Craftea was inspired by friendship, creativity, a love of community, and good coffee, of course.

As a parent, I spent countless hours in traditional soft play centres with my own children. I often found them noisy, chaotic and stressful, with adults squeezing through climbing frames or chasing kids down fireman’s poles. Fun for the kids, yes. A break for grown-ups? Not so much!

That got me thinking about whether there could be something different; a space where children could play freely, while adults could actually sit down, sip a hot coffee and maybe even finish a conversation.

From the beginning, my vision was simple: imaginative and stimulating play for children, alongside a calm, welcoming and homely environment for adults.