Hawick couple hope their future will be child's play

Keith and Charlotte Graham have submitted a planning application to Scottish Borders Council for the conversion of the former Cuthbertson’s joiners yard in Commercial Road, Hawick, into a soft-play adventure facility.

Mr Graham says the venture represents a “complete change” for him and his wife, and they are investing a huge amount of time and effort in the project.

They decided to take the plunge after they found it hard to find suitable soft-play provision locally for their two children, aged four and six.

Keith said: “This is the first time we’ve done anything like this. It’s a total change.

“I have a joiner’s business but I’ll be putting that on the back-burner, maybe working just a couple of days a week, to get this up and running.

“We’ve taken on a 10-year lease, and we have lots of exciting plans.”

If approved, the facility will feature a baby soft-play area for children up to the age of two and a separate area for kids aged two to 10.

Both would be expected to open in early September.

All being well, they should be followed in early October by a laser maze area aimed at children aged 10 to 16.

There would also be a separate area for birthday party entertainment.

Mr Graham added: “I don’t believe there is any facility like this in the town.

“We’ll be having themed areas as part of the plans, but we can’t say too much about that at the moment.

“We did a lot of market research before we went ahead, and we know there is an untapped market there. We know there is a great demand out there, and we have had a fantastic response on social media. The town needs this.”

The couple are planning to employ three full-time and six part-time staff, with the facility, catering for a maximum of 50 children, to be open 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and later from Friday to Sunday.