Leisure Facilities for Young People
in Darlington
Shopping
At the Cornmill Centre or the Market Place you can go shopping. We have
an outdoor market on Saturdays and Mondays. In the indoor market there
is mostly food like meat, fruit and vegetables. The Cornmill is the biggest
shopping centre in town, although it isn't really that big. It has shops
like International, Clare's Accessories, Virgin Records, HMV, Electronics
Boutique and loads more. There is also a photo machine where you pay £2.50
to get your picture taken with a daft background.
There are a few places to get food, loke Burger King, Billy Bunters and
Hungry Jacks, which is a place where you get ice cream, sweets, crisps
and things like that.
Anyone goes there; I go with my friends from school but I also go with
my mum and sister.
The Dolphin Centre
This is where we all normally go on a Sunday or another day of the week
in our spare time. You may have a pass so you can get in for free or maybe
half price or maybe sneak in. Normally it is £1.50 for admission
for swimming, maybe more or less for other activities such as badminton
or tennis. There are also swimming lessons in which you will have an instructor
to help you with your swimming capabilities. There is softball and loads
more. Me and my friends have a way of sneaking in; we just go in the watching
area and put our costumes on, then we sneak through the bars and we're
in. It's fun and really cool. Loads of people go there, any age or size.
Pensioners may even get in free with a pension pass.
Swimming
We have a leisure centre, The Dolphin Centre, where there is a swimming
pool. There are three pools: the main pool, the diving pool and the training
pool, which is where groups go to learn to swim. There are two slides,
one straight and one not, and also three diving boards of different heights.
It costs about £1.20 to swim for one hour and an extra 20p for the
lockers in the changing rooms. The pool is very popular, especially on
Saturdays. The kinds of people who go there are usually younger children
with their parents or just adults who come to do lengths in one half of
the main pool. I don't go there often but my younger sister who is 11
goes there every week for diving lessons and I used to go every week with
my Primary School. I remember, in Primary when we went, it was really
fun and every last day of term we had a day when we could go on the diving
boards, slides or just play in the water. We also learnt about water safety
and did distances. I would say that swimming is very popular throughout
Britain.
Football
Darlington FC are the local football team and they are in National Division
3.They are a professional team but are not very good. Darlington are currently
building a new 25,000 all-seater stadium. At their current stadium, Feethams,
it will cost about £5.00 to get in. They aren't that popular, their average
attendance is about 3,500. Darlington in the last 6 years have played
at Wembley twice in the division 3 play-off final. Both times they lost
1-0; in 1996 they lost to Plymouth Argyle and in 2000 they lost to Peterbrough
United. Daarlington were the first-ever lucky losers in 1999 and even
though they lost their second round tie in the FA cup they were allowed
to play in the third round because Manchester United dropped out of the
FA cup. Feethams is quite near the town centre and if you wanted to you
could jump over the fence and not pay.
Snooker
Rileys is a snooker and pool club. It is near town and I normally
walk there from the town centre. You have to have a membership card to
play. It is about £2.50 an hour, which is quite a lot, but l normally
go with a friend so we share the price. Rileys is open all day every day
and normally on a Monday afternoon it is very crowded because there is
a special offer on which means it is £1.50 an hour. There is a big TV
there and sometimes 1 watch football matches there. l watched the game
between England and Germany when England won 5-1.
Horse riding
I ride my horse called Finola. I ride with my best friend every weekend
and we go show jumping every Thursday. My friend's horse is called Ginger
and her sister's horse is called Disco. My brothers also ride but not
as much as me.
I go riding round our farm and sometimes I see the deer in one of the
fields by the wood.
We also go to the Pony Club, which is really good fun. Nearly every week
we go to a rally, which is where everyone in the Pony Club meets and we
go into groups and do activities with the ponies. This year we are going
to main camp. For five to seven days we are put into groups and we do
jumping, cross-country and games. We also go ice-skating. This year we
are sleeping over there and take mattresses and sleeping bags. We will
sleep in the living compartment of the horse wagon. I have never done
that before but my friend says it's good fun.
Cinemas
In Darlington we have a cinema called the Odeon. In doesn't show that
many films compared to the other cinema nearby. It has recently been changed
from the ABC Cinema and I haven't been there since that change. It costs
about £3 to see a film and is quite popular. Anyone can go there,
young and old, to see different films of their choice. I have been there
only twice because my family prefer the Showcase Cinema, which is further
away but shows more films and is nicer although it would be easier to
get to the Odeon.
Inside the cinema you can buy popcorn or sweets, but they can sometimes
be more expensive than at other stores or supermarkets, so it can be better
to buy them earlier, then take them in.
Lots of people throughout England go to cinemas all the time, and you
can see whatever you like as long as you're old enough for the certificate.
Scouts
Scouts in Darlington are the place to be. My troop leader is a really
funny man and makes us all laugh. I personally just quit because I felt
I was too old, though people under eleven seem to thoroughly enjoy it.
My favourite part of the year was going camping in the wilderness and
sitting by a roaring fire in the middle of our tents.
The library
The library is based in the centre of town on Crown Street. You can go
in the library and read books, or you can take books out to read at home.
To take the books out is free, but you have to use a library card to get
the books out. The books have a stamped date in them which tells you what
date you have to return your book(s). If you don't return your book(s)
on time you will be fined a small amount of money. The maximum number
of books that you can take out is ten.
A nightclub
Mr Bo Jangles is a nightclub for adults but every Monday there is an under-sixteen
night and all of the schools go. It's £3.50 for a ticket but you
are in for three hours - 6.30-9.30 p.m. The night is called "Get Fresh",
the drinks are 70p for lemonade, coke or orange juice, and £1 for
slush puppies. The night is organised by a local radio station - "Alpha",
and one of their d.j.'s comes down to host the night. You can put your
belongings in a locker for 30p or just carry them around with you. It
is very popular so you have to go early to get in first. I always go to
a friend's house first so that I don't have to go on my own. I always
wear huge sandals and my feet hurt by the end of the night. It's really
hot inside so you have to wear skimpy clothes - I always wear short skirts
and little tops. The lads wear shirts and jeans. I really enjoy it at
Bo Jangles because you get to have a laugh with your mates.
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