‘The response has been great’

Safety and fun are top priorities as Lucy and Barry Coombs reopen Baloo’s Softplay centre in Wiltshire

Lucy and Barry Coombs were devastated when they had to shut the doors of their soft play centre in Trowbridge – after being open just a year – as lockdown was announced in March 2020.

But now they’re looking forward to a brighter future as Baloo’s opens back up with enhanced safety measures.

Although it was able to reopen last August, it shut once again over winter but the couple managed to retain staff using the furlough scheme. “It was important for us to keep hold of them as we have such amazing team,” says mum-of-three Lucy.

“Normally we’d be open from 9.30am to 6pm, but under the guidelines we’ll be close every two hours for an hour’s clean.”

There are also sanitiser stations, oneway systems, plenty of fresh air and signs reminding people to wash their hands.

“The response we’ve had from everyone is great and they’re happy to follow the guidelines,” says Lucy.

“Our staff are taking rapid result tests twice a week too – we want to show the public that we’re doing all we can to provide a safe environment.”