Apple Tree Town — Local services in Newcastle-under-Lyme

This review is for the new Apple Tree Town at Bridgemere. Overall our experience was very disappointing. We paid the same price as for the Stoke play area which is probably twice the size. We booked in for the 10.30am session, I was alone with my toddler and 10 week old baby and meeting two friends with their toddlers too. I arrived at 10.30 but all the tables were already taken. There were only 2-seater tables so we wouldn't have been able to sit together anyway. We ended up having to sit at a bar facing a wall, underneath a hot blower. The seating area was very cramped so we were constantly jostled by other children and parents. I can only assume that more people had been booked in than the venue can accommodate.

At first I was asked to leave my newborn's pram outside of the Apple Tree Town area. I had to push to be allowed to bring it in. Obviously parents with small babies need to be able to bring a pram in so they can put the baby down to deal with their other children.

There is a sign up stating that only food and drink purchased on the premises can be consumed, however you have to leave the play area to order food. I went to buy a coffee and a piece of cake for my toddler, leaving my child in the care of one of my friends. The queue at the cafe was incredibly long and the staff were being visibly slow so I stood in the queue for a total of over 15 minutes. 15 minutes out of a 2 hour play session that I wanted to spend with my children.

The only redeeming qualities was the friendliness of the staff who conceded I could bring my pram in after all, and the cleanliness and quality of the play items. I really hope this venue is improved.

EDIT: Following the response from the owner. Thank you for your response. The hot blower issue was not one I experienced personally, but was mentioned to me by my friends after we had left the premises. I mentioned it in my feedback to make you aware of the problem. As for the cafe issue, I never visited the previous soft play and would have reviewed it in the same manner. I would suggest allowing people to bring their own food and drink into the Apple Tree Town seating area so they can enjoy the full two hour play slot. I realise however this rule may be imposed upon you by the Bridgemere Garden Centre owners. Finally I am pleased to hear that the overcrowding was due to a technical fault and that it is now resolved. I posted this review on the day we visited the venue so the implication that my lack of in-person complaint resulted in a longer duration to find the issue is absurd and unprofessional. As the owner you surely must be aware of how many children you allow in for a...

Been here so many times I’ve lost count - as a Dad looking after two girls it was a great way to spend a few hours, on one occasion Katy/(Katie?) The young lady who works here heard my little girl asking for a fruit shoot/Food but I had forgotten my wallet and upon hearing this she managed to help me out so my girls could eat/drink - I was so grateful she truly saved the day! I’ve thanked her each time since!

Sadly the problem with this place now is that on the last two occasions (especially the last) it’s absolute chaos - now not all of this is the companies fault, as per usual with most play centres this is where if your a parent on your own you have to not only look after your own children but everyone else’s seen as all the mums just like switching off and having a coffee in their groups that they don’t seem to see (or maybe even care) their child is causing havoc in the play area for others as-long as they get a break.

But the thing which really annoyed me is that there are signs saying no filming or photos especially of other peoples children, yet on my last visit a woman in her late 40/50s walked round filming every inch of the place, inside every room for a good 5 minutes or more. During this period she walked in to my daughter knocking her to the floor and causing her to cry as she was too busy looking at her phone, at which point she carried on filming. At no point did staff say she wasn’t allowed to be filming even when I mentioned she shouldn’t. Staff should be more on the ball with this and if caught being as invasive as she was for such a long time they should be asked to leave. Who knows what people are doing with that footage of other peoples kids? It’s wrong and having emailed about it saying it shouldn’t be allowed I never got a response so haven’t...

I booked my daughter and 2 friends to go to Apple Tree Town at the request of my daughter who was eager to go back after not going for a couple of years. The kids are aged 7 and I was unsure if it would feel too young for them now. How wrong I was! They had the best time, fully submerged in the role play. Each deciding on what job to take (1 post office, 1 cafe, 1 hospital) When we arrived I decided to sit, chill and watch with a coffee and cake (the coffee was great quality, the menu is fantastic - such an array of choices!) whilst the kids got settled in. Then I decided to get involved with the role play and visited each place they were ‘working’ in. I even got a lovely new hair cut and make over in the salon! They had a quick break of fruit shoot and yummy cupcakes and also a go on the ‘grabber’ machine- pay £1 and always win a prize! Then all 3 chose to perform 4 shows for me in the Theatre. I had to collect my ticket and waited eagerly for their performance which was outstanding! There was a great choice of outfits and props for the kids to use. After the 2 hours ended there was an announcement and even a tidy up song to learn the kids to put items back as best they could (with help from the very friendly staff) The place was spotless and cleaned to a very high standard, amenities included :) We cannot wait to come back very soon and hope to take my younger niece to play! I fully recommend it...