Saturday 18th September, 1pm - 5pm

Come and join the fun at Ash Manor Sports Centre on Saturday 18th September with a whole afternoon of free* activities for all the family.

Ash Manor has laid on a jam-packed afternoon of activities for children and adults between 1pm and 5pm, which will include football skills with Chelsea F.C., Roller Hockey with Ash Avalanche, Archery with Guildford Archery Club, games with Koosa Kids, Cheerleading, Trampolining and much more!

Download a copy of the Fun Day timetable for details of activity times on the day.

*Donations made on the day will go towards funding a British Heart Foundation Defibrillator for Ash Manor Sports Centre.

This Fun Day will have a great atmosphere for all the family!

For more information on the Ash Manor Fun Day please call 01252 325484 or visit reception on your next visit.

Zumba is a Latin-inspired cardio workout that fuses hypnotic South American rhythms such as salsa, samba and merengue with easy to follow moves to create a dynamic fitness session. Spectrum runs four Zumba classes a week and is throwing the Zumbathon party in aid of its Charity of the Year, the Farnham based Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.

Spectrum Group Exercise Co-ordinator Yvette Meredith explains, "Zumba is all about having fun. It's only been in the UK for just over 3 years and yet in this time has become one of the fastest growing, dance based fitness crazes in the country.  It's a sensational way to fat-burn and really has the feel-good factor. Bring your family and friends, give it a try and help us raise money for a really good cause."

Zumbathon is open to all ages from 12 upwards and no experience is necessary. Tickets cost £8 or £6.50 for an Early Bird Discount when booking before 1 September. To book or for further information call 01483 443322 or visit our online box office.

If you would like to try out a Zumba class before this event please see our fitness & group exercise timetable for our current Zumba classes that are running.

A cast of talented skaters drawn from Spectrum's acclaimed skating programme will re-create all the magic of the orient with flying jumps, dizzying spins and energetic dance routines. Together with colourful costumes and the creative choreography of show co-ordinators Andy Fyles and Melissa Galvin who coached Donal MacIntyre into the Finals of the popular ITV ‘Dancing on Ice' programme, this will be a visual extravaganza for all ages.

Aladdin is one of the oldest classic Arabian stories told and has long been one of the most popular of pantomime themes. The story is set in the Far East which provides a stunning visual backdrop for the adventures that unfurl. Our hero, Aladdin, discovers the secret of an old oil lamp and, along with the charismatic genie inside, tries to win the heart of the Princess. However, the path of true love is never easy and he needs to battle the evil Abanazar to achieve his goal. Add the comic characters of Widow Twankey, Wishy and Washy to the drama and there promises to be plenty of action all around.

Shows run at 1pm and 6pm on Friday 10th December and 2pm and 6pm on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December. Tickets are on sale from 1st September and cost £10 adult, £7 child with a family ticket price of just £29.

Early Bird Offer for tickets bought before 30th September 2010... Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening shows only, £1.00 off per ticket.

To book visit our online box office and click 'other events' or call the box office on 01483 443333 - tickets on sale now!

The Government's free-swimming initiative for over 60s at the Lido and Guildford Spectrum will come to an end on 31st July 2010. The curtailment of the scheme follows the government's decision to end free-swimming funding to local authorities in the light of national budgetary constraints. Free swimming for over 60s in Guildford was made possible through a direct grant received from the Government. Without this funding Guildford Borough Council is unable to continue with the free-swimming initiative as it is also under great pressure financially to find savings of £8 million over the next 3 years.

However, Guildford Spectrum's General Manager, Claire Davenport says that there are still plenty of affordable swimming options for the over 60s at Guildford pools. "Swimming is a fantastic exercise for the over 60s since it is so gentle on joints and is accessible for all abilities. We are determined to help our older local residents continue with affordable swimming which is why we are extending our usual term-time only programme to include the summer holidays for 2010*. By signing up to our free Active Card leisure reward scheme they can swim for just £1 in our competition, teaching or diving pool every weekday from 1.30pm - 5.00pm. We have also introduced a new over 60s rate of £3 for the leisure pool Swim for All sessions.

