Southsea will be welcoming a brand new play cafe in the spring

Southsea Play Café, founded by Alyson Bert, 32, and Josie Matthews, 34, will give parents an opportunity to engage with others in the community in a safe environment where children can play.

The pair have been best friends for the past 10 years and after having their children in lockdown realised the necessity for a cafe where parents can go to prevent them from becoming isolated.

This sparked the idea of opening their own place and they began writing up a draft of a business plan of what they wanted to achieve.

Without any business background, they said that they had a mixture of reactions when people were responding to their plan, but thanks to Josie’s mother-in-law, who is a business lecturer, they received the help they needed.

The pair applied for funding to get them up and running, and they were initially refused – but they did not let that get the better of them and they decided to get a start-up business loan.

After months of hard work and anticipation they got the keys to the premises, which is located on Osborne Road.

Alyson said: ‘We basically got the idea because we both had babies during lockdown and we couldn’t wait to go out and have coffee and a catch up but the reality of that is more difficult because babies don’t like to sit still so there wasn’t really anywhere that we could go. We are really really happy with the premises and we got the keys the day after Boxing Day and we were right in there and we started work and haven’t had a day off since.

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‘The majority of the inside work has been pretty much done so we are now at the stage where we can make it take shape with decorating and things like that.’

The have set up a crowdfunder to get them the top quality materials that they need and they are going to be offering customers a sensory area, which will be kitted out with bubble tubes and LED lighting and a mini version of Southsea which will feature the key shops in the area including Mae Brogan’s nail salon.

The crowdfunder is set for £10,000, with a stretch target of £15,000 and the council is to match fund what ever they manage to raise. Go to crowdfunder.co.uk/p/southsea-play-cafe-ltd.

Josie said: ‘All parents’ mental health is really important and it is quite a lonely time raising children and you do lose part of yourself and your social life so we think it is really important to cling onto it and build a new circle of support and we want to encourage that.’

They added that they have had amazing support from the surrounding local businesses and that everyone has been helping them with their new venture. They hope to have the cafe open in spring, around March or April time.