Friends celebrate the launch of Little Jams play centre in Leigh

Mel Knowles, from Leigh, was made redundant around the time of the birth of her daughter four years ago, and after finding limited local resources for childcare and play centres, she believed that this idea would work perfectly in Leigh.

As many of Mel's family have worked in childcare, she has been able to lean on this experience and she, along with friend Sammy Howarth, launched 'Little Jams' along Railway Road, on Friday, May 10.

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There is a soft play centre for under 2s (Image: Mel Knowles)
Happy to secure a central location in Leigh, Mel and Sammy have designed the play centre for ages seven and under, although there is no strict age limit.

Designed to be "laid back" to let kids have fun and parents relax, there is a small and soft play area for the under-twos.

For the older kids, there is a more engaging play space with model construction, baking, and hospital areas, designed to develop language and physical movements, with parents also welcome to get involved.

Older kids can get involved in more engaging play (Image: Mel Knowles)
Mum-of-two Mel, 36, said: "Me and Sammy started talking about the idea because I was travelling thirty minutes away for childcare and play centres, and there didn't seem to be anything local in Leigh.

"We both live in Leigh so we were quite passionate about keeping this in the town centre and making it as convenient as possible for families.

"We haven't been open long, and have had some of the hottest weekends of the year so far, but we have had some really good feedback and reviews from families so far."

The play centre was launched as the friends found limited play centres locally (Image: Mel Knowles)
Located on Railway Road, Little Jams operates three sessions a day from Monday to Friday, and also on Sundays.