Hadleigh Little Play Village to open in mid-November

Little Play Village, in London Road, Hadleigh, will open in mid-November and promises an educational, safe and social option for parents bored of traditional soft play.

The miniature village will feature a café, post office, hair salon, nursery, construction site, supermarket and vets for tots, as well as a normal sized café for parents and carers.

The venue has been designed for children under six and is set over one open level, allowing parents to supervise without stress.

Little Play Village is the brainchild of Hadleigh mum, Holly Woodford, who noticed a lack of educational parent-friendly indoor activities when she had her own child two years ago

Construction is underway to create the new indoor play centre (Image: Holly Woodford)

The 35-year-old said: “After becoming a mum two years ago, I quickly realised there were limited local venues that catered to both children and their guardians, and their buggies.

“There was a gap in the market for a space that was not only safe and fun for little ones, but also inviting and welcoming for adults, and offering great food and coffee.”

After careful consideration, Holly decided to leave her full-time job to pursue her idea of Little Play Village full time.

Miniature businesses will include a hair salon, café and supermarket (Image: Holly Woodford) “For the last two years it’s been in my head. I went back to work after maternity leave and just wasn’t feeling it any more. I put together a business plan and thought maybe I can create this place,” she said.

Holly, who had previously worked a demanding nine-to-five job in London has been doing much of the construction for her new venture herself. 

She has been helped by her dad who, though retired, had previously worked in the building industry.

Holly wanted to create the village after struggling to find similar venues in the area (Image: Holly Woodford)
The space is inspired by Montessori principles of child development and education, and those who visit will get to role play in a variety of professions and social roles.

Holly said: “I learnt from my own daughter just how good Montessori play is in the development of children. She had all of the plastic toys but has always been drawn to role play.

“It’s not just fun for the children but also really good for their social and motor development”.

Little Play Village will be opening in Hadleigh in mid-November.