My story
Craftea was inspired by friendship, creativity, a love of community, and good coffee, of course.
As a parent, I spent countless hours in traditional soft play centres with my own children. I often found them noisy, chaotic and stressful, with adults squeezing through climbing frames or chasing kids down fireman’s poles. Fun for the kids, yes. A break for grown-ups? Not so much!
That got me thinking about whether there could be something different; a space where children could play freely, while adults could actually sit down, sip a hot coffee and maybe even finish a conversation.
From the beginning, my vision was simple: imaginative and stimulating play for children, alongside a calm, welcoming and homely environment for adults.
How Craftea began
Craftea started life as Imagination Station in October 2023, when I ran mobile children’s events.
I loved creating imaginative play experiences, but hauling what felt like a building’s worth of toys around every weekend quickly became unsustainable. I knew I needed a permanent home.
Then I stepped into The Old Chapel and I knew it was the one.
With plenty of elbow grease, creativity and a love of second-hand treasures, I set about transforming it into Craftea.
Old hospital curtains and pallets became role-play enclosures. Tables came from house clearances and charity shops. The castle started life as an old bed, while the stage and castle walls were built from even more pallets. Many things were donated, found, rescued or quite literally pulled out of skips!
The result is the quirky, imaginative and completely one-of-a-kind space that is Craftea today. Almost every corner has a story, and I love that it isn’t a polished, mass-produced play centre. It’s a space that has been built with creativity, resourcefulness and a lot of love.
I hate beige toys!
Okay, this might be a slightly controversial confession, but I have a personal pet peeve: I hate beige, boring toys!
I don’t believe children’s play needs to be fancy, expensive or “bougie”. In fact, I don’t think it needs to look Instagram-perfect at all. Kids don’t care!
Give a child something interesting and let their imagination do the rest.
My own little girl once happily played with a feather for about 30 minutes. A FEATHER. No batteries, no flashing lights, no fancy features and definitely no designer price tag. Just a feather and a child’s imagination.
That pretty much sums up how I feel about play.
I want children at Craftea to be encouraged to use their imaginations, make up their own games and find possibilities in the things around them. Sometimes the simplest things create the best play.
That’s also why so much of Craftea has been made from reclaimed, donated and second-hand items. I would much rather take something old and give it a new life than buy something shiny just because it looks good.
For me, play doesn’t have to be fancy to be brilliant.
A little recognition
One of the highlights of my Craftea journey so far has been receiving a Highly Commended award at the Child Friendly Awards 2026, in the Inspiring Creativity Through Play, Arts and Culture category.
Craftea was built around the idea that children’s play should be imaginative, open-ended and exciting, rather than simply about keeping children occupied. Being recognised for that is something I’m incredibly proud of.
Play should be for everyone
One of the things that matters most to me is keeping Craftea as affordable and accessible as I possibly can.
I genuinely believe that play should not be an elitist activity. Every child should be entitled to play, explore, imagine and simply be a child, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances.
I know that councils provide wonderful free parks and outdoor spaces, and these are incredibly important. But I also live in a country where the weather doesn’t always cooperate! For a large part of the year, rain, cold, wind and darker days can make outdoor play difficult.
I believe there should be more affordable indoor spaces where children can play and adults can relax too.
That’s why I try to keep my entry prices as low as possible. I want Craftea to be somewhere families can actually afford to visit, rather than something that feels like an occasional luxury.
For me, it’s not just about providing somewhere for children to burn off some energy. It’s about providing a space where children can use their imaginations, develop confidence, make memories and have fun while the grown-ups get a chance to breathe, have a coffee and enjoy a little bit of peace.
A little bit about me
Since January 2025, I have been running Craftea completely on my own while also working as a mental health nurse — juggling two very different kinds of chaos!
I have a background in substance misuse and criminal justice and qualified as a mental health nurse in 2018. My passion for mental health, community wellbeing and social inclusion is a huge part of who I am, and those values naturally find their way into Craftea.
I want Craftea to be a place where people feel welcome, accepted and comfortable being themselves.
Creativity for little hands
During play sessions, I also offer specially designed craft packs. Families can complete them at Craftea as an activity during their visit or take them home to continue the creativity.
Each plaster-shaped pack is handmade by me, which means I get to add a little personal touch to every one.
I love creating things, and I want that sense of creativity and imagination to be at the heart of Craftea.
More than a play café
For me, Craftea has always been about more than play. It’s about community, connection and care.
The things that matter to me personally are reflected in the space and the work I do, including:
- Mental health and emotional wellbeing
- LGBTQ+ rights and visibility
- Maternal and perinatal care
- Combating social isolation in older people
- Making play and community spaces accessible to everyone
I’m always thinking about what else Craftea could become and how I can use the space to bring people together. I’m hoping to develop more support groups, community initiatives and opportunities for people to connect in the future.
Craftea has grown far beyond the café I originally imagined.
It’s a place to play, create, connect, have a coffee, meet someone new, take a breath and feel at home.
Most importantly, it’s a place where children can play and grown-ups can relax.
Because I believe children deserve somewhere to play.
And I think adults deserve somewhere to sit down and actually finish their coffee while they do it.
