It's a brand new year and a brand new start - so why not try something new in 2017?

There's a whole world of exciting hobbies you can try right on your doorstep in Huddersfield, and we've round up an A-Z guide of some of the brilliant activities on offer.

From airsoft to zebrafish, snowtubing rock climbing, choral singing, Nordic walking and more, make it your new year's resolution to broaden your horizons, learn a new skill, meet new people and have fun all at the same time!

To help you on your way we've included the details of nearby clubs, associations and companies that can help you with your chosen hobby.

From the active to the creative and downright unusual, we've got it covered.

Here's an A-Z of exciting hobbies to try in Huddersfield:

A is for Airsofting

Air soft
Air soft

Airsofting is a sport in which opponents fire pellets at each other with authentic-looking guns in organised scenarios. It’s cheaper and less messy than paintballing and has become popular with military reenactment societies. The activity can be physically strenuous although target shooting is also an option. Huddersfield’s Halo Mill airsoft centre in the Colne Valley Business Park charges non-members £17 for up to four hours, plus gun hire. All players must be 14 and over. For details visit halomill.com or call 01484 840550.

B is for Ballroom Dancing

If the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special whetted your appetite then sign up for a dance class in Huddersfield. We've got the details of where to look for a Latin or ballroom course. Dancing is great exercise and a lot more fun than going to the gym.

C is for Choral Singing

Conductor Greg Batsleer at rehearsal with Huddersfield Choral Society
Conductor Greg Batsleer at rehearsal with Huddersfield Choral Society

Singing has proven health benefits and is a sociable activity for all ages. Sign up to sing with one of Huddersfield’s many choral groups – from the Huddersfield Community Gospel Choir to the Huddersfield Rock Choir. This area is awash with choirs of many persuasions, so there will be one for you.

D is for Dry Stone Walling

Dry stone walling exams at Shelley College - Students Jess Elsey, Ashley Taylor and Sean McLoughlin
Dry stone walling exams at Shelley College - Students Jess Elsey, Ashley Taylor and Sean McLoughlin

The Huddersfield area is resplendent with dry stone walls, familiar features of the landscape that have been with us for generations. Learn how to repair and create dry stone walls at a course run by the West Yorkshire branch of the Dry Stone Walling Association. The cost of a one-day workshop is £40. For information visit the course website.

E is for Embroidery

Embroidery can be a relaxing hobby
Embroidery can be a relaxing hobby

Embroidery is a soothing, creative pastime that has stood the test of time. The Embroiderers’ Guild has branches all over West Yorkshire, including one in Huddersfield which meets at Kirkheaton Parish Centre, Church Lane, Kirkheaton, HD5 OBD, on the second Monday in the month from 10am until 3.30pm. Visitors can attend three meetings at a cost of £5 each meeting before paying their subscription. If they decide to join the annual fee is £33. Further details from embroiderersguild.com

F is for Flower Arranging

Huddersfield Flower Club members (left to right) Eileen Hinchliffe, Hilary Gee and Margaret Fearnley prepare posies of flowers
Huddersfield Flower Club members (left to right) Eileen Hinchliffe, Hilary Gee and Margaret Fearnley prepare posies of flowers

Another soothing, traditional hobby. Our area has flower clubs and florists who offer workshops and classes. Try The Flower Shop in Lindley (theflowershoplindley.co.uk) or Huddersfield Flower Club (huddersfieldflowerclub.co.uk), which has a programme of inspirational demonstrations and regular meetings.

G is for Grow Your Own

Lowlands allotments, Mirfield, full of colour
Lowlands allotments, Mirfield, full of colour

There’s nothing quite like eating home-grown vegetables and fruit straight from the garden or allotment. You can also grown your own flowers. While many allotment societies now have waiting lists it’s still worth applying (for details visit communitydirectory.kirklees.gov.uk). In the meantime turn over a small plot at home and join one of the area’s gardening clubs for advice – Kirklees Council’s website, once again, has a full list of organisations in all areas.

H is for History

Huddersfield Civic Society chairman Chris Marsden with one of the many lions in Huddersfield town centre

Get into history by joining Huddersfield and District Archaeological Society, which holds monthly meetings with high-calibre guest speakers. Membership is just £12 a year. If you want to know more about local history and the area’s many fine buildings then perhaps Huddersfield Civic Society (membership £10 a year) will tick the right box.

I is for Ironman

Brothers Simon (left) and Tom Betts make it to the Iron Man Triathlon finish line in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Ironmen challenges involve cycling, running and swimming ridiculously challenging distances, but it’s possible to start with less demanding races and build up fitness levels gradually. The most common distances for triathlons range from the super sprint (400m swim, 10km bike ride, 2.5km run) to the knee-trembling Ironman distance (3.8km outdoor swim, 180km bike ride and a 42km marathon run), but there are also mini triathlons for beginners. Find a 2017 event you’d like to compete in at britishtriathlon.org and get training with a local club. The Huddersfield Crusaders Swimming Club, for example, has members who train for triathlons.

J is for Jump

Are you brave enough to sky dive?
Are you brave enough to sky dive?

Bungee jumping used to be the challenge tackled by those who wanted to get out of their comfort zone, now it’s all about jumping from an aeroplane at 15,000 ft – usually for charity. Tandem skydiving with an experienced instructor is the way forward for beginners. Expect to pay around £150 a go. There are plenty of companies offering the experience in our region but charities often advertise fund-raising skydiving days. Make a Wish, which works with children, is one such charity. (tandemjumpuk.com and skyjumpers.co.uk both run skydives in the Huddersfield area).

K is for Knitting

Knitting needles in ball of yarn

Knitting might have had an ‘old grannies’ image but it’s now the hip new hobby. The World of Wool in the Old Railway Goods Yard in Huddersfield offers courses and workshops, as does the Spun Yarn Workshop in the Byram Arcade and Rowan Up Country in Holmfirth. There are also a number of knitting groups, including Yarn! that meets in the Blue Rooms, Byram Arcade, on the second Thursday in the month from 5pm.

L is for Lollipop Ladies

Lindley lollipop lady Corrin Pearson with pupils of Lindley Junior School
Lindley lollipop lady Corrin Pearson with pupils of Lindley Junior School

Taken early retirement and looking for a part-time job that gets you out into the community and into the fresh air? Kirklees has vacancies for school crossing patrol personnel (lollipop men as well as women) all over the borough. The pay rate is £8.04 an hour for term-time-only work.

M is for Mandarin Chinese

Learn mandarin in 2017
Learn mandarin in 2017

Learn a new language in 2017. Chinese is one of the world’s top three languages and could be just the intellectual challenge you’ve been looking for. As well as grasping the ‘tones’ of the spoken language, it could be fun to master the fascinating calligraphy that goes with it. Huddersfield Language School has a teacher offering courses, visit huddersfieldlanguageschool.com for details.

N is for Nordic Walking

Nordic Walking at Beacon Sports Centre - Beaconsfield
Left to right - Ali Camp (instructor),Helen Poyser, Jo Corker,
Nordic Walking at Beacon Sports Centre - Beaconsfield Left to right - Ali Camp (instructor),Helen Poyser, Jo Corker,

This form of walking, which uses special ‘poles’ to give the body a full top to toe workout, is excellent exercise. Nordic Walking classes are offered by NHS Kirklees at several sites around the area. For a full timetable visit kirklees.gov.uk/leisure/sport or call 01484 221000 and ask for the sport and physical activity development team. The National Trust also runs classes every Monday on the Marsden Moor Estate. For details call 07761 488745.

O is for Orienteering

A compass
A compass

Orienteering is a challenging outdoor sport that combines physical fitness with mental agility. Participants have to navigate around a fixed course using a map. It is popular with runners or joggers but also suitable for those who just want to walk while building up stamina. The East Pennine Orienteering Club covers Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield, organising training and competitive events. Visit eastpennineoc.org.uk for details.

P is for Painting

Paintbrushes
Paintbrushes

Always fancied dabbling in oils or knocking out a watercolour or two? The over 50s can sign up to art classes with the U3A (01484 308482 or visit huddersfieldu3a.org), while the North Light Gallery has adult art courses (northlightgallery.org.uk or 01484 340003), as does The Artworks in nearby Calderdale (theartworks.org.uk).

Q is for Quiz

Fancy your chances on Mastermind? Test your knowledge at a pub quiz first. Pubs all over town offer quiz nights. Pubs running regular quiz events include The Parish, Huddersfield’s historic watering hole.

