A Exciting New Parent Hub & Play Space For Wirral

A much needed venue for new parents & carers of under 5 year olds on the Wirral

Help us raise enough money to purchase a play area designed especially for Cub & Calf by some of the best play experts in the country.

Cub & Calf hopes to be a nurturing and inspiring parent hub created for little people but also designed for adults who long for comfortable surroundings and good coffee.  A place for parents and carers to spend time together with their children, providing an innovative play space that’s both engaging for little ones and aesthetically pleasing to the grown ups. Yes really! We believe this is possible!

The parent hub will be a place for the modern family to feel supported and welcome. Weaning workshops, first aid courses, and sensory classes to name just a few will be run from the premises. We have support from so many of your favourite independent baby groups and brands based here on the Wirral and we can provide a clean, comfortable, purpose built base in West Kirby for them to run their groups from.

We understand, we are parents too!

Cub & Calf is a business designed and built by parents. We know exactly what it’s like to have a new baby, we have had three of them ourselves! Our parent hub will be a non judgemental safe space for you & your little ones to just be you and have fun

We know what it’s like to venture out with two under two 

We know what it’s like to suffer with postnatal mental health issues

We have experienced having a poorly newborn and the anxiety that follows once you get your baby home 

We have successfully breastfed one baby, and we have felt the sadness and guilt of not being able to breastfeed two babies 

So if that’s you, we hope we can make that experience easier by providing a clean, kind and understanding place whilst you find your feet in whatever journey parenthood takes you on.

Many of you will have been following our journey over the last 7 months on our social media pages and have watched as we achieved full planning and praise from the local authorities for Cub & Calf and more recently purchasing the premises to base the business at. We believe we have found something really special, the property is tucked away behind Costa, safe away from the road to ensure the best possible safety for those little toddling customers. We will have privacy for all the groups we run but also that all important high street presence. Fantastic bus and train links just minutes away. Plenty of nearby parking in the town centre. The premises backs onto the park so is lined with trees and we will be a moments walk from the beach. The Old Sorting Office has been empty for many years and we are excited to bring it back to life and revive some of its beautiful features.

With the help of our amazing architects Bromilow Architects ltd based in West Kirby, we have designed the space to include both indoor and outdoor play spaces, a cafe area serving hot and cold drinks and the best cakes, pastries and lunches all sourced locally from Wirral businesses, and separately we will have a stand alone group space with its own bar area which will house a variety of baby groups and classes plus private hire for parties will also be available.

Soft play but not as you know it

We have been working with play experts Tigerplay to design a bespoke play area for under 5 year olds with a separate pre-walker area. Our play frame is being built using responsibly sourced timber in the UK. Everything is designed and manufactured by experts who truly understand what is needed to guarantee an exciting play experience for the children and in return you should be able to enjoy your cup of tea or coffee hot. Hurrah! 

We are in love with what they have designed for you and your little people. We have got a double slide for races, rock climbing, a rope bridge, an infinity mirror, balance beams, plus a den underneath. As a nod to the history of the building we have pigeon holes with big squishy Cub & Calf themed letters to post. The pre-walker area has mirrors and bits to try and crawl over and a cute teepee to set it all off. 

Designed By Parents For Parents

We are creating a space where every facility has been designed with parents & their children in mind. A place to park your pushchair, with lockers for belongings & car seat spaces. Proper family bathrooms with child sized toilets & nice nappy changing spaces. Busy baskets to use at the tables if your little one is too shy to go off and play. Table service because we know it’s tricky when you are out on your own with a baby, and comfortable chairs with arms on, perfect for breastfeeding in.

The Serious Bit - We Need Your Help

Now we have embarked on transforming the buildings into the much needed business that the Wirral, especially West Wirral needs. Sadly we couldn't have predicted the times we have found ourselves in, we finally got the keys on March 23rd, the day the government locked down the UK. The global pandemic has created a very uncertain landscape for small businesses, which is going to make it very challenging for businesses to survive. As a new start up business we do not qualify for any government help. The council are currently charging us an 'Empty Property' charge, which we are busy looking in to, but that means instead of getting the business rates relief, which we can not apply for until we start trading, we are being charged monthly until we are able to open our doors which is currently out of our control. Combined with a new mortgage payment we are worried about eating into the money borrowed and saved in order to set up Cub and Calf. Our aim was to set up and be open within 8 to 10 weeks but unfortunately that timescale is currently out of our hands. We would love to open at the beginning of September, even with social distancing in place, this is the date we are aiming to now be ready for and we shall await the go ahead from the government.  

What will the money be spent on?

The money raised from our Crowdfunder project will be spent on the incredible Tigerplay play area as mentioned above. We have already committed a 50% deposit of £18,000 and the installation is booked for the end of the summer. We also need to install a brand new air conditioning system so that you and your babies are kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer. These are the two main costs involved in setting up the play cafe area of the Parent Hub.

A little about me

This is the part I'm cringing about but I feel that you guys need to know who you are backing. Cub & Calf first and foremost is about you guys! It always has been and I want it to be somewhere that exists for you as the customer and grows in the direction you all take it in. That being said, you have been asking who is behind the brand so here I am! My name is Mish (short for Michelle but not even my own mother calls me that) I am mummy to three girls aged 5 years, 4 years and our youngest is 20 months. I have a Fashion design & communications degree. I am also a qualified lettings agent but thats a story for a rainy day! I'm married to Jai, we live here on the Wirral and together we own two local cycle shops on the Wirral.  I have been lucky enough to have spent the last 5 years flexibly working around spending time raising our three girls. I have gotten to know so many of you as local business owners in the baby world or as other parents with babies of similar ages to mine. I've also been able to see first hand the lack of nice places for grownups to take their children to that are actually designed for parents as well as children. I hope you can put your trust in me to bring the parents of the Wirral something really special that I feel you all deserve. It's really really tough being a parent and I want to create a clean, safe and welcoming environment for parents and carers to enjoy spending time together as a family in.

We Need You So Please Back Our Business

We have designed a package of pledges with a variety of budgets and customers in mind so please back our business and help us to create something wonderful for the families of the Wirral. Any questions at all regarding what is involved in a pledge or what a particular reward includes, please email [email protected]. We really appreciate all of your support. Thank you