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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Jack Simpson

Bouncing back: UK soft play centres recover after Covid closures

Ocean Adventures soft play centre, Cheddar, Somerset
More than more than 60m visits were made to UK soft play venues last year. Photograph: Karen Robinson/The Guardian

“It will go all the way up there, with four floors, and a net maze,” says Jonathan Laznik, the owner of Gambado, pointing to the 10-metre-high ceiling in Forest Hill’s Capitol theatre, which is the venue for the company’s newest soft play venture.

Built as a silent cinema in 1929, the Grade II-listed art deco building, which once sat 1,600 cinemagoers, has also served as a bingo hall and, until last year, a Wetherspoon’s pub.

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