Half-term fun at SPARK York: workshops and family events

Half-term starts on Monday 26 October, and SPARK York has put together a mix of workshops and family activities for the week. SPARK is an outdoor community space in the city centre, home to independent traders, arts and social enterprises, and studios for making and showing work. Entry is free and walk-ups are welcome. Its regular hours are 8am to 10.30pm from Tuesday to Thursday, 8am to 11pm on Friday, 9am to 11pm on Saturday and 9am to 9pm on Sunday. It is closed on Mondays, which is also the first day of the break, so it's worth checking the details of any Monday session before setting off.

For younger creatives, the Halloween Craft Club on Monday 26 October is aimed at children aged 8 and over, and focuses on Halloween-themed bag charms and tote bags. Over the same week, from 26 to 30 October, the YorKAOS October Half-Term Art Competition is open to kids and young creators. Those who like a spooky story might also be interested in Ruby and the Ghosts, a children's novel by local author Lindsay Walter, illustrated by Linda Rodgers. It was published on 5 October, and its book launch is on Saturday 31 October. The book has a reading age of 6 to 17 and follows two brothers who are stuck in their gran's quiet village over the holidays and end up battling a supernatural horror called Ripper.

The break also falls within the York Environment Festival, or YEFest, which SPARK York is hosting from 13 October to 1 November. Several of its sessions suit families. The York Minster Gardeners run half-term activities from 10am to noon on both 26 and 27 October. On 27 October, there is a fairy tales and fairy trails session from 10am to 1pm, with arts and crafts, while the same day also includes a Why Trees Matter session running from noon to 4pm. Meadow Makers takes place on 28 October from 11am to 3pm. Just before the break, a family-friendly Apple Day celebration runs from 2pm to 4pm on Sunday 25 October.

The programme is spread across the week, so you can pick and choose the days that suit your family. Taken together, the listings give children a few different ways to spend their time, from making and drawing to outdoor sessions and a book launch at the end of the break.