The owner of an inflatable theme park has thanked the public after he was "blown away" by their support in helping the venue to overcome the pressures of the pandemic.
Sean Plunkett, owner of Inflata Nation Cheshire on Shaw Street in Runcorn, said he is finally living his dream having endured 18 months of uncertainty.
He said the pandemic’s impact left him fearing for the future of the business only four months after he bought it.
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Sean took over the attraction in late 2019 - but the Covid-19 crisis forced him to shut its doors for more than a year.
Although lockdowns pushed his business to the brink, he said he’s been overwhelmed by residents’ support since reopening in May.
Mr Plunkett said: “My business background is in running a care home in Ireland but I knew I wanted to do something a bit more fun as I’m a big kid at heart.
“When the opportunity to open an Inflata Nation franchise came up I didn’t have to think twice, I knew it would be the perfect fit for me.
“I took over the business four months before lockdown but nobody could have foreseen the pandemic and the effects it would have on the leisure industry.
“There were definitely times during lockdown where I wondered if we would make it out the other side.
“But all my team and I could do was make sure we were ready when we were finally allowed to welcome people through the doors again.
“Since reopening in April, we have been blown away by the support we’ve received from customers and the wider community and we’re truly grateful for it.
“It has been fantastic to finally be up and running and I’m enjoying it every bit as much as I thought I would.”
Inflata Nation is based at a 20,000ft warehouse on Shaw Street near Runcorn Station, and hosts drop slides, ball pools, assault courses and a climbing wall.
The inflatable theme park introduced Covid safety measures including halving its capacity to 70 visitors per hour, reducing weekday opening hours, intensive cleaning every hour and a one-way system.
Sean said the centre has exciting Halloween and Christmas-themed plans lined up for coming months, as he reiterated the importance of safety.
He said: “The country has not seen the end of the pandemic just yet so it’s my responsibility to be constantly reviewing safety measures to ensure everyone can continue to enjoy Inflata Nation Cheshire.
“We take the safety of our guests and our team extremely seriously, so we have a number of measures in place to minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
“The feedback we have received from parents and carers has been really positive and they appreciate the efforts to ensure their families are able to enjoy themselves safely.”
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