An octopus, a giant spider and a dinosaur descended on Parliament today (Thursday).
They had travelled from York to join hundreds of other colourful characters calling for help from the government.
All were mascots from soft play parks – including Web Adventure Park / Creepy Crawlies, based on Wigginton Road.
Indoor play operators have heard nothing about when they might be allowed to reopen – and a recent survey found 64% of sites could close by October if no further support is issued soon.
More than 19,000 people have signed a petition entitled Rescue the Indoor Play Industry from Closure.
Running out of money
Janice Dunphy runs the Web Adventure Park, and she is also chair of the Family Entertainment Association.
She said:
I’m having to make horrendous decisions.
We have had no financial help as our rateable value is more than £50,000 and we can’t claim insurance.
They say it’s a situation caused by the Government so we are not covered.
Before all this, we had saved £150,000 to make improvements to the park, but all that’s gone now and we’re down to our last few pounds.
The park employed 49 people. Twenty are on furlough but nine have now been made redundant.
The indoor play sector already has Covid-secure guidelines signed off by the Health & Safety Executive, Public Health England and the Government.
But “without further financial support, the future of this sector is at risk”.
In the video below, Janice takes a tour of the safety measures at the Web Adventure Park.