Poulton soft play centre Thingamajigz reopens today after 18 month closure

Thingamajigz on Furness Drive industrial park, off Garstang Road East, closed ‘until further notice’ in September 2020, saying the business was ‘no longer viable’ due to strict coronavirus restrictions in place at the time.

Management said the business – one of Lancashire’s biggest indoor play centres – had become ‘unsustainable’ and had suffered from a ‘sharp decline in visitor numbers’ due to the pandemic and lockdowns.

A year later, in October 2021, its owners confirmed they had no plans to reopen Thingamajigz and said they were closing the play centre ‘indefinitely’.

"We have given the matter of reopening a great deal of thought. But unfortunately, we do not feel that circumstances are compatible with the reopening of Thingamajigz and have decided to stay closed indefinitely,” said management.

But last month, the team behind Blackpool Clip 'N Climb – Dan Whiston and Karen Barber, along with business partners Anne and Ben Wade - revealed they were the “proud new owners of Thingamajigz”.

Today (Thursday, March 31), they will reopen the doors to the Poulton play centre and welcome back families for the first time in 18 months.

The new owners said: “We are incredibly excited to welcome back customers to Thingamajigz.

"As a team that 5 years ago brought Clip N Climb to Blackpool, we just couldn’t resist our new venture!

"We’ve always loved the centre and we’re super happy to be re-opening the legendary Thingamajigz, children’s indoor play-centre on the Fylde coast.

"We have lots of new and exciting things coming up, including our brand new party packages, which will be suitable for a range of different ages.

"As keen as we are to bring our new ideas, we are also passionate to maintain the 20-year charm the centre has maintained and look forward to seeing you all to make some special memories.”

The play centre will open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm, as well as Sundays from 10am till 4pm.

Walk-ins are still welcome, but the new owners said they expect Thingamajigz to be ‘very busy’ over the next few weeks, so they are asking visitors to book play sessions in advance.

“While we will always do our best to accommodate walk-ins, this is capacity permitting, so we want all our customers to be advised to book in advance,” said the team.

You can book a play session by visiting the Thingamajigz website here.

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