Soft play centre operators fear they will remain frozen out of the annual boom period which could have helped them survive the pandemic.
As the festive school holiday period looms, one Tayside business owner says there is little hope of seeing the Tier 1 restriction level arriving any time soon.
That’s the point that would allow them to lift shutters which have stayed down since the spring.
Angus’s drop back to Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions has brought a festive shot in the arm for some businesses in the hospitality sector. But Forfar businessman Mike Ferguson will have to keep the doors to his Frosty’s play centre firmly closed.
Mr Ferguson also runs the Forfar Indoor Sports centre next door in Suttieside Road.
However, while skaters and curlers are allowed back on the ice from Friday evening, he said the soft play shutdown has destroyed what is traditionally a bumper period.
Festive holiday is busiest time
“The situation is very disappointing and extremely frustrating,” he said.
“Every business is struggling, but it is hard for us to understand why the likes of trampoline centres are open again and soft play is not.”
He said winter was the key time for soft play centres.
“If we don’t get our busy winter season that kills it for carrying us through the summer when families go outdoors,” he said.
“My phone is constantly ringing and the Facebook site is inundated with enquiries from families about when we are going to open again.
“They are just desperate to get back into a soft play environment, but it certainly doesn’t look good for the festive period.”
“We could put in place everything that would make things safe for children, but there is no in-between and nothing we can do until the restriction level drops.”
Most centres are independently operated
Many soft play businesses are family-run independent operations and Mr Ferguson said they had all been just fighting their own corners in the early months of the pandemic.
The proessures have prompted them to band together and find strength in numbers, he said.
“There is now an online association to inform businesses when grants and so on become available, but there is still a lot of frustration around the situation,” he said.
“We have made use of the furlough scheme and that is something which we are grateful for However, we have had to let staff go because this has gone on for so long.
“We have also lost staff because of the uncertainty surrounding when we might be able to open again.
“If the go-ahead is given the shortage of staff could prevent centres like ours getting up and running quickly again.”
