Soft play to shut after 30 years over rising costs

A children's indoor play centre is set to close after 30 years due to rising costs, which have made it increasingly difficult to operate, its owner said.

Activity World in Padholme Road, Peterborough, will shut its doors in March 2027, but hoped to give families a chance to "relive memories" before then.

Owner Mike Boyle described the closure as "the end of an era" after welcoming "thousands and thousands of families" since opening in 1996.

"The headache for a business like us is that we need a lot of space, and that costs a lot of money," he said.

"Business rates are very expensive for our industry and labour costs have gone through the roof, so it has become increasingly difficult over the last few years."

Boyle said Activity World was one of the first soft play centres to open in the city and had been a part of many local families' childhoods.

Since announcing the closure, the business said it had received an outpouring of support from customers.

"We've had a lot of lovely messages," Boyle added.

While some customers had pointed out the venue "was in need of upgrading", Boyle said it was simply time to move on.

"Times change. You can't keep it going forever," he said.

"It's been great fun, a fantastic experience and a real pleasure."

Boyle said he was sad that the decision to close would mean that 14 members of staff would be made redundant when the business stops trading.

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