Below you’ll see some of the most common questions we get asked about The Play Village.
If your question isn’t answered on this page, fear not, simply drop us a line or pick up the phone. We’d love to hear from you!
1. What’s there to do at The Play Village?
The Play Village consists of eight play pods that are life-like settings designed to ignite the imagination of young children.
In The Play Village, you’ll find: a building site, a café, a fire station, a hairdressing salon, a hospital, an office, a supermarket, and a veterinary surgery.
Children can wonder freely in and out of each pod, pretending to help a poorly dog that’s broken its leg, or impersonating Daddy doing the weekly shop. Wherever their imagination takes them!
2. So, you’re not a soft play centre then?
No. Unlike soft play, you won’t be asked to fish your child out of a ball pit!
The experience we offer is wholly centred around letting children learn, have fun, and grow through the magical art of role play.
They do this in our eight play pods that imitate real-world settings. Here, they can experiment being many characters, pretending to do many activities. With parents, carers, or our play helpers.
We aim to nurture mental and emotional growth, rather than give our visitors a physical workout.
3. What ages are most suited to The Play Village?
We believe that toddlers, pre-school, and primary school children will get the most out of The Play Village.
But, we appreciate that some children grow up faster than others, so you’re probably best placed to make that call.
There’s a baby play area, and we have baby changing and bottle warming facilities onsite too.
4. How much does it cost?
1. - It’s £11.95 off peak (weekdays) and £13.95 peak (weekends, holidays & special events) £5 afterschool session (thurs and fri) Prices for special events may vary. Please continue to bookings page for event prices.
5. What time are the sessions?
A session lasts for two hours and 15 minutes.
The weekday times are:
The weekend times are:
Once a session has started, The Play Village will be closed to the general public. So, please make sure you arrive in good time.
6. How many children can you accommodate in each session?
We can accommodate up to 30 children within each session.
7. Do I have to book in advance?
Yes. You need to book your session in advance. Unlike soft play, we don’t accept drop-ins. This is so we can make sure we don’t exceed capacity limits.
8. Can I visit outside of the sessions?
No, sorry. Once the session has started, our doors are closed to the general public.
9. What should children wear?
Your children can wear what they like!
While in the eight play pods, we ask children and adults to take off their shoes to keep it nice and clean. Socks must be worn though.
Within the play pods, your child may choose to try on one of our costumes. So, you may want them to wear outer clothes that are easy to remove.
10. Are you baby friendly?
Yes, we welcome babies!
While the eight pay pods aren’t suited to babies and crawlers, there’s a separate baby play area, and we have baby changing and bottle warming facilities onsite too.
11. Are there refreshments available to buy?
We have a lovely café that serves a variety of snacks, meals, and drinks for you and your children to enjoy. Please view our menu here.
We don’t however sell baby food. So, please bring your own with you.
12. Can I bring my own refreshments?
No, please don’t bring your own food and drink with you. Unless it’s baby food. Or, you have allergies.
We have a lovely café that serves a variety of snacks, meals, and drinks for you and your children to enjoy. Please view our menu here.
13. Do you host parties?
Yes, we host parties for up to 15 children. Please go to our Parties page for more information.
14. How do you reduce your impact on the planet?
Operating a sustainable business is a very important goal for us.
We don’t want to destroy the planet for generations to come. That’s why we try our hardest to do our bit for the environment.
For example, by:
• making sure our waste is disposed of correctly
• sourcing local produce for our café, where possible
• recycling as much as we can
• using toys and play props that have been ethically made
For more information on this, please visit our A green village page.
15. What Covid-19 measures do you have in place?
We do our best to help prevent the spread of coronavirus by implementing current government guidelines.
Our venue is cleaned regularly and we have very high hygiene standards.
16. What are your opening hours?
The weekday times are:
Monday 9:30-11:45 & 12:15-2:30
Wednesday 9:30-11:45 & 12:15-2:30
Thursday 9:30-11:45, 12:15-2:30, 3:30-5.00
Friday 9:30-11:45, 12:15-2:30, 3:30-5.00
The weekend times are:
09.31 – 11.45
12.15 – 14.30
15.30 – 17.45
17. What if I need to cancel my booking?
If you need to cancel or change your booking, please let us know 24 hours beforehand to receive a refund.
18. Is parking available?
Yes, we have 22 free car parking spaces.
But, as a play venue with an environmental conscience, we’d love it if you could walk if you’re local and able to.
19. Are there any rules I need to know about?
We really don’t want to be stick-in-the-muds! But, yes, please visit our Rules of play page.
And remember, our only motivation is to keep everybody safe and happy! Including our visitors, our team, and everybody who helps to make The Play Village happen.
20.Do you take school bookings?
Yes, please call or email us to discuss your requirements.
