Controversy as Jitterbugs Play Centre begins selling alcohol

Parents can now have a tipple whilst their children play at Jitterbugs

The decision by children’s play centre Jitterbugs to start selling alcohol has proved controversial generating dozens of posts on social media.

The Littleborough play centre started serving beer and wine to parents on Wednesday (1 June) as a trial to see if it proves popular.

However, the play centre has come under fire from some parents who say booze should not be served in a children's play centre.

In a social media post, Gemma Chrimes described the act as “crass” and added: “It's a play area for children not a pub.”

Richard George said: “If children are present, alcohol should not be. Regardless of context or location, nobody should be looking after a child while inebriated.”

Mandy Marie Reeve said: “It’s not nice even seeing kids running around a beer garden while parents are getting drunk. Jitterbugs is for kids to have fun, how can that be fun watching your mum or dad drunk at the tables while you’re in the ball pool.”

Jitterbugs Catering Manager Claire said: “It is a trial run to see how people like it, and the idea is just that people can have a drink with their meals. There’s no way we are trying to create a pub atmosphere at all. The parents like to sit down and eat and socialise, sometimes they might want a drink with their meal. It doesn’t mean we are letting people get drunk.”

She added: “We aren’t serving strong alcohol, I think in total we have about 24 bottles of beer and a few bottles of wine.

Other parents questioned what the fuss is about.

Kathryn Singleton pointed out that Jitterbugs is not the only play centre to be offering alcoholic drinks. She said: “Somebody has stated that Wacky Warehouse is a pub/restaurant that has a play area to encourage people with children to go there. Well isn't that, in the end, all that Jitterbugs is doing?"

Lee Joseph Burke posted: “A glass of wine while the children play in a safe fun environment, why not? The way people are flipping out over this is ridiculous.”