With the school summer holiday just around the corner we've been finding out what's going to be happening around our city to entertain children, young people and families. This year the summer holiday runs from Friday 23rd July to Thursday 2nd September. Listed below are a selection of our top events and activities whatever the weather and to suit all budgets and interests. To find out about more events please visit our events calendar. 

Out & About

Here's our top activities to get you out and about and doing things around our great city and beyond.

• Sports Camps - do your children enjoy playing football, netball or cricket and want to improve their skills over the summer? There are some courses listed on our calendar or for full details of what's available see the Family Information Service's Summer Fun 2010 booklet
• Visit the theatre or see a film - shows on over the summer include The Gruffalo, The Night Keeper, Blues Brothers, Fantastic Mr Fox & Grease
• Enjoy an airshow - Airbourne in Eastbourne is on 12-15 August and Shoreham Airshow is on 21-22 August
• Hop on a train up to Stanmer Park or take a ride on the Bluebell Railway

Free Events & Activities

We all know that it can get expensive entraining the family over the holidays so here are some ideas that won't cost you a penny!

• If your children are bored with the local park why not visit a different one for a change and try out the redeveloped play areas. Full details are available on the Council's website - www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/
• Visit your local Library and take part in Space Hop - the summer reading challenge
• Make the most of living by the sea and head down to the beach or one of the play areas on the front with a picnic and have a paddle or build a sandcastle.

Big Days Out

Here are some ideas if you fancy a trip further a field.

• Introduce your children to the wonders of West End theatre during Kids Week – for free! Kids Week (13-27 August) returns for its 13th year with free tickets for under-16s to exciting theatre shows across London's West End. For full details of all theatres invloved see www.kidsweek.co.uk
• Navy Days (30 July - 1 August) at Portsmouth Naval Base will feature serving warships from the Royal Navy, as well as foreign navies, alongside the famous historic ships and attractions of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - http://www.historicdockyard.co.uk/events/event416.php

If there are any events that you would like to let us know about you can add them to our events calendar. Please note that any content added will be moderated before it's published.

This is a one-day get together with your neighbours on Sunday 18th July 2010. It can be anything from a simple lunch to a full-blown street party with DJs and a home cooked feast.

The Big Lunch began life as a wild seed at The Eden Project. By simply having some fun on one day in July, we can build new friendships that we can enjoy for the rest of the year. The Big Lunch is a chance for different generations and backgrounds to hear each other out and share stories, skills and interests. It's the start of a journey into rebuilding our communities.

There are quite a few events planned in Brighton, from the Level (12:00-3:00) to Ditchling Rise (12:00-4:00) and many, many more. To find out more and locate your closest event please visit the website - www.thebiglunch.com/map/find-a-big-lunch.php

If you are looking for other fun events over the summer, why not checkout our calendar?

Queen's Park Primary School, Royal Spa Nursery School, Carlton Hill Primary School and Tarnerland Nursery School have been identified as priorities for engineering measures as part of the Safer Routes to school scheme.

The aim of this scheme is to improve road safety for children, parents and carers travelling to and from nursery or school. Following speed surveys, pedestrian counts and collision data, we've identified crossing points in four locations as potentially suitable for improvements.

Parents, carers, pupils and staff have also been asked about their journeys to school and where they feel unsafe.

The public consultation begins Thursday 7 July 2010 and closes on Thursday 22 July 2010. There are exhibitions where you can see larger plans and discuss proposals with a School Travel Officer and a Highway Engineer who will be able to answer any specific questions you have.

Exhibitions take place at the following venues:

• Brighton Town Hall - 7 July to 22 July
• Queen's Park Tennis Clubhouse - 12 July from 4pm to 7pm

You can see a map of the proposals [PDF 1mb] and the Council would be grateful for your views on these proposals - Queen's Park safer routes online survey. You can also phone 01273 290235 for more information. 

Youth survey - get online!

Young people in Brighton & Hove have until Monday 12 July to let the authorities know their views on youth services in the city – and possibly win a £50 shopping voucher.

A city-wide review of youth services by the city’s Children and Young People’s Trust is looking at how best to move forward in the current difficult financial climate.

As part of this process young people aged 13-19 being asked to get online at www.youthservicereview.co.uk and fill in a questionnaire. This asks young people questions such as:

• What do you enjoy doing?
• What local youth projects do you attend?
• Are they in the right place and at the right time?
• Do you feel safe doing them?
• What might be stopping you from getting involved?
• What improvements would you like to see?

The questionnaire only takes a few minutes to fill in. A group of local young people called the Young Person’s Reference Group will discuss its findings later this month with senior youth workers and managers and make recommendations on what services need to be prioritised in future.