Media Release: Ollie’s Playland Voted Bronze Best Play Centre In The UK

Poole, Dorset - Monday 5 October, 2009; Ollie’s Playland, the unique play facility situated in the Dolphin Shopping Centre, was recently recognised as one of the UK’s leading child’s play facilities with a Bronze award in the Best Play Centre category of ASPIRE (Awards for the Play Industry Recognising Excellence).

Located on the second floor of Brownsea House in the Dolphin Shopping Centre, this latest accolade is the second prestigious national award bestowed on the family-run business since it opened in October 2007, following Silver in 2008 for the Best New Play Centre. Only the very best indoor facilities were recognised at the second PPA (Play Providers Association) ASPIRE awards ceremony held on Tuesday 22 September at the Manor Hotel, Meriden, where over 130 industry representatives were in attendance. The ten category awards recognise excellence and best practice in play operations, including customer service, innovations and the overall presentation and cleanliness of the centres. Ollie’s Playland successfully fought off fierce competition from leading, long-established, centres from across the UK to be classed in the top three Best Play Centre’s under 15,000 square feet. Kate Costin, Association Manager of the PPA, said: “The quality of this year’s entries was exceedingly high and the judges had a very tough task in picking our winners. The awards evening was a fantastic way to celebrate, applaud and congratulate, the achievements of PPA members.” Mark Painter from Ollie’s Playland commented: “It is fantastic to receive this type of award from the play industry especially when you consider that Ollie’s is a relatively new business celebrating two years of trading this month. Huge thanks goes to all our loyal customers who continue to provide us with really useful feedback and great suggestions to help us continually improve Ollie’s. Ali and all the crew are now setting their sights on a Gold award next year. “It has been a busy and exciting year for us. We have launched our season tickets and we are now finalising our plans to open Ollie’s crèche. After that we aim to open a sensory room helped in part by generous donations from our customers.” Ollie’s Playland provides a fun and friendly atmosphere for both children and parents with the emphasis on safe play. All play is parentally supervised while the café also promotes healthy eating with a variety of snacks and food on offer. Ollie’s also works closely with the local community to arrange exciting events and children’s parties. Stephanie Connelly, Dolphin Shopping Centre Manager, said: “Ollie’s Playland is an excellent facility that proves ever popular with our younger visitors and their parents. It’s a fantastic addition to the Dolphin Shopping Centre and it’s refreshing to see a new business rewarded with national recognition for the second consecutive year. We equally look forward to Ollie’s exciting future plans coming to fruition, with which they deserve every success.” Photography – please click on the thumbnail link at the bottom of this press release to download the image. -Ends- Notes to Editors In 2003, The Dolphin Shopping Centre was acquired by Grosvenor – the leading international property development, investment and management group – for its Grosvenor Shopping Centre Fund. The centre contains 115 stores and covers an area of over 47,000 square metres. The Grosvenor Shopping Centre Fund was established in 1998. It is a partnership created to invest in high quality, dominant shopping centres around the UK. The Fund is managed by Grosvenor from its office in London, combining the expertise of the company’s fund and asset managers. The Fund currently owns Dolphin Shopping Centre, Poole; Coopers Square, Burton upon Trent; Eastgate Shopping Centre, Inverness; and Freshney Place Shopping Centre, Grimsby. For further information please contact the Dolphin Shopping Centre Press Office: Emma Spearing, Hazel PR Tel: +44 (0)1202 862411 Mobile: +44 (0)7736 341828 Email: emma.spearing@hazelpr.com

Tags: