Bolton trampoline park opens doors following £450k investment

Air Vault Trampoline Park has opened in Bolton with the support of a five-figure Regional Growth Fund loan.

Air Vault, which is owned by London-based operator Active Entertainment Ltd, matched the £50k loan secured through Business Finance Solutions (BFS) with £400k of its own to turn an empty Bolton warehouse into a trampoline zone with 700 sq m of jumping space.

The new centre, located on Wingates Industrial Estate in the Westhoughton area, comprises floor and wall trampolines, basketball hoops and foam pits, as well as party rooms, a café and a conference suite for hire.

Bolton businessmen Andrew Caldwell and Mark Denison are the entrepreneurs behind the venture.

Andrew said: “It has been fantastic to work with the team at Business Finance Solutions to access the additional funding we needed to provide a modern leisure and fitness facility that the whole of Bolton can be proud of.

“Trampoline parks are a new phenomenon – there are currently only a handful of facilities like this in the UK and Air Vault features a variety of trampolines covering an activity area of 700 sq m.”

BFS Business Loans, which is part of investment organisation Manchester Growth Company, is aiming to drive £24m into growing Greater Manchester enterprises between now and 2025.

A condition of its loans, which range from £3000 to £100k, is that they must either create or protect jobs.

BFS senior loan manager Andy Nichols said: “Indoor trampoline parks are an increasingly popular leisure activity. Revenues in the US alone have grown from $12m to $680m over the last eight years and the UK looks set to follow that trend.”

The opening follows the announcement of another trampoline facility due to launch in Wilmslow.

Andy continued: “Andrew and Mark recognised the opportunity to invest in this facility and in the continuing development of Bolton itself and, while the majority of funding was already in place, BFS was able to work with them to support the final phase of the development.

“Our business loans have been designed exactly for entrepreneurs like Andrew and Mark and we are very proud to see the new facility and to be working with Andrew, Mark and the Air Vault team as the business grows.”

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