A husband and wife duo have scrapped entry fees for their play centre in what they say is a UK first in a bid to help families amid the cost of living crisis.
Andy and Ruth Lancey, owners of an educational play centre - The Hideaway - noticed footfall drop this winter as they found parents were cutting back to be able to heat their homes and put food on the table.
The couple, who have two children of their own aged seven and 10, felt compelled to help out struggling mums and dads in their community of Partington in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and switched to a 'pay what you can' model to alleviate pressures some families face.
The honest system relies on those more fortunate to make a higher donation, which in turn allows others to pay a smaller sum or nothing at all, visiting for free.
Concerns have been raised about the socialisation and development of 'lockdown babies', who were stuck at home for around 18 months from 2020.
The same fears now apply in 2023 to young children whose parents can't afford to take them to local facilities, seeing them missing out on experiences.
In just a week after being introduced on January 16, Andy, 46, has already noticed an increase in people coming through the door, with parents and guardians now able to spend time at the facility who otherwise wouldn't have been able to.
“It feels a little bit scary but we just believe this is what we need to do," the general manager told the Mirror.
"Whatever you say about whichever Government is in, local people doing stuff where they are is most effective - we know the local people and what they need.
"We've had regulars cut down their trips - even people who would consider themselves as having more money, they're still being affected by it [cost of living crisis].
"People are cutting down and when you have huge energy bills, something's got to give, so that's coming to a play centre when compared to heating or food.
"But from the children's point of view, toddlers being able to come here is really important.
"A lot of children have missed out in Covid and now there is potential for them to miss out because of the cost of living crisis so it keeps on affecting their development.
"It's in our heart to provide that for them and enable them, ensuring there's no barrier against any family being able to bring their children here.
"We've already seen people come back that felt they couldn't be here before."
Helping others in the community is why Andy and Ruth decided to open The Hideaway in 2018 - a not-for-profit social enterprise which achieved charity status with the name 'Hidden Treasure Trust' last September.
They previously owned a travel firm, but wanted to give something back after they found there wasn't much for families to do in their area, apart from toddler groups at their church.
Their Christian faith plays a big part in their desire to help others, Andy says, and they provide much more than the play centre.
While it boasts a sensory room, a roleplay town with different shops, a craft area, a soft play frame, a sports area, and a cafe, there is a multitude of parental classes and courses.
The building also houses the Hope Centre - a community hub where families can pick up a bag of food items from £3.50 at their Pantry, receive advice and support, visit the community cafe open for anyone, and shop for their children at 'Hidden Treasure Clothing' - which provides second-hand school uniforms.
And there clearly is a need, as on the day the Mirror visited The Hideaway, 200 parents checked in.
One mum, Hannah, who is a full-time student and lives in Partington, says the new payment system is life-changing for someone like her.
She has a newborn baby and visits with her sister and nephew once a week, but will now visit twice a week.
With no maternity pay available, Hannah, who wished not to disclose her full name, says the new initiative is so important.
"I struggled to pay every time I came. With people struggling at the minute, I think it's really helpful because you donate what you can afford, which opens it up to so many people," she said.
"The fact I can come and make a donation and enjoy it is so helpful. It is life-changing for some people."
Friends Rachel Holland and Daisy Hart visited with their children for the first time on Monday after seeing a post on Facebook about the new payment method, and travelled 40 minutes from north Manchester.
Rachel says it is important for her little girl, three, to be able to get out and socialise as she was a 'lockdown baby' and with the minimal entry fees, it means she doesn't have to restrict what they can eat or drink in the cafe, she adds.
Amanda, who wished not to disclose her surname, has a 20-month-old daughter and likes to visit the centre on her days off on Monday.
"I think it's a really good scheme," she said. "I'm a week before payday so I can pay what I can whereas I might have said to my friends 'I can't afford it' before."
Natasha Brown, who has a two-year-old daughter, agrees that it's the way forward.
"It's much more accessible, these soft plays can be really costly," the mum-of-one said.
"It's such a great space and it's really important for her to mix and see other people and have this space, we don't have this big space at home.
"It's more affordable and I can give more if and when I can".
Ben Summers, 39, who is the only dad at the play centre at the time of visiting, says because he's in a more fortunate financial position than others, he donated £10 to spend a few hours at the play centre.
He would usually come around once a month, but is now encouraged to come more often, knowing that he's helping others by doing so.
The dad of a two-year-old girl said: "I'm happy it's funding other people to come.
"If they asked me for more I probably would have paid more. This is still good value and helping others, which is really important and the fact it has a food bank and clothing, I think it's fantastic.
"I probably will come more now that I know I'm supporting other people."
Andy says they're always reacting to help those in need and amid lockdown rules in 2020 and 2021, adapted the Hope Centre - which has 700 members - to run with volunteers delivering groceries and around 50 hot meals a day.
Trafford Council saw the invaluable work of the charity, and helped them roll out five other hubs across the borough with support from Trafford Housing Trust and other partners, in response to the covid 19 pandemic and now provides food and support to struggling families.
The dad of two also says it's not just about providing for those in the community, but also helping locals gain employment, with 80 per cent of their workforce from Partington.
He admits the new system might be an 'outrageous' business model, but believes it will work in the long run, with more people able to visit, and more being spent in the cafe.
It currently costs around £10 per visitor to keep the facility running, so they hope those that can afford to pay a higher rate will choose to do so.
"We felt that by making it free, slightly outrageous from a business perspective, we just felt like this could actually be something that would bring people in and when people come in, they have the option to donate, so people can come and it's free and they're absolutely can do that.
"From our own experience, when we go to some sort of attraction, we often don't buy a lot in the cafe with big entrance fees, saying to the kids 'you can't have that', but if you've not paid anything to come in, you might potentially spend more in the cafe.
"There are some people that have got the finances and come from all over Greater Manchester and what we've seen so far in the donations is that people are wanting to give more than the original price we had before.
"For now, most people are giving something. It's a redistribution of costs."
Andy also says that the traditional payment method wasn't sustainable amid their own energy costs to run the place, which he says are massively increasing.
The change might be a risk, but Andy has made a promise to locals that their facility is open to everybody.
"Our heart was very much for the local community here, it's on their doorstep but people weren't able to access it because of their finances. We didn't want it to be a barrier.
"The afterschool trade had really dropped off where you'd normally have a lot of local people. We want to encourage that again.
"Our Christian faith plays a big part in believing it will work."
The 'pay what you can' policy is available from Monday to Friday with a minimum donation of £5 per child payable on Saturdays. Pre-booking is highly recommended via the website at www.thehideawaymanchester.com. From Monday January 23, The Hideaway is open from 8am for Early Risers and closes at 6pm.
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