LOCALS have been left "absolutely gutted" after what's been called the "only decent" kids' softplay area in the UK closed down.
Families have told of feeling bereft after the announcement a popular children's venue was shutting down in Swindon, Wiltshire.
Kidz About revealed they were having to move out with "great sadness" after not getting a new lease for their base in the town's Spectrum Building.
There has been an outpouring of sadness and support on Facebook, with regulars there lamenting its loss.
Kidz About announced online that they were closing their doors "due to our landlord not awarding a new lease for the building" which meant they were now "left without a home".
The statement went on to say: "Unfortunately, we have not yet found premises suitable for delivering the experience that you deserve, but we hope to be able to update you very soon with better news.
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"We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our loyal customers who have been playing the Kidz About way through thick and thin, and also to our wonderful team here who work exceptionally hard to deliver the best experiences possible to the children of Swindon.
"Please do be considerate to our staff who are still working through processing this news."
Owner Alistair Burnett has also now spoken of how their final week was made worse by thunderstorms flooding the property.
He told the Swindon Advertiser: "I am absolutely gutted as it is bad enough that we are closing at short notice.
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"We wanted to smash this week out of the park but to have that taken away from us is truly gutting."
Comments in response to the Facebook closure announcement included Dotty Witter calling the venue "the only decent soft play we went to", while Lilly Cullinane said: "This is absolutely awful to hear."
Other well-wishers said, "Hope you find a new location", "Such sad news" and "Fingers crossed you find new premises very soon".
Julia Hinns posted: "This is indeed a sad announcement.
"You’ve always provided a great facility and variation for children in West Swindon and further afield."
Katy Stockwell said she felt "so incredibly sad to see this", while others told of travelling from hours away to visit "as nowhere near us has a really good soft play".
Claire Hobbs wrote: "This is sad news as you are an amazing team and would be a great loss to the community.
"Hope new premises are found for you very soon."
And Hazel Adams said: "This is so sad. We moved to Saudi Arabia a year ago and still came back to Kidz About for a visit this summer when we were in Swindon for three days.
"We hope you will reopen again soon."
Other places across the UK offering softplay have recently been highlighted, including Knockhatch Adventure Park in Hailsham in East Sussex.
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A mother this summer also recommended Oxygen trampoline park in Acton, west London.
And beach facilities at Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex were tipped as a seaside alternative.
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