play.
Fun for all the family: The Cook House (top left) has located its play area so parents can sit nearby, while Jackson’s Boat’offers a pirate ship
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Informally zone your garden, creating a children’s area away from any roads, smoking areas and places where other customers enjoy a quiet drink or meal
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when families go home. “We are busy from 9am to 9pm, so we don’t want to sound greedy, but this is a pub, so we want our drinkers as well,” he says. “At the new venue in Liverpool we have a 9.30pm curfew for children. It is part of a licensing requirement and we don’t want to morally dictate to people but because it has been like that from the start, it does bring in different people later on.”
Vantage point
The garden has been designed so as well as being able to sit nearby, parents can also see what is going on from inside the pub. He adds: “We don’t have anyone out there all the time — this is a pub, not a crèche. But staff go out to see customers and will keep an eye on it but it is self-policing.” The biggest responsibility for pubs is ensuring play equipment is safe. Colin says: “Obviously we use a bona fide company and check it all the time. We check it every day and also carry out regular full risk assessments. We haven’t had any issues with it at all.” Star’s property and strategy director, Chris Moore, adds that providing the right environment is essential for keeping families happy. “A priority should be to ensure your
boundaries are secure and children can’t get out. Then informally zone your garden, creating a children’s area away from any roads, smoking areas and places where other customers enjoy a quiet drink or meal. “Provide shade for babies and bring the space alive with giant games like Jenga, coloured outdoor bean bags and, for younger ones, activities such as sandpits and small tables and chairs with drawing materials.” Another pub that has seen its outdoor space transformed is Jackson’s Boat in Sale. Last year the pub introduced a £12,000 pirate ship play area featuring a deck slide, ship’s wheel, gang plank and a net climber. One of the key benefits was helping to keep a local junior football team that uses a nearby field entertained. Pub manager Dionne Blackshaw says: “The pirate boat is really lovely, we are delighted with it and the new play area has really been the icing on the cake for the refurbishment. It provides a fantastic, safe place for children to play while their parents can sit outside enjoying a drink and food. We have also restored our nearby football pitch, bringing it back to its former glory, and have agreed the Brooklands Dragons, a terrific local community football team, can use it.”
JULY 2018 47 26/06/2018 04:21