Glo Family review

I’m standing at a two-year-old’s birthday party, knee deep in wrapping paper with the ‘Hokey Cokey’ playing at 100 decibels.

The party was without fault. The adults were relaxed whilst they drank coffees and chatted, the kids were entertained and safe. All the staff at Glo were extremely helpful, the food was fantastic and the venue warm, clean and quite charming.

A friend of mine, Helen, recalls a tale of her youth over a sausage roll. She tells me that when she and her sister were little, their mum’s parties were the best out of all her friends. Infamous for her imaginative and ingenious party entertainment, Helen’s mum was quite a legend.

The party game to hold the greatest accolade was called ‘the mummy game'. This is where the children would congregate outside a room and be led in one by one to see ‘the mummy'. The ‘mummy’ incidentally was Helen’s mum. She would lie down in the middle of the room and cover herself with a sheet. The child would enter the room and be told to uncover the mummy's face, pointing to the bottom of the sheet which would actually be where Helen’s mum's feet were. As the child pulled the sheet back, Helen’s mum would rise from behind him/her and bang them on the head with a rolled up newspaper.

We all have accounts of our childhood parties and the simple, innocent fun we had. These memories stay with us forever.

Fast forward a week and I am standing at Glo Family celebrating my toddler’s birthday. Unlike Helen’s mum, I don’t have the creativity and nerve to hold the party at home. Besides which, I couldn’t squeeze 15 hyperactive toddlers and 25 adults into my front room without knocking down a wall. So, I decided to search for a venue that would suit my needs.

I know from my experience as a parent that going to a play centre on any given weekend is synonymous with being locked in a cell with a tribe of monkeys bashing cymbals and pulling at your legs and arms whilst sticking needles in your ear drums. And the food? Chips, chips and a side order of chips. It really was not what I wanted for my friends and their offspring; for me it’s as important to keep the grownups as happy as the kids. Glo Family was the obvious choice.

Glo offer many different party packages from simple room hire only to full venue hire, catering (including birthday cake) and all the trimmings. They are very accommodating and will give advice if requested.

I decided to hire the full venue and asked Glo to cater for my little guests. I also put on a tab for the adults at the cafe and booked Kiddiewinks to entertain the children.

The centre is located in a beautifully renovated church in Cheadle with a car park to the front and a pretty, enclosed garden at the back complete with a wooden house, hammock and giant chess board for the kids to play with.

In the main hall polished parquet floors, clean white walls, vaulted ceiling and magnificent church windows give an impressive welcome. With a large pirate’s ship (complete with skull and cross bones flag) forming the centre piece and a fabric wig wam alongside, it’s every little one’s dream.

Wooden tables and chairs surround and there are comfortable sofas in the corner of the room for parents to relax and chat. There is a chill out zone with books and a flatscreen TV where kids can take some time out and for the tiny ones, a fantastic sensory room with padded floor and twinkly lights.

My party was booked on a Sunday afternoon 4-6pm. We turned up about 30 minutes early to do the small necessary tasks like blowing up balloons, putting up banners and making sure the birthday cake was delivered to the kitchen. Kiddiewinks arrived and set up shop in the separate room situated behind the main hall. This room has one mirrored wall and wooden floors. It stirs up a dark and strange urge in me to squeeze on a black leotard and do my own version of ‘that’ Flashdance scene. A room that is usually used for children’s classes and fitness sessions during the day, it’s perfect for a gang of rowdy toddlers to run riot in.

The guests arrived on time and the little ones didn’t hold back, running straight towards the pirate ship and toys. Once everyone had settled, Kiddiewinks started their entertainment. The bigger toddlers braved the show on their own whilst mums and dads held the hands of the younger kids. Egg and spoon balancing, musical instruments, puppets and dancing all made for a brilliantly organised, fun party. The grand finale being a huge parachute filled with plastic balls, pinging up into the air with every wave. Not sure who had the most fun actually - the kids or the parents.

On to the food, I ordered a hot and cold selection of treats. The room where we had just spent an hour dancing and singing with Kiddiewinks was transformed into a kiddie restaurant. Little tables and chairs neatly lined up in uniformed order. Each child was presented with a delicious home cooked assorted platter which consisted of a bowl of tomato pasta, chicken Goujons, a slice of pizza, mini sausages and a bowl of hummus with crudités. Jugs of cordial were offered to drink. Silence descended at the table as the hungry tots tucked in. Dessert was fresh fruit salad followed by the climax - the birthday cake.

The party was without fault. The adults were relaxed whