Codsall soft play centre choosing to stay closed until Covid cases fall
The owner of an indoor soft play centre for children in Codsall has made the decision to keep its doors closed due to the impact of the pandemic.
Helena Diffey, 41, from Coven, has run Jungle Boogie soft-play for the past eight years.
The centre was closed since the start of lockdown in March.
Earlier in the year, Helena criticised the Government's delay in allowing soft play centres to reopen, saying she felt 'overlooked'.
Despite restrictions easing meaning that the business could reopen, bosses at the centre wanted to ensure they were complying with Government guidance to ensure the safety of staff and customers.
A spokesperson for the centre said: "The guidance that we will have to adhere to is very strict and it is going to take time to ensure everything is in place and staff are trained in these new processes.
“Things will be a little different when we finally get back to it.”
To keep the business going, Helena and her team had been looking at running alternative activities for families, including stuffing, workshops, cookery classes and character lunches.
Some families who regularly used the soft play centre have even offered to set up fundraisers and join in with whatever activities are put on to help keep the business going.
Due to the financial strain on the business, a decision was made to make 60 per cent of the centre's staff redundant earlier this year.
Despite their best efforts, Jungle Boogie has made the decision to remain temporarily closed due to the current climate.
The news was announced on Facebook on Thursday.
A statement said: "We have worked so hard to become Covid secure - despite the crippling restrictions that the government has imposed upon us.
"However, the rapidly increasing numbers across South Staffs and the fact that Wolverhampton is already in a tier 2 lockdown, which will affect our customer numbers greatly, would mean we will most likely struggle to make ends meet.
"We feel that the best thing to try and preserve the business for now, would be to stay closed until covid cases are less and trading conditions improve.
"We are so sorry to cause disappointment and we are so grateful for all of the love and support that you give - which has frankly kept us going over these last seven months!"
The team are working to issue refunds to any customers who had pre-booked.
