Ball pit/play cafe on a canal barge - mad idea or not?

[TheCatThatDanced]

My DB has an idea for a soft play centre (ball pit?) cafe in a very trendy area of London which apparently doesn't have many of these.

He has a venue sourced but not necessarily a huge amount of money to fund this but has a friend who builds playgrounds, has lots of money and funds businesses sometimes.

this friend suggested putting the soft play on a barge/canal barge - they're very near canals.

Is this a mad idea or not?

Me being me can see an accident happening, e.g. child overboard on barge etc and someone else mentioned not much space for buggies on a barge. I do know there is a kid's theatre on a barge in Little Venice but I think the age going there is slightly older than toddlers, babies and under 5's.

Mad idea. Children and barges are not a good combination. especially when they are running and jumping around.

BlueberryFool123 - thanks - I intend to show my DB this thread.

I knew I was right.

Enthusiastic excited children on a barge sounds like a disaster is the making.

I doubt any insurer would touch them with a barge poll.

Jesus no. You’d never get insurance for one thing.

Never in a million years

Terrible idea

Buy an old bus or lorry and put it in that if he wants a moveable or cheaper alternative to premises.

God almighty no. I teach Reception age (a huge part of his demographic will be 4/5 year olds) and there's not a hope in hell I'd go near a barge with any of them.

Trying to limit/keep safe a band of marauding 4 year olds is like trying to herd drunk cats. There's always one doing something ridiculous, there's a Houdini in every class and at least three can climb higher than you'd ever imagine. Nope, nope, nope.

I would not in a million years take my children to a play centre on open water.

No. Bad idea. Besides the safety aspect, does he mean a narrow boat? Won't it be really small for a play area?

The risk assessment would tell you this would need so much in the way of safety equipment that it would be economically unviable. it would only work if the entirety of the barge was enclosed. Literally no way of getting to the outside of it once you go down the heavily fenced gang plank. Perspex / glass sides could work but cleaning would be a nightmare.

Sounds like something off a bad sitcom, or the start of Casualty.

If the play venue is inside the barge I think it would be perfectly safe but there would be adfitional h&s issues around the entrance/exit and this plus lack of space for buggies and in general would put me off.

You're kidding, right?

Not a good idea

Sorry, but the idea did make me laugh! I’m imagining trying to get a buggy on a sodding canal boat.

How small would it be though!! Barges aren’t exactly roomy.

What an odd idea.

There's one where I used to live just outside London. I've never been, but friends say it's very good.

narrowboatcafe.co.uk/

How many kids can you squeeze onto a canal boat? It’s about 12 but they all need to stand still in a long line and not flap their arms around.

I bet there would be some legal requirement too that they’d have to wear life jackets. So that cuts the space down to around 8 I reckon.

No doubt the little feckers would all blow their life jacket whistles constantly, so staff turnover would be high

I consider myself fairly relaxed but this is a big no no.

Totally mad. Even if it was safe, you could get insurance etc around half of all parents would never go.

I've seen soft play buses? As a parent I realise it's also situated dangerously on a road etc but would automatically feel more safe.

The idea has some merit particularly for a richer crowd.

How about something like pottery painting aimed at small numbers and an age limit. Or a Lego club. You could aim at parents and hold quirky meetings or evenings at other times.

I'd say no because I doubt you'd have the space to get enough kids and their parents on the barge at one time to make it viable.

There used to be a play barge the funyan bargee it was v popular off to Google it

Funion bargee

This is on a boat on a canal near my friend’s house. craft-daft-on-a-raft.co.uk/wp/