R is for Rock Climbing

Internationally renowned climber John Dunne tries out the climbing wall at Huddersfield Leisure Centre
Internationally renowned climber John Dunne tries out the climbing wall at Huddersfield Leisure Centre

Climbing is great for building core strength and agility. But there’s no need to risk life and limb on a cold rock face when there’s Huddersfield’s new Climbing Centre within easy reach in Spring Grove Street. Catering for all ages, with a 12-metre climbing wall and bouldering routes (low level and with crash mats), the centre offers taster sessions and provides equipment. An off-peak session for an adult, with equipment, works out at about a tenner. Visit huddersfieldclimbingcentre.com for details. Rokt in Brighouse is another venue for climbers, with a similar pricing structure, and has the highest climbing wall in Yorkshire at 21 metres. For details visit rokt.co.uk

S is for Snowtubing

Snowtubing
Snowtubing

It could be some time before Huddersfield gets a dry slope of its own, but nearby Halifax has one at the Sportsman Inn and Leisure on the Bradford Old Road. Perched high above the town, it uses Snowflex technology to recreate the feel of real snow and has introduced snowtubing to the area’s youngsters. Snowtubing involves hurtling down the slope on a giant doughnut and costs between £8.50 and £10.50 a session. For details visit ridehalifax.co.uk/snowtubing

T is for Taekwondo

Tim Needham of Spear Taekwondo in Skelmanthorpe, Huddersfield

The ancient Korean martial art lays claim to being the most popular in the world, with more than 30m active students. Tae means to break or attack with the fist,

Kwon means to break with the foot, and Do translates as art or way. You could become a student of this mind and body discipline at Premier Taekwondo (premiertaekwondo.org), Total Martial Arts (ttmas.co.uk) or Keith Raistrick’s Tae Kwon Do School of Excellence (halifaxtkd.co.uk) all in the Huddersfield area.

U is for University

Heritage Quay at Huddersfield University
Heritage Quay at Huddersfield University

Find out more about your home town at Huddersfield University’s Heritage Quay archive facility, which is open to members of the public. The archive is acting as the guardian of the archives of other organisations, families and individuals dating back over 200 years. It runs regular free events and hosts lectures. Visit heritagequay.org/events for details.

V is for Volunteering

Video Loading

Volunteering is the gateway to all sorts of experiences and opportunities – all with a feelgood factor. Volunteering Kirklees, which has an office in New Street, has details of all sorts of volunteer openings, from driving and shopkeeping to becoming a befriender. Visit volunteeringkirklees.org.uk or call at the office. Alternatively, approach the charity of your choice direct. Oxfam, for example, needs helpers at its online hub in Batley, visit oxfam.org.uk/get-involved for details.

W is for Woodturning

Judy Tadman and fellow members with lathe donated to Birstall Woodturners Club

Looking for a hands-on hobby that creates useful and beautiful objects. Woodturning is the process by which bowls, objets d’art, chair legs, stair spindles etc are made. The Huddersfield Woodturners meet twice a month at the Wooldale Centre in Holmfirth and welcome novices as well as more experienced members. Membership is aged from 16 to 80 and includes female woodturners. Visit huddersfieldwoodturners.org.uk

X is for Xylosound

Xylosound session at The Watershed, Slaithwaite.
Xylosound session at The Watershed, Slaithwaite.

Discover Xylosound, the music made by a Huddersfield-based group of instrumentalists, most of whom have learning disabilities. The group, which meets weekly to enjoy making music, has produced a book of scores of original games, songs and tunes for use in special education or social care situations. Hear the group celebrate with sound on the website xylosound.org.uk/listen

Y is for Yoga

Day of Happiness at Brian Jackson Centre, Huddersfield - Michelle Bella leads a yoga session
Day of Happiness at Brian Jackson Centre, Huddersfield - Michelle Bella leads a yoga session

We could all do with some yoga in our lives to improve flexibility and sooth frayed nerves. If this is something you’ve been looking for then the Huddersfield area is peppered with places to learn - too many to mention here. Kirklees Active Leisure has classes in Huddersfield, the Holme Valley and Colne Valley. Book a place at kalbookings.kirklees.gov.uk

Z is for Zebrafish

The Zebrafish
The Zebrafish

Become a freshwater aquarium keeper and stock it with zebra fish – one of nature’s miracle animals. Zebrafish have already been used to help unlock a number of the biological processes behind muscular dystrophy and are an important model for understanding the mechanisms of diseases such as cancer. They have the unique ability to repair heart muscle. Because they grow fast and are relatively robust they are perfect for the amateur aquarist. Just don’t overfeed them.