A new play café for young children is opening in North Tyneside.
Amy Morris, a mum-of-two, is launching Acorn & Oak Play Café at the Royal Quays Independent and Outlet Centre in North Shields, on Tuesday.
The venue, aimed at youngsters aged up to six, will encourage kids to play by using their imagination in role play areas.
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There will be an “oak cottage”, a kitchen, construction area, medical centre as well as a picnic area.
Each week, the café will host a different themed activity giving children a chance to learn skills in a play environment.
Meanwhile, parents will be able to watch their young ones having fun while enjoying a cup of tea and a cake.
Amy says she developed the idea for the role play café after finding it difficult to take her young children anywhere where she could watch them playing without having to search for them in a ball park or behind a huge bouncy castle structure.
The 36-year-old, of Wallsend, said: “I've got two children aged three and four, and I found that most of the places to take them to play involved climbing or running and didn’t concentrate on good old fashioned play involving imagination and a few well positioned props.
"I decided that was what I wanted for my children and feedback from other parents and carers backed this up, so Acorn & Oak was born.
"We’ve invested in play equipment and our play areas are all hand crafted by local tradesmen, so the quality is excellent. I wish I had somewhere to play like this when I was younger."
Matt Dawson, Royal Quays centre manager, said he was delighted to welcome the new team to the area.
He added: "Amy is the latest business to embrace our centre and I’m particularly pleased to see that her café is a great place for our young shoppers of tomorrow to learn through play and for parents to get a nice cup of coffee and home baked cakes while watching them."
