Soon a derelict motorway service station near Bristol will be converted into a first-of-its-kind soft play centre for disabled children.
The £8 million new centre, created by Gympanzees, a local charity that supports disabled children, will be kitted out with trampolines, climbing walls, a two-storey soft play area, sensory rooms and much more. It will be a site for therapeutic play, exercise and fun for kids and young people with accessibility needs.
It’s going to be housed in a former service station near the M48. Dubbed a ‘motorway relic’, Aust Services was once known as a dated and run-down roadside stop, and had long fallen into disrepair but is about to be given a whole new lease of life.
When complete, the Gympanzees Centre will be Britain’s first totally inclusive play centre with wheelchair-access across the whole site. It’s expected it will host 200,000 visits from disabled children, young people and their families every year, and promises to be open 364 days a year, and seven days a week. It will specifically cater for people aged from zero to 25 with sensory, physical, learning difficulties, SEN and any mild to profound disability.
Until now Gympanzees has only operated as a pop-up, putting on events around Bristol – the centre will be its first permanent home.
Gympanzees is currently fundraising to reach its goal of £8 million, which will fund the building of the centre in the former Aust Services. So far the charity has acquired £5.4 million, which was recently bolstered by a crowdfunding campaign that raised £255,000 from more than 1,100 donors.
The latest fundraising pushed allowed Gympanzees to begin construction on the site, the charity announced via social media. It’s hoped that the centre will be open by June 2026.
If you want to help, you can donate to Gympanzees online now.
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