Why don't you..?

…have fun in Woking for under a fiver!

Attention young people! Just because the credit crunch is biting doesn't mean that you have to bow down to boredom and forego any fun. The Woking Magazine challenged local lass, Henrietta Mote, to go out into the Borough and find three great activities to enjoy for under a fiver each. And, by the looks of things, she didn't have to go too far to find fun stuff for her and her friend, Imogen.

Activity 1 - Swim for free at the Pool in the Park (www.woking.gov.uk/leisure)

"This was great fun. There are three big swimming pools to choose from: the training pool, the leisure lagoon and a kid's pool. The leisure pool has a wide selection of slides of varying speeds, as well as a great wave machine and two hot tubs. The training pool is ideal for those who want to do some laps.

"After lots of swimming I started to feel a bit hungry. Luckily, in the pool complex there is a nice cafe where they offer all sorts of food ranging from sandwiches, burgers and baked potatoes to cakes and hot and cold drinks. The best news is that under 16s can swim for free during any of the public sessions with the Key card. So, for less than ?5 I was able to have lunch in the cafe and swim for free! What a bargain!"

Activity 2 - The Lightbox (www.thelightbox.org.uk)

"The second activity I chose was a visit to The Lightbox Gallery and Museum. I don't normally like going to museums and galleries - having to walk around with your parents or other members of your family can be extremely boring and a bit of a waste of time. However, when I visited The Lightbox I felt inspired - there was a lot of historical information about Woking that I did not know about.

"The Lightbox will appeal to kids of all ages - even teenagers! One of the good things about this venue is that entry is free, though some of the visiting exhibitions charge an entry fee. So, when you have spent all your pocket money and you and your friends are bored one afternoon, why not pop in and have a wander round - it may even help you with some history homework!"

Activity 3 - Laserquest at The Big Apple (www.thebigapple.co.uk)

"I have to say I was very impressed with the service and the level of organisation required to get everyone set up to go and have some fun. The game prices start at ?3.95 for one game of 20 minutes. There are various special offers during the week and for students. The maximum number of players is 30 per game and you are divided into two teams.

"After you have completed your game, you go downstairs to find out your score and see what how you compared to all of the people that were playing with you. And what's even better, is that you get to take home your very own score sheet with all your personal info about how you played and who you shot in the game. In my opinion, this was a great way to spend time with friends."

Henrietta's overall verdict

"As I found out, you don't have to spend a lot of money to go out and have some fun in Woking. The activities above are just a selection of the many things that you can do without having to spend lots of money. Some other places of interest for young people to visit are the Ypod (www.wokingymca.org.uk) for local gigs, the Ambassadors cinema (www.theambassadors.com) and the Chaos under 18s disco hosted at Quake nightclub (www.clubquake.com )."

Thanks!