visitors can find out about phobias and how they work.
Featuring live science shows, story times and more, this is a great opportunity for curious kids and those that just love to learn to understand once and for all why so many of us get creeped out by clowns or scared of spiders!
However you choose to spend this half-term and Halloween, we hope you have a great time! And if you need an affordable small loan to help make your money go further, you can apply to borrow as little as £250 here!
Comments Off on Barking and Dagenham’s Best Easter Activities.
Barking and Dagenham’s Best Easter Activities.
With most schools closing for around a fortnight for the Easter holidays, plenty of parents across Barking and Dagenham will be on the lookout for inexpensive activities to keep their kids entertained.
If you’re one of them, you’re in luck – there are plenty of fun, inexpensive activities to choose between including:
Ballerz Multi-Sports Easter Programme.
Taking place from April 14–17, children aged 5–11 can participate in multi-sports activities, enrichment sessions and an Easter egg hunt at Valence Primary (Dagenham) and Northbury Primary (Barking).
Funded places are available for eligible families.
Valence House Museum.
Explore local history in this free museum, set in a historic building with beautiful gardens.
Eastbrookend Country Park.
Perfect for walks and wildlife spotting.
Mayesbrook Park.
Offers playgrounds and open spaces for family fun.
Keep control of your money this Easter.
However you decide to spend the Easter holidays, we can help make it more affordable with one of our affordable loans. For more information and to see how much you could borrow, click here.
Comments Off on How To Make Half Term More Affordable.
How To Make Half Term More Affordable.
The February half term holiday comes at a tricky time for some households, with many still feeling the financial effects of an expensive Christmas, the ongoing cost of living crisis and, to top it all off, the weather is unreliable, making planning ahead difficult.
But by thinking outside the box and keeping an eye out for money saving offers and cheap days out, you can ensure your kids have a fun-filled half term without spending the earth.
Here’s how.
Movie magic.
With more cold and wet days on the horizon, there’s no better way to enjoy being indoors than with a film the whole family can enjoy.
But with adult cinema tickets often costing more than £10, the cost of a family trip to the multiplex can soon become too much to justify, especially if you have several children who all want their own snacks.
Luckily, many cinemas offer special kids’ screenings, with tickets sometimes costing as little as £2.50, even for adults. Better still, those that do offer these screenings typically do so throughout school holidays, meaning you’ll have plenty of dates and times to choose between if you have a participating cinema nearby.
All of Cineworld, Vue and Odeon cinemas offer some form of reduced ticket scheme for kids/families, so have a hunt for the best option and bear in mind that some tickets are even cheaper if purchased online, with weekday screenings usually cheapest. Showings of older films can sometimes be cheaper than brand new releases too.
Tickets tend to sell quickly too so book ahead to avoid disappointment!
Movie magic II.
If you don’t have easy access to a cinema, you can recreate the fun of a trip to the big screen at home for a fraction of the cost.
Either curl up on the sofa, make a comfy sitting area on the floor using cushions, pillows and blankets or build an indoor den by draping sheets over a couple of chairs, then round up the family for some blockbuster action.
If you have a Netflix, Disney Plus or Sky account, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to picking a film to watch; if not, simply sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime and you’re good to go (just remember to cancel your membership again before the trial runs out and you start incurring costs)!
Get cooking!
Two things kids love are getting messy and eating so why not combine the two and entertain your offspring by getting them to help make some half term meals? Not only is home cooking cheaper than eating out, it can also be lots of fun!
There are plenty of cheap and easy recipes available online but a couple of our favourites are pizzas and turkey burgers.
If you can’t face the prospect of letting your children loose in the kitchen with a bag of flour, try making pizzas using a wrap as a base instead. Kids can then decorate their own, making patterns or funny faces out of the usual toppings before popping them on a baking tray and cooking them in an oven set to 200 degrees/180 degrees fan for 8-10 minutes.
Turkey burgers are a great idea as they’re healthy – 99% fat-free turkey mince is easily available – and fun to make.
To make four turkey burgers, you’ll need:
500g turkey mince
One red onion
One garlic clove
One egg
Two gherkins
Lettuce
Vegetable oil
Four burger buns
Simply get your little ones to mix the turkey mince, egg, onion, garlic, chopped gherkins and a little salt and pepper in a large bowl. Combine well with their hands, then shape into four flat burger patties. With lots of different textures, this is the part kids will enjoy most.
The next step involves heating the oil in a frying pan and cooking the burgers for five minutes on either side, before serving on the buns, so it might be safest to do this part yourself while the children wash their hands and set the table!
They could even make it into a picnic or tea party by grabbing a picnic rug and eating on the floor or by making invitations, getting dressed up and bringing some favourite toys along as dinner guests!
Other ideas.
If you want to save on expensive days out this half term why not try:
Organising a treasure hunt. Just hide clues or riddles around your home and leave a reward like chocolate at the end.
Having a cardboard box challenge. Get some cardboard boxes and tubes out of the recycling box and let your children’s imaginations run wild. Equip them with some safe scissors, sticky tape and felt-tip pens and see what they can come up with. Submarines, dens, animals – anything is possible!
Visiting your local library. Whether you spend a few hours reading there, choose some books to take home or partake in any activities that are available, libraries have something for everyone and are free!
Check out local galleries or museums. Many offer free (or reduced) entry for children and put on adventure trails over school holidays so why not head over and enjoy some culture for an afternoon?
Happy half term!
Whatever you do this half term, you can’t put a price on spending quality time with your little ones.
But if you do need a hand bringing your plans to life, you could borrow as much as £1,250 with one of our affordable Family Loans. For more information, click here.
