When we interviewed one Burnley mum about her new children’s roleplay centre on Sandygate, it was one of the most popular posts we had ever written.
The then Tiny Tots Town Burnley at Maltings Mill went down a storm with parents and carers who were looking for something different to do with children locally.
The roleplay centre was set up by parents Holly and Jamie, who have had a difficult few months since it opened in October due to the COVID lockdowns.
It then had to change its name to The Little Lancashire Village in February 2021 due to an alleged third-party trademark infringement.
But speaking to Burnley.co.uk, Holly tells us they’re ready for a more positive 2021 after the government laid out plans for soft play centres to hopefully reopen on May 17th.
“2021 has not started in the way we had hoped, with the name change and continued lockdown, but we are so thrilled that we now have a date on the horizon when we can welcome everyone back through our doors.
“We are still overwhelmed by the support we got when we opened back in October, The Little Lancashire Village has clearly filled the gap in the market that, as parents, we knew was there. Even now being closed, the amount of lovely messages of support and people enquiring about future birthday parties is amazing. Our name may have changed, but we want to reassure everyone that it’s still myself and Jamie running the centre and that we’ve been adding lots of new bits ready for when we can open.”
Starting a business during a pandemic
Despite the challenging first few months in business, Holly and Jamie say they wouldn’t have changed things.
“When I left my job as a teacher at the start of 2020, we definitely wouldn’t have imagined the year panning out as it did. But it was definitely worth it to see the faces of littles ones light up as they step into our magical make-believe village and we’re counting down to when we see everyone again,” Holly said.
The Little Lancashire Village has 11 different role play areas, including a vets, police station, construction site, supermarket and post office. There’s also a café for parents, who can take a well-deserved break whilst their children safely play.
Burnley.co.uk wishes them all the best with their reopening.