New soft play centre and cafe opens in south Bristol

The doors have opened to a new soft play facility and cafe in south Bristol.

Boing!, in the Inns Court Community and Family Centre (ICCFC) in Knowle West, provides play facilities and support for families of children up to five years old.

The multi-level soft play area has a ball pool, tunnels and slides, as well as a section specifically for under 2s.

A new soft play facility has opened in the Inns Court Community and Family Centre (ICCFC) in Knowle West. Photo by Emily Shimell

Richard Reddrop, ICCFC community worker and CEO of Boing! Bristol CIC, which also runs a soft play venue in Lockleaze, says the new facility in Knowle West is “a safe, fun and affordable space for local families.”

He said: “We want to provide a place where families can meet and parents can get to know each other.

“We want children to love the space, and we want to enable parents to build their own support networks in their community too.”

The new soft play area and cafe in ICCFC provide a space for families to meet and get to know each other. Photo by Emily Shimell

To accompany the new soft play space, a cafe has also opened in ICCFC.

“It’s amazing to see this underused community space being turned into something so worthwhile that this area needs and deserves,” said cafe coordinator Jo Mereweather, who has been a volunteer for ICCFC for the last eight years.

“It’s just wonderful to be able to see the smiles on kids’ faces.”

The cafe provides food and drinks, including teas, coffees and juices, soups, jackets and toasties, as well as a kid’s platter which includes a sandwich, fruit and vegetable sticks and a sweet treat.

“We have community cafe space separate to the soft play so locals without children can pick up an affordable bite to eat too,” added Jo.

The new cafe in ICCFC offers a range of affordable hot and cold food, including kids’ platters. Photo by Emily Shimell

Jo is excited to see what the future of the space will bring for the Knowle West community.

There are targeted sessions now running for young parents, and groups in the pipeline include those for twins and multiples, as well as culturally-focused and special needs groups.

Jo added: “We have a great garden space too which we can’t wait to start using for more family based activities. Watch this space!”

The new soft play facility is run by Boing! Bristol CIC, which runs another facility in Lockleaze. Photo by Emily Shimell

Stephanie Kovero, from Lockleaze, is a parent to an 11-month-old and says that her visits to the sister Boing! in Lockleaze are a highlight of her week.

She said: “I began going to Boing! so that I could be around other parents and feel some sense of normality in the haze of being a first time mum.”

She believes the new soft play facility and cafe in Knowle West will be a huge asset to new mums.

“It’s so nice to be able to enjoy an affordable coffee and meet other parents whilst [my son] burns off his energy and makes new friends,” she added.

The new soft play facility and cafe can be found in the Inns Court Community and Family Centre in Knowle West. Photo by Emily Shimell

The launch of the new soft play centre in Knowle West marks the ten-year anniversary of Boing! in Bristol.

The first Boing! soft play facility was opened by the North Bristol Children’s Centre (NBCC) in Lockleaze in 2011.

Boing! Bristol CIC was set up to take over the management of Boing! from NBCC in 2017, but CEO Richard says the mission has remained the same.

He said: “By having soft play, we can offer support to local parents and carers whilst their children play. It can offer some respite. We get to know the families and can signpost them to relevant support if needed.”

Soft play and cafe sessions run throughout the week at ICCFC. The space can also be booked for private parties on the weekends. You can book a session by contacting the South Bristol Children’s Centre or visiting: www.iccfc.co.uk/whatson.

Emily Shimell is reporting as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media.

Main photo by Emily Shimell

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