The owner of an Aylesford soft-play centre says he doesn't know if his business will still be running next year, as all around him similar centres, once havens for parents on rainy Saturday afternoons and the go-to for pre-teen birthday parties, fold.

In April, six indoor play areas from west Kent wrote to the government, calling for urgent assistance, predicting many casualties to the industry if extra help was not given.

Now seven months later, only two of the companies, Adventure Kidz and Clip 'n' Climb in Tonbridge, are still welcoming families.

The bosses of Wear M Out in Tonbridge and Maidstone as well as Tiny Town in Larkfield, said it just wasn't financially viable to keep going with the current coronavirus restrictions and the guidelines they were given in order to run safely.

Another signatory, Tonbridge trampoline park Jump In, had been hunting for a new premise since December, after being told their lease would not be renewed. The park closed in May and no announcement regarding a new premise has been made yet.

Andrew Moody, 49, who has owned Adventure Kidz for ten years, says: "The government needs to offer some financial support and a rescue package because if they don't we will be no more.

"We are needed in this country for the children's physical and mental health."

Indoor play areas closed in March when national lockdown was introduced in and weren't allowed to reopen until the end of August, and that was with a string of government conditions.

The Quarry Wood centre's capacity was slashed by 25% from 480 to 120 people, so from 1,200 a day to 360.

Out went the ball pits and cuddly toys in order to decrease the risk of infection spreading, and in came an LED light display, tons of hand sanitiser and an anti-bacterial fog sprayed nightly.

Mr Moody and his wife Elizabeth, a co-owner, had to reduce their staff from 30 to ten.

When the rule of six came back, prohibiting indoor groups as well as outdoor, their position became even more precarious, as parties, a central and dependable revenue stream, could no longer take place.

But Mr Moody, a father of two daughters, says demand continues to climb.

"We have an abundance of phone calls and at one point we had to turn 250 people away. They say 'can we just come and play," he said.

However, because of the heavily reduced numbers, the company is not making a profit and the £25,000 business grant at the start of lockdown, although appreciated, has not been enough to cover the huge overheads.

Mr Moody believes soft play centres are an important part of the community, help keep childhood obesity at bay and are an alternative to public parks, where the cleanliness of an area might not be guaranteed.

Adventure Kidz also hosts a private session once a week for children with special educational needs. In the last session, 45 youngsters from all over the county attended.

He does not know if his own company will be around next year.

"I am doing by absolute damndest to stop it but I have no control over anything," he said.

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