New soft play centre opening in Hemel shopping centre this month

A new soft play venue is opening in Hemel Hempstead's Riverside shopping centre this month.

Stay and Play, which also has a venue in Hale Leys Shopping Centre in Aylesbury, will be opening in Riverside on Monday, May 17, as the Prime Minister's roadmap out of lockdown continues - allowing children's indoor play areas to open up once again.

The new soft play centre offers comfort in a safe, clean and fun environment and what’s even better it’s not just for the children – but for the adults too!

Located next to Sprinkles, opposite TK Maxx, Stay and Play is an independently run unique soft play centre – fully equipped with a brand-new state of the art indoor soft play structure, including puzzles, challenges, swings and slides plus lots more.

Guy Johnson, owner of Stay and Play Hemel Hempstead with Tim Taylor, said: "Our plan, as owners of a soft play in Aylesbury was always to grow. We started Stay and Play in November 2019 and it was hugely popular, but unfortunately Covid struck in 2020 and we have been closed longer than we were open!

"Despite this, we remained positive and stuck to our initial plans.

"Our model is simple, by establishing ourselves in busy shopping centres, we become not just a destination attraction but a ‘pop in’ for friends meeting or just a break from shopping.

"We have a large, quieter comfy area with sofas and wingback armchairs as we like to cater for the adults too!

"We’ve always had our eye on neighbouring Hemel Hempstead, researching and being aware of its large population, quantity of schools and the footfall of the centre itself.

"We love the Riverside Shopping centre and adjoining Marlowes, it has a huge variety of shops, market traders and restaurants.

"We pride ourselves on a clean, safe environment, with facilities to suit all visitors.

"We plan to replicate our fantastic team in Aylesbury by employing local talent in the shape of bakers and cooks. Ellie Martindale will be running both sites, whilst we look for supervisors.

"We are constantly praised for our home cooked, healthy food options and cakes baked and decorated on the premises. We offer a wide choice of loose leaf teas, and options for coffee made the way you like it by our Baristas.

"Some locals will remember the premises as a Chinese restaurant (Aroma) and then Jungle Mania. The concept of the previous soft play is the exact same, fun!

"But we will put our own Stay and Play spin on it."

Toddlers will also be jumping for joy, with a dedicated section for children up to the age of four years.

Children can enjoy playing pirates and taking charge of their own treasure hunt, plus build their very own creation.

The stylish lounge allows adults to enjoy chatting to friends in a comfortable setting whilst sipping a barista crafted coffee, or perhaps one of Stay and Play’s huge selection of teas!

Adults can also enjoy tucking into home cooked healthy food options and cakes all handmade by Stay and Play’s bakers and chefs!

Guy added: "We open 17th May and cannot wait to welcome the lovely people of Hemel and surrounding areas through our doors."

Riverside Centre Manager, Ian Welland said: “We’re thrilled to announce Stay and Play will be opening their doors here at Riverside Shopping Centre on Monday 17th May.

"The new soft play centre offers something completely different to the families and residents of Hemel, allowing the adults some quiet time whilst their little ones enjoy playing on a state-of-the-art soft play centre.”