A Nottinghamshire mum has created the town's first educational play centre after finding there were not many places she could take her toddler to. After falling pregnant with her second child and being made redundant, Claire Malin, of Beeston, decided to find a way to offer something different for her children and others in the area.
Following this Claire created Little Foxes, which is a play centre focusing on imaginative play and due to open on Saturday, July 15 - open every day of the week except Tuesdays. The mum has put creativity and imagination at the heart of this inclusive centre, which she hopes will help children learn through purposeful play.
The centre on Chilwell Road also has its own tiny village, which has eight key parts to it to help children learn about different roles, such as a medical centre, police station, shop, recycling centre, café, post office, construction area and hair salon. Some of these areas have also been inspired by local businesses in Beeston.
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Claire said: "The idea for Little Foxes Play Town came a couple of years ago when my little boy suddenly started to show a real interest in imaginary play. We would play for hours and it was a really fun way to incorporate learning.
"I really wanted to find somewhere in Beeston as there are lots of families in the area and a shortage of activities for them that aren't pure high energy. We hope to offer an alternative type of play that is fun, educational and relaxing.”
At the end of summer Claire will be launching a second STEM workshop play area for children ages five and over. This will be full of engineering toys, craft and Lego. There is also a family friendly cafe at the centre with hot drinks and healthy snacks.
