Free Outdoor Fitness

For ages 5-11 with FA-qualified coaches. Register online at McDonald's

This deal is Golden Arches meets Golden Balls... McDonald's has partnered with UK football associations to run a series of free football sessions for kids aged 5-11 over the coming months.

If your child has a goal of being the next David Beckham or Leah Williamson, you can score these free coaching lessons now. The sessions are taking place at over 1,600 locations on selected dates from now until Sunday 27 July, and include one-hour coaching each week from FA-qualified coaches.

Sessions for England, Wales and Northern Ireland can be booked now. However, McDonald's told us the Scotland bookings will be available from Saturday 22 March.

There's no obligation to buy or eat anything at McDonald's in order to get these sessions – they're totally free to attend – you just need to pre-book online by filling in the form at McDonald's 'Fun Football' and selecting which centre you'd like to attend.

You can register for up to five children, and it's mainly aimed at those who aren't currently playing, with sessions focussing on basic footballing technique. You'll need to provide your own suitable footwear and football clothing. Pan-disability and visual impairment sessions will also be available.

McDonald's told us kids can attend as many sessions as they please (there's no limit on attendance), but slots are booked on a first-come, first-served basis so go quick if there's a certain date or time you want to attend. 

See McDonald's for full terms & conditions and frequently asked questions.

Football not your preferred sport? See how you can get .

At 9am on Saturday mornings, only when you run its Parkrun

If you're a regular Parkrunner you'll know that it's a free and friendly event at many locations in England and Wales at 9am on Saturday mornings (9.30am in Scotland) – but did you know there's a Parkrun at The Eden Project?

As Parkrun is based on the ethos that everyone should be able to participate, it's always free – which means if you run your Parkrun at Eden you'll be able to enjoy the facilities including the café and biomes after getting in your 5k morning run.

Download Active 10 app to track 10-minute brisk walks

If you're looking for ways to help improve your health and fitness, you can download the free NHS fitness app Active 10. 

The free app (downloadable for Apple/iOS and Android) is designed to fit easily into your daily routine by monitoring how much you walk. Unlike other fitness apps that measure steps, Active 10's intended to get you doing regular 10-minute long brisk walks - ie, walking at a faster pace than usual to get your heart pumping, making you slightly out of breath.

So, we reckon this is aimed more at people who currently aren’t getting a lot of exercise, rather than people who already do a lot to keep fit.

The NHS app says that regular 10-minute brisk walks can benefit your short-term and long-term health, eg, help those with lower back pain and high blood pressure, and reduce your risk of heart disease and type two diabetes.

Looking for more MoneySaving ways to stay fit and healthy? See our articles on cheap medicine, gym membership, and  to find out if you can make any healthy savings.

With Parkrun in parks throughout UK. Plus 2K run for kids

If you go online to free physical activity provider Parkrun you can sign up to take part in completely free weekly timed 5K runs at selected parks (find your nearest) across the country, usually at 9am on Saturday mornings.

You don’t need to be Mo Farah to participate as Parkrun welcomes all abilities. You don't even have to run – you can walk if you prefer, and kids and dogs are also welcome. Once you’re registered you’ll be allocated a barcode which you’ll need to print out and bring with you to the park as this will be scanned to give you an accurate 5K time.

What is Parkrun?

Parkrun has been around since Oct 2004 with funding from sponsors. It currently has more than two million registered runners and volunteers and operates free weekly runs in 700+ parks worldwide. 

Junior Parkrun for 4 to 14 year olds

Junior Parkrun is similar, and often at the same locations as the regular Parkrun (which children are also welcome to run), but is 2K long instead of 5K and held at 9am on Sundays instead of Saturdays. Children aged between four and 14 years old can participate.

What happened to the 'free' T-shirts?

On your 50th official timed run (as an adult), you used to be able to claim a 'free' Club 50 T-shirt paying postage of £3.95. Now, all 'milestone' T-shirts cost £15 all-in, including those for volunteering, and for junior parkrunners completing 10 events (5k events only). You can choose not to purchase them, and the events themselves remain free to attend for all.