She continues, "We also offer a £1 Early Morning Swim on Fridays from 7.30am for the over 50s and outdoor swimming at Guildford Lido is also available during the summer at a concessionary rate of £2.90. This becomes even more good value with the introduction of a new reduced price season ticket for the remainder of the Lido swimming season at a cost of only £17.50."

One of the things that Spectrum staff noticed during the free swimming period was that many older people were unable to access the free swimming initiative because they had never learnt to swim. It is therefore introducing free beginners' swimming lessons on Monday mornings for the over 60s starting from September, which means that many more people will have an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of this form of exercise.

Guildford Borough Council was given a £37,002  budget by the Government to cover the free swimming sessions for 2009/10 which enabled it to offer free ‘Swim for All' sessions to the over 60s at all of its pools. With the removal of the grant, Jim Miles, Strategic Director, says, "The Government clearly has difficult decisions to make about public spending to ease the national debt. Whilst free swimming is one of the casualties, we do feel confident that swimming at Spectrum and the Lido still offers fantastic value for money for our residents and hope many members of the community will take up the opportunity to participate in this fantastic sport."

*26th July - 5th Sept

Spectrum's car park is now zoned into SHORT and LONG STAY parking with the short stay area the 361 spaces at the front of the building. Parking remains free of charge.

Guildford Spectrum customers and those on short trips on the Park and Ride often have children to supervise, pushchairs and sports equipment to carry and the change allows them to park closer to the building and bus stop. There will be a max. 4 hour parking restriction with no return within 2 hours and Guildford Borough Council Civil Enforcement Officers (traffic wardens) will be handing out fixed penalty notices to anyone who parks improperly.

Park and Ride users will be able to park in the Park and Ride extension car park and any of the other long stay parking areas once this area is full. Click on this link to see a plan of the car park which shows the areas of short and long stay parking.

This parking change will be from 8.00am - 6.00pm, Monday - Friday only and parking at Spectrum will remain free of charge.

If you have any comments to make about the change in parking regime at Spectrum please email us at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Spectrum customers and staff are being encouraged to take to their saddles for a charity spinning challenge on Saturday 11 September from 2pm - 6pm to support Guildford's Fountain Centre. The four hour endurance event will feature a line-up of Spectrum's popular spinning instructors and aims to raise enough to buy a new therapy couch for the cancer care centre.

Spinning is an extremely popular, studio based cycling class to music. Spectrum runs 26 classes a week including Teen Spins and early morning sessions.  The classes are renowned for being an excellent cardiovascular workout and a highly efficient way to burn fat.  Download a copy of the current Spinning timetable.

Organiser and Spinning Instructor, Dean Girdler, says "I have been in remission for three years now from Bowel Cancer. What carried me through my battle with cancer was being mentally and physically fit from spinning and the support from the Fountain Centre for me and my family. The centre gave me support while in hospital and when I was in recovery at home five months later. It was reassuring for the family to have someone to talk to about the illness and their guidance and help made all the difference."

He continues, "We hope to raise enough money to purchase a therapy couch which will help other local people dealing with cancer."

James Marlow, Fundraising Officer from the Fountain Centre says, "Since the launch of the Fountain Centre the charity has grown and developed and now has approximately 650 visitors per month.  The service is run by a dedicated team of volunteers, who are supported by a small staff team. The Fountain Centre is currently undergoing a refurbishment and needs to replace four treatment couches. Each couch costs £1,400 and without support such as this we would be unable to purchase these essential pieces of equipment. We are delighted that Dean is organising this event on our behalf, and our thanks to everyone involved for supporting our work."

The Fountain Centre is a drop in centre within St. Luke's Cancer Centre at the Royal Surrey County Hospital that offers information and support, counselling and a wide range of complementary therapies, to cancer patients past or present, relatives or friends, those bereaved and staff.

The Spin Challenge is open to all ages from 14 years upwards. Tickets cost £10 for each hour of the event or £40 a bike for the full four hours and Spectrum is encouraging everyone to get sponsored for their efforts (www.justgiving.com/fcguildford) All the money will go directly to the Fountain Centre. To book or for further information call energy level gym on 01483 443355.