Northampton soft play centre owners desperate to know when the Government will allow them to re-open

  • Watch Stuart Leithes report above

While lockdown is being eased, soft play centres across our region have still not been told by the Government when they'll be able to open again.

In Northampton, the Riverside Hub is one of the largest indoor play centres in the country. They've been closed for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic. They'd normally host a quarter of a million visitors each year.

The Riverside Hub play centre in Northampton Credit: ITV News Anglia

Indoor gyms, pools and leisure facilities have been given the go ahead to open from Saturday, 25th July. The Government's said it's only keeping soft play centres 'under review' because of concerns about children social distancing and keeping the soft play areas clean.

Read more: Gyms and pools in the East to reopen on July 25

A group of centre owners have delivered a petition to Downing Street to encourage the Government to issue more guidance on when they can open.

Soft play centre owners went to Downing Street with a petition Credit: ITV News Anglia

Play centre owners, Valentina and Ellis, were part of this group.

Valentina and her husband Ellis are play centre owners, they're desperate for more guidance from the Government Credit: ITV News Anglia
Hand sanitising station at the Hub Credit: ITV News Anglia

At the Hub in Northamptonshire, they've installed hand sanitising stations and air filtering systems. They believe it would be safe for them to re-open. Like soft play centres around the region, all they can do is wait for a Government announcement.

Read more: Lifting the lockdown: What we can now do this weekend