Leisure and recreation

Those seeking leisure and recreation activities in North Tyneside are spoilt for choice.

Options include swimming and leisure pools – including the Lakeside Centre, a state of the art facility of the Killingworth lakeside- golf courses and sports centres, as well as parks and play sites, and the blue flag beaches.

The borough is steeped in history and includes Segedunum Roman museum archaeological park and visitor centre. This fort in Wallsend is the last outpost of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage site.

At the coast, Tynemouth Castle and Priory, and Whitley Bay Lighthouse provide breathtaking sea views and add to the borough’s many attractions for visitors.

The Rising Sun Countryside Park is sited on a former colliery and provides a haven for birdwatchers, picnic area, farm and children’s play area. The 400 acre park is at the centre of a disused wagon way network which criss-crosses North Tyneside – ideal for walkers and cyclists. A 13 kilometre waterside trail provides an alternative route for walkers around part of the borough’s coast and riverside.

Some of the Borough’s many attractions include: Royal Quays Shopping Outlet, Silverlink Retail Park including a multiplex cinema.



Economy

Total claimant unemployment (those claiming jobseeker’s allowance) expressed as a proportion of the resident working age population was 3.4% in October 2008, lower than the North East rate but higher than the GB rate of 2.6%. Male unemployment in the Borough was 4.9% and female unemployment was 1.7%. This reflects a slight increase in total unemployment compared to the same period in 2003. (GB 0.02% increase, North East 0.5 % increase and North Tyneside 0.3% increase).

The unemployment levels overall, and for both the male and female populations, are lower than the Tyne and Wear average. There are, however, pockets of unemployment within the Borough where the rate is much higher.