EASTER is almost here, and with the beginning of the school holidays families will be looking for days out and free things to do at Easter 2012 in Huddersfield and West Yorkshire.

Luckily, there’s always plenty going on in the Yorkshire region and Easter is no exception, with free events and interesting family things to do in Huddersfield.

One of the guaranteed great days out for all the family is the Huddersfield Easter Fun Fair. Running from Thursday April 5 to Tuesday April 10 from midday, it’s got something for all the family to do – from Equinox and the Crazy Wave for the bravest among you, to dodgems and candyfloss for a slower pace. It takes place at Leeds
Road Playing Fields, Huddersfield (not Greenhead Park as first announced), and best of all it’s free entry.

There are several other traditional Easter activities taking place over the school holidays too. Bagshaw Museum at Wilton Park, Batley has a bonnets, bunnies and baskets trail from Saturday March 31 to Thursday April 5, from 11am(noon at the weekend)-5pm, with last entry at 4.30pm.

Bagshaw Museum also has an Easter Extras day, on April 3, where you can make Easter cards and Easter decorations. It’s £1 per child (five-16 years), and Kirklees passport holders go free.

Just before the children go back, there’s also a centenary celebration on Sunday April 15. From 12-4pm, there are craft workshops and a celebration of the refurbishment of the park’s lake cascade and the launch of a Centenary History Trail. Call 01924 326155 for more information on any of the Bagshaw events.

If the children are acting up then the Easter Holiday Theatre Workshop is a perfect Easter thing to do. It’s a three-day workshop starting April 2 with a performance for families and friends at the end. It’s suitable for children aged four-six (9.30am- 12pm) and seven-18 (10am-4pm). For details call 01943 510095 or email huddersfield@stagecoach.co.uk

People with a learning disability can get even more hands-on with their own workshop. Full Body and The Voice are holding a theatre skills holiday project where they can actually learn exciting – but safe – stage combat techniques. It’s for 11-25- year-olds with a learning disability and runs April 2-4 at the Lawrence Batley Theatre, Queen Street (Cleckheaton Town Hall on April 3). Call 01484 484441.

ArtBeat! is also offering the chance to get creative, this time with art, on selected days from Monday April 2 to Wednesday April 11. Describing it as High School Musical meets Glee, Rebecca Milner invites young people with disabilities aged 13 to 25 a chance to do drama, arts, crafts, music, dance, mime and confidence-building games. It’s a great free day out in Huddersfield – call her on 07923 904253 or email becca020378@gmail.com

Keep the children busy with the Tall Tales workshops. They can make models of their favourite fairy tale characters and win a prize for under sevens and eight-12-year-olds categories. It is in several libraries on Monday April 2, including Meltham Libraryand Information Centre, Thornhill Lees Library and Information Centre, Dewsbury, Rawthorpe and Dalton Library and Information Centre, and Lepton Library. Call 01484 222500 to book.

Celebrate the coming of Spring at the Crow Nest Park Adventure Playground, Dewsbury. Friday April 13 is the Spring Fair, with seed planting, wild food foraging, campfire cooking, den building, game sessions, and outdoor fun and free play. Call 01924 324558 to find out more.

At the start of the holidays is a great family event which parents and children can both enjoy. Scissett Stage Door Theatre Company presents the traditional tale of Robin Hood, in family pantomime form. Tickets are available from the venue, Flockton Green Working Men’s Club, or The Spar, Flockton. Tickets are £6, children/ concessions £5, on April 2-5.

Enjoy television detective dramas? Then the Crime Scene Investigation Rookie training is for you. On Wednesday April 4 (1-4pm) and April 11 (9am-12pm and 1- 4pm), head to Unit 36 Nortonthorpe Mill, Wakefield Road, Scissett, where you can learn fingerprinting, hair and fibre, and showprints, then put your new skills to the test in the crime scene centre. It costs £20; call Wendy Horne to book on 01484 860599 or email wendy@thinkforensic.co.uk

Have a family day out over Easter in the hopefully good weather at Kirkheaton. The Greenhead Park Miniature Railway is running from Good Friday to Easter Monday, and every child who rides the train gets an Easter Egg. Monday’s takings go to the Air Ambulance Appeal. Call Dorothy Hollyhead on 07712810735 or email g_hollyhead@o2.co.uk

There’s an interesting mix of a quiz, donkeys, musical entertainment and wellie-wanging down at Beaumont Park Huddersfield this Easter. It’s on Sunday April 8, from 1.30-4pm. Call 01484 645217 for details.

Throughout the Easter school holidays in Halifax there’s a good day out at Commotion on the Ocean. Based in Eureka, Halifax from March 31 to April 15, it’s a sea-themed event with a chance to meet a mermaid, Captain Hook, Captain Jack Sparrow, jellyfish and octopi, and learn more about the Titanic.

The children will be wanting to go back to school in the Easter holidays with the Easter Day Camps 2012, based at Huddersfield Grammar School. They run from April 2-13, and involved a wide variety of fun and sporty activities. For more information head to www.supercamps.co.uk or phone 01235 832222.

Amid all of the activity and chocolate-eating, there’s also a chance to reflect and see the spiritual beginnings of Easter. Huddersfield Parish Church has a packed programme of events for everyone, from Palm Sunday service on
April 1, to the stations of the Cross, sung Litany, meditation on the Crucifixion on Good Friday, Book of Common Prayer Communion and Eucharist. Go to www.huddersfieldparishchurch.org for a full list.

In a similar vein, Huddersfield Singers will be holding its Easter concert at St Paul’sHall in Huddersfield on March 31, along with Reigate Grammar School Parents' and Friends Music Society. Tickets are £11, £10 concessions, £3 students and children.

It starts at 7.30pm. Call Theresa McDonagh on 01484 541166 or email theresamcdonagh01@btinternet.com You can also pay on the door.

Meanwhile, burn off some energy with the Huddersfield Giants Community Rugby Camp, at The Zone. It’s on Wednesday April 4 9am-5pm, and gives six to 13-year- olds the opportunity of receiving high quality Rugby League coaching, with work on technique and skills, and small-sized games on the 3G artificial pitch. Book at www.giantsrl.com

Not to be outdone, Huddersfield Town Football is also offering sports camps, this time for football-mad youngsters. For five to seven-year-olds, it’s on April 2 and 3 from 9am-5pm, and is £30 pre-booked or £40 on the day. For eight-13-year-olds it’s on Thursday April 5, and is £15 or £20 on the day. Call 01484 484134 or 01484 484189.

For the youngest children, Tiny Tot Corner in the Cafe Bar of the Waterfront Lodge Hotel is holding Easter Crafts on Thurs April 5 and Tuesday 10 between 2-4pm. Also join Prego Play on Easter Sunday for its annual Easter Egg Hunt. The play area is open 12-6pm.

There are so many things to do with the family at Easter both free and paid-for; make the most of the holidays and have some great family Easter days out in Huddersfield and West Yorkshire.