We played at Little Woodworms in Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds – a hidden spot for little ones to use their imaginations

Tucked away on a picturesque Suffolk street, we went to try out Little Woodworms an indoor play area with a difference.

My three-year-old son Spencer and his friend Gabriel headed into the former Vanilla Hair Salon in Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, slightly put out that they weren’t visiting each other’s houses.

To clarify, the apprehensive pre-schoolers were with me: standard exhausted mum, Gabriel’s super mummy Jen and his baby brother Raphael.

Described on their Facebook page as a ‘wooden play world’ I was hoping for soft play – without the sweat.

Entering Little Woodworms I felt instantly welcome, the reception room had the feel of somebody’s lounge.

Kelly, owner of the play business which opened this summer, made the boys feel at ease and we had a nice chat with a childminder and a couple of other mums.

Our visit was on a balmy, autumn Friday morning – and we hadn’t booked.

This wasn’t a problem and we opted for a one hour session, which cost £5 each for Gabriel and Spencer. With no charge for the baby or us mums.

There is a child-sized gate between the reception room and the play area to stop little ones escaping – and through the gate a spacious play world made of wood awaits.

We arrived shortly after opening at 10.30am and there were already children having fun, especially the little boy pretending to be a firefighter.

The role play area, was split into little sections from a teepee for reading and a picnic, to a hairdressing studio and highly popular restaurant / ice cream stand.

Considering how older buildings can sometimes feel a bit dark and imposing I was pleasantly surprised with how light and airy it was, complete with colourful murals on the walls.

All the wooden toys were well made and Spencer and I loved playing with the toy coffee machine.

And on the subject of caffeine, Little Woodworms serve hot drinks, a small selection of cakes and cold drinks and snacks for the kids.

The coffee to me tasted good and reasonably priced (£2.50 each) but it was of the ‘push button variety’ and sort of tricky to drink when you were trying not to spill it as you played.

There are no real tables to sit at – which in a way is a good thing as it means the mums and dads get stuck in to playing.

Alongside the wooden play there is also a sensory room which Spencer and baby Raphael particularly liked.

There was also a large selection of baby toys and instruments and a huge dolls house and castle. I would have had hours of fun with them when I was young.

Though we only had an hour slot, Kelly was really accommodating to the fact that we had two stubborn boys that weren’t that keen on leaving, and a baby that need to be changed. (Little Woodworms has a baby changing room in the reception area and a toilet within the play area).

We ended up staying well over our allocated time at no extra charge.

Two hour slots are available at £10 each and can be booked online if you so wish.

My overall verdict is that Little Woodworms is a great addition to Bury and I am sure it will grow even more popular during the winter months.

If you are heading into town to shop in half term it is the perfect place to stop off for some fun.

Kelly was really welcoming, everything felt fresh and clean, the toys were lovely and then of course there was the added bonus you didn’t have to tidy them away at the end (sorry Kelly).

It really did feel like stopping off a for a play at someone’s home, that just happened to have a cosy play area inside – with not a hint of soft play chaos.

Little Woodworms is open Tuesday – Saturday, play slots are between 10.30am – 12.30pm and 1pm – 3pm.

The play area is aimed at newborns to seven-year-olds, information about special events and party bookings can be found on their Facebook page.