West Park and West park Leisure Centre, Nottingham

Several times a year i bring my daughter here and its cheap and close. THe changing room have been well improved since i was a small child, and its also a no shoe zone. shoes have to be removed and left outside( or carried in) the family changing room has planty of large rooms with change tables or play pens. lockers are 20p but non refundable. children under the age of 3 are free to swim. The teaching pool itself has recently been rather cool and not a suitable warm temp for most small children, my 2 year old is often shivering after half an hour or so. Durring splash tots they bring out toys such and boats, floats and watering cans, my daughter loves playing with these. The openeing times for the teaching pool is rather hit or miss. its usually open to the public in the afternoon for an hour or 2. We enjoy it as its cheap and local, just could be improved a little

I haven't been swimming here since I worked here about 8 years ago but I am very pleased to say the facilities have massively improved! There was a refurbishment of the changing rooms a year or 2 ago and they are much bigger, easier to use and just generally nicer! The area is completely accesible now, (no steps of hidden ledges) however the swimming pools themselves are still the same which isn't a bad thing. The baby pool or teaching pool is normally very warm like a bath however we have had the odd occasion where it has been freezing with no explanation when asking...! When the baby pool is open to the public they normally have some small floats, boats and other toys available although if they aren't out you can ask. The big pool is nice and large with seperate swimming lanes in the deep end. They also have 3 slides now, the Thunderbolt (a dark fast ride), a lazy river type one very suitable for small children/toddlers (my son is 2 and loves it) and then another faster lazy river type one with more drops and dark bits in. My only negative is the opening times, the baby pool isn't open very frequently and the slides even less than that! It is definately worth ringing ahead to check. I don't tend to use the cafe or bar area when I visit but there are lots of vending machines in the reception area with a variety of snacks and drinks, some are healthy too. The cafe tends to do chips, burgers, sausages etc but the bar will do sandwiches and some small bar meals like scampi etc. They are quite reasonable priced but again the opening times are a little hit and miss so check first. Overall the facilities are quite nice, clean and tidy looking and the pools are good but not always open at convenient times.

I've had to write another review on the leisure centre itself as I've been to several birthday parties here recently and its such good value and good fun too! Both parties were of the soft play variety - there's a bouncy castle, climbing frames, slides, ride-alongs, soft blocks plus more little bits and pieces like footballs etc. For £50 you get 1 hour in this soft play with as many children as you like (limit is 30 due to h&s) then 1 hour of an upstairs room hire with tables and chairs. You provide your own food however depending on what you want you can pay per head for their catering however I personally wouldn't... it isn't anything special, crisps, sandwiches etc! I am planning on having my sons 2nd birthday party here as I think its very good value. Most soft play centres I've spoken to charge about £10 per head and you don't even get the play area to yourselves! Here you get a private play session plus a private room and the option to provide your own food at no extra charge, some places charge extra when bringing your own food in. Fantastic value and good fun! Simple and basic, perfect for children!

Ive been bringing my daughter here since a young age and she loves it. There is so much to do on west park that im just going to cover the small toddler park in this review. The small toddler park is a completely closed in area with seating and bins for adults, the kids have 4 swings 2 for small toddlers and 2 for older toddlers, the a huge climbing frame with a tunnle, rope bridge and slide. there is also a see-saw which is strong enough to hold adults as well, Theres a small round about with a seat in the centre, which is great for smaller children who want to sit on your knee whilst going round. Theres a little frame of a car with a movable steering wheel. My daughter has so much fun and just runs about most fo the time. The down side, litter can sometimes be a problem in the summer with stickly icelolly and icecreams that have been dropped, sometimes leading to ants. Ive noticed on occasions that the tarmac has become worn at the bottom of most used areas, my daughter has tripped in this once and if it wasnt for my fast reactions would have smacked her head on the equipment. However it is a completely outdoor section and can not be monitored 24/7 they do have telelphone numbers and contact details on the entrance to report broken equipment or vadalism. We come here over a doozen times a year and almost every week in the summer.

I only live down the road from this park and have spent hours on here throughout my life. Its huge, loads of open fields, bowling greens, cricket pitches, football pitches, tennis courts, rugby and lots of walks and wooded areas to explore as well as the large play park which was refurbished a few years ago. They have 2 parts to the play areas, the toddler bit has a couple of swings, a seesaw, a roundabout and a climbing frame and slide which my son, who's 17 months, loves!! The floor is that bouncy asphault but there's a few bits that are damaged (from local teenagers) so be careful. The big main park has lots to challenge older kids and is always packed in the holidays. There's a little cafe that sells drinks and snacks but I'm not sure of the opening times as it seems to change all the time?? I think it could be seasonal... There's a basketball court thats free to use but the tennis courts have to be booked at the leisure centre. There's loads of events held on the park around the year, the carnival, fire works nights, dog shows, the fair etc. Some you have to pay extra for and some are free but they always have lots of advertising on the website and around the town. Dogs are welcome on the park and there's lots of bins and dog bins around the place. They've recently installed some gym equipment periodically along the main walks which is always in use whenever I've gone through. It has so many uses and is a great, free day out and is right in the centre of Long Eaton spreading from Wilsthorpe Road right over towards the town centre.