There is a large car park, though the general parking is on rough ground rather than tarmac, which turned a tad muddy with the pouring rain we've had recently. It's a huge building, possibly an old mill, with multiple businesses and a few entrances. Luckily I was able to follow another mum and toddler in as otherwise I wouldn't have known where the entrance was (the double doors, marked Reception). Once inside however there were signs all the way to the entrance.
The first, largest room houses the main play structure, most of the seating and the cafe, as well as the welcome point. There is also a second, smaller room specifically for the under 5s, with a few additional tables and chairs.
The main soft play frame looked exactly as I remembered it. I don't think it's changed at all since the days of my birthday parties. It's been well looked after given that it's been about twenty years, but is showing some signs of wear and tear and duct tape has been liberally applied. The structure was extremely clean however, and even the balls at the bottom of the ball pool were dirt free.
It's not as big as some other soft plays we've visited, and features rollers, walkways, and a narrow slide which ends up in a large ball pool. I realise that doesn't make it sound particularly enticing but as a child I absolutely loved it and there were some boys charging around it having a great time, so it clearly hasn't lost its appeal.
The under 5s room was extremely popular, not surprising though given that it was a midweek morning when older children should be in school. About half the size of the main room, with four picnic style tables and benches, plus some additional chairs, it couldn't be defined as a soft play in the same way as other play centres in the area market their toddler areas but every toddler in this room was having a ball.
A small ball pool, a large slide with soft steps and several soft shapes/rocker constituted the 'soft' elements of the play area. There was also a wooden ship and car for the toddlers to sit on and drive, a wobbly wooden walkway, a wooden phone box and a variety of wooden kitchen units. A trampoline, a plastic slide and various soft toys completed the offering. The floor was covered with crash mats, which were all well aligned: no gaps for little feet to get stuck in. They were needed too, the descent from the slides was faster than expected. The soft slide was extremely popular, as was the ball pool, the trampoline and pretty much everything else in the room.
Baby had far more fun here than she has done at any previous soft play, I suspect largely down to the variety of things for her to do. She loved the different toys and apparatus in the toddler room, and also enjoyed running through the lower level of the play structure in the main room, though wasn't really interested in the upper level and found the slide (which had a rather small landing area) a bit too quick.
The price was by far the cheapest we've encountered to date, just £3.50. And the food was cheap too. £1.90 for a cheese toastie. The menu offered lots of variety: toasties, sandwiches, jacket potatoes, teacakes, crumpets and hot food like spaghetti hoops. There was also a range of freshly made cakes and tray bakes (the cupcake was delicious), as well as crisps and chocolate biscuits. I was pleasantly surprised to see that in addition to standard crisps, Playmates also offered snacks from the arguably healthier Organix range.
All in all I was very impressed by Playmates and their offering, despite the duct tape. It was a huge hit with Baby and at those prices we will definitely be back, bringing Baby's friends.
Key Facts
Month of visit:
March
Weather for visit:
Irrelevant
Is it pushchair friendly?
Playmates is on the first floor, up a flight of stairs. Signs at the bottom of the steps said to call Playmates if the steps posed a problem, and help would be provided. There seemed to be a disabled entrance around the back.
How are the baby changing facilities?
Baby changing facilities are in both the male and female toilets, which are accessed from a corridor adjacent to the play centre. They were acceptably clean and there were wipes in the female toilets.
What about somewhere to feed?
Plenty of seating in the main room, though it would be a rather noisy environment with children running around, if you have a nosy baby.
Is it worth a visit?
Absolutely.
Baby's highlight?
The slides.
Playmates
Coppull Enterprise Centre,
Mill Lane,
Coppull,
Chorley,
Lancashire
PR7 5BW
http://www.playmatesplaycentre.co.uk
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