Published on Monday 07 April 2025
Bournemouth’s brand-new soft play facility has officially opened in Boscombe’s Kings Park Leisure and Learning Centre – with hundreds of children on hand to put it through its paces.
The specialist play area and multi-use sports hall at Kings Park Leisure and Learning Centre had its grand opening on Sunday, 6 April – with BCP Council’s Leader, Cllr Millie Earl, Chief Operations Officer, Glynn Barton and Cllr Richard Herrett, Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations in attendance to mark the occasion.
Upgrades to the centre have been made possible thanks to more than £400,000 of Government funding – coupled with investment from BCP Council – to provide a soft play facility catering for children aged 18 months to 12 years and a brand new sports hall offering court hire for pickleball, badminton, basketball and netball for residents from across the area.
BCP Leisure anticipate that the new refurbishments will see thousands of additional participants take part in sports and activities each year. The centre currently supports more than 2,000 individuals who are enrolled on the Adult Skills and Learning courses whilst the ground floor is home to 500 members of the internationally competitive Bournemouth Elite Cheerleaders.
Cllr Millie Earl, Leader of BCP Council, said: “This brilliant facility is going to provide a vibrant new environment for families to develop, socialise, and have fun.
“The improvements align with BCP Council’s vision that play and leisure facilities should be high-quality, accessible and inclusive which is what we are delivering here in response to community feedback.
“Thousands of people have already benefitted from the support offered at Kings Park Leisure and Learning Centre and these upgrades ensure we can deliver memorable moments for even more children and young people.”
As well as brand new soft play facilities, upgrades include an extended café/multi-use function space, new heating and ventilation throughout the centre and improved accessibility with new ramps.
Cllr Richard Herrett, Portfolio Holder for Destination, Leisure and Commercial Operations at BCP Council, said: “This is a fantastic example of delivering on feedback from communities – which highlighted the need for affordable local indoor leisure facilities.
“I’m really pleased that the site is now open: this refurbishment demonstrates our commitment to ensuring Kings Park Leisure and Learning Centre remains at the heart of the community long into the future.”