ENERGY can be unleashed at a new indoor play area that has opened in Oxfordshire.
Kidz Zoo in Bicester is a soft play venue for children under 12 where kids can slide, jump and tackle brightly-coloured climbing frames.
After four months in the works, the facility opened on Tuesday in what used to be an empty unit in Crown Walk.
Owner Tanya Bezuidenhout, from Bicester, is happy to have finally opened and is looking forward to seeing families enjoy the site.
She said: “It’s been really good so far. Everyone is welcome and we would love to see them all.”
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The 43 year old opened the facility after she felt there was a lack of places for children to play in the town after moving from Reading.
She said: “We have a little boy and I felt there was a need for it when we moved into the area. There wasn’t really anywhere for children to play so we thought it would be a good idea .”
Its animal-theme was inspired by her six-year-old son. She added: “He’s crazy about animals, he’s like a walking encyclopaedia. That’s one of the reasons why we based it on a zoo theme.”
The playing frame includes fun ways for children to walk through and there is a separate soft play area for children under three years old.
Children must be supervised as they run around the room enjoying the play area and there is a cafe for parents to purchase refreshments.
To spend an hour at Kidz Zoo, it is £1 for children under 12 months old, £4.50 for children aged 1 to 3 and £5.50 for those up to 12 years old.
Parents are not charged for entry and the facility is open seven days a week from 9am to 5pm on Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
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The unit has two storeys and the first floor has three rooms specifically for party bookings with the biggest room having a capacity of 25 children.
Currently, just a small team of four work at Kidz Zoo, including Mrs Bezuidenhout, and they are looking for more staff.
Michelle Latimer visited the venue on Tuesday and said her son, Ralph, enjoyed his time.
She said: “So glad that there is something like this in town for rainy days. He [Ralph] had a great time and the coffee and cake was so good. We will be regulars.”
Other facilities set to open in Bicester for children include Clip n' Climb and a TeamSport go-karting track.
Clip n' Climb is due to open this month in the town and allows the whole family to put their climbing skills to the test.
It is not yet known when TeamSport will open.
For more information about Kidz Zoo, go to their Facebook page.
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