Ogeg Adventure Play | NEW in Swindon

Hello, we are Ogeg Ltd (OG and EG being our children's initials). We are a family run start-up business, based in Swindon, and we want to build an all new adventure play centre!

(Above - My family and me. Ollie, Daddy, Mummy, Erin.)

So whats going to make our adventure play centre different? Well, we plan to create this based on some important values that we feel strongly about. 

1. Be an inclusive adventure play centre, catering for all children. 

2. Focus on the environment and sustainability, helping our planet where we can. 

3. Allow children to explore, play and learn. Have some adventures! 

Within the business we have over 40 years of early years teaching experience, which we plan to utilise to create a one of a kind experience. 

Now, this isn't just your average soft play or playground. We want to build something much more. Our vision is a centre that caters to a wide audience including children with disabilities, children with special needs, and the parents and families of those children. And of course to everyone else as well. 

The Ogeg Adventure Play Centre will consist of an indoor and outdoor space, along with running specially designed group sessions for children with special needs or disabilities, and sessions with a targeted educational purpose such as the environment.  Part of this idea is that it will also gives the parents a break and a chance to have a coffee without the worry. 

Indoors there will be a unique soft play area for all, an indoor area or room with sensory equipment, wheelchair friendly play equipment and access, along with a tuck shop for the all important snacks and possibly a café for the adults. 

Outdoors will have an adventure play area, park equipment such as swings and slides, wheelchair accessible equipment, along with a large sand pit, ride on toys and much more. In addition to this we would love to be able to have a woodland area or at the very least some trees or an area of land where we can create a small nature area. We also would like to create a growing area such as a greenhouse, veg patch or poly-tunnel where the children can plant and grow seeds, trees, vegetables etc with us. We've already started growing at home...

We want the centre to be all inclusive as well as being a fun and safe place for children and families. We have a lot of planning to do to achieve this, but we believe this is what will set us apart from other locations.

Why were doing this

Between us we have visited more soft plays, kids centres and playgrounds than I can count.  Whilst my kids love visiting a few of them, I do not believe that there is a single location that caters to everyone, that has both indoor and outdoor space, or that has sensory equipment for children with special needs and wheelchair access for children with disabilities. There is no one place that makes everyone feel welcome and focuses on the development of children at the same time. 

Within our extended family and friend groups we have children with disabilities and special needs, babies, toddlers, and children who just like to run around and have never ending energy! I have heard time and time again of places that aren't wheelchair accessible, are too loud and scary for someone with sensory sensitivities, or are too small and confined for the intended purpose.

I have my own two children that are my constant motivation and reason for getting up each day. I would love nothing more than to build a place, a business, for them to enjoy and one day pass onto them. This would be my legacy to them.

So, with everything taken into account, we are doing this because it feels like there is a real need, and because we have a vision to build something great and unique. Because it could be AMAZING! 

What your money will be spent on...

The money we are fundraising for is part of the initial amount needed to find the right location for the site, and get us to the point of launching. This would cover all the materials and equipment to build the indoor play areas, build the separate rooms or areas for the the sensory equipment and other activities, set up a tuck shop, and cover all the other start up and operating expenses required. 

This includes the following; 

• Allowing us to search for and secure a location for the site. 
• Deposit and rent to cover the planning and build stage. 
• Planning permission fees
• All materials and equipment for the indoor play areas.
• All materials and equipment for the sensory room.
• Small level of building refurbishment work. 
• External works to ensure car parking is suitable. 
• Furniture including tables and chairs etc. 
• The website to be built and hosted. 
• Signage and marketing materials. 
• CCTV, Wi-Fi, Till System, TV, Speakers etc. 
• Branded uniforms for staff. 
• Inspections and licences. 
• Tuck shop setup, including a commercial fridge.

The additional funding amount we've entered would then allow us to build the outdoor adventure play space, including outdoor equipment such as swings and slides, the greenhouse, along with wheelchair and disability equipment. 

Once the business is up and running, we would then continue to invest back into the centre and continue to develop it from the profits made. This would includes expanding to have a full cafe, increased equipment, additional sessions and more. 

Charitable giving

As part of our business plan we want to be able to also do some good. That's why we have a charitable giving plan as part of our wider business plan. From the very start we will be donating 5% of all profits to charity, this will then be reviewed each year with an aim to increase this percentage. The charities are yet to be decided but they will be causes that focus on children and the environment as these are our two main passions. 

We will also be doing a fair amount of volunteering to local charities, schools, community projects etc and are excited to see what we can do as an organisation to help the local community. Along with things like local litter picks, tree plantings, book readings and anything else we can do to give back. 

About the book

About 2 years ago we wrote a children's book. The book, called "Adventures with Ollie, the Lost Hat" was the start of some big dreams and is ultimately why I'm doing this today. Written about an adventure I had with my son one day, the story unfolds as Ollie loses his hat in the woods and uses his imagination and perseverance to retrieve it. Me and my wife turned the story into a real book for Ollie, and the feedback we had was so great that we decided to self publish it. 

Since then, we created the Ogeg brand to publish and sell our book, and this Adventure Play Centre has been named to match this. We plan to have a book corner in the centre where copies of our book can be read, and purchased by our customers. Along with intending to create a series of books to follow, with more adventures from Ollie, Erin (his little sister) and Logan (the dog). 

So why am I telling you this? Well, my children and the experience of creating and launching this book has been my inspiration and motivation to do more. To work with children and bring joy to their lives, whilst exploring nature and the wonders of our world. So to me the book is an important part of our story and holds a special place in my heart. (You can purchase this on Amazon if you like). 

Next Steps

Were busy! Whilst this fundraising campaign is going on we are out looking for the right location which is proving a bit of a challenge. We need the right location, ideally semi-rural on the outskirts of Swindon (still within easy reach of course), but with enough inside and outside space to accommodate my vivid plans. 

The next steps are to pin down this location, negotiate the lease and begin plans for the play centre. We will need to seek planning consent, and likely have a high level of council engagement so that we get things right from their perspective.

After this planning stage, its on to the build. The exciting part begins! This is where the dream will start coming to life, and I'm expecting some very long days to get everything done. We will also begin planning the launch party so keep an eye out for an invitation. 

A lot more work follows before launch, inspections, reviews, health and safety, recruitment, training and so on... 

A big task, but one that I cannot wait to get stuck into. 

Closing note

A lot of reading I know, but hopefully if you've got this far one last paragraph shouldn't be much trouble. 

I know times are tough for a lot of people right now and donating to causes isn't always easy. If you are fortunate enough to be able to do so and want to help bring this dream to life, for both everyone at Ogeg and the community, then please give what you can. Every penny will count! There are rewards up for grabs as well as the warm fuzzy feeling you'll get from contributing to what could well be the best play centre in the South West!