The Soft Play will be one of eleven amazing rooms at the Gympanzees centre, offering life-changing benefits to thousands of disabled children and their families. But what makes it special? We spoke to Anna and her son Arthur to understand why typical soft play areas are inaccessible to them – and how a truly inclusive space will transform their lives.
For many families, soft play is a joyful escape, a place where children can run, jump, and explore without limits. But for children like Arthur, who has cerebral palsy, and his mum Anna, it can feel like a heart-breaking barrier – a world of fun that seems just out of reach.
“Arthur is the most loving, happy, confident, and intelligent little boy I’ve ever met,” says Anna. “He knows every single dinosaur, loves books, adores people, and has a special passion for music and dancing.”
Arthur was born at just 26 weeks – three and a half months early. “I didn’t even know babies could be born that early,” Anna recalls.
It was overwhelming, but I was determined to give him the best possible start!
“Our neurosurgeon told us that we could help reshape neural pathways, so I became completely focused on music, massage, and skin-to-skin contact,” Anna explains. “And it worked – Arthur thrived beyond expectations. He was even home a month before his due date. He is an absolute joy and a delight in every way.”
But despite his incredible progress, inclusion remains a challenge. “We get invited to so many events, parties, and activity centres, but most of the time, Arthur can only take part in one activity – if any at all,” Anna says. “It breaks my heart because he so desperately wants to be involved.”
“I’ve been stuck in so many soft play areas over the years,” she continues. “Watching other children run, climb, and play while Arthur is left out has been heartbreaking. Most of them are built on different levels that we simply can’t access, and with kids dashing around at full speed, it’s just not safe for him. He’s never truly been able to enjoy them.”
But then, four years ago, everything changed.
“We discovered Gympanzees!” Anna exclaims. “For Arthur to finally enjoy soft play is beyond measure – it’s had such a huge impact on us. Just seeing him have fun and feel included means everything. It also gives him a space to practice his dancing, his walking, and develop his coordination.”
It’s not just a soft play
If you or your organisation are looking for a meaningful way to support Gympanzees, funding the soft play room is a fantastic opportunity to make a lasting impact – helping create a space where every child can exercise, play and explore.
To discuss funding the soft play in the Gympanzees Centre, please reach out to Jack Lewis, Director of Fundraising, at jack@gympanzees.org.
We’d love to hear from you!
We’re over halfway there – but we still need your help!
Thanks to your incredible support, we’re over halfway to our £8 million goal, bringing us closer to opening the UK’s first fully accessible exercise, play, and social centre for disabled children and young people.
With building work already underway, the Gympanzees Centre is starting to take shape. Once complete, it will welcome 200,000 visits a year, giving families a fully inclusive space to exercise, play, and connect – all year round.
We’ve made amazing progress, but there’s still work to do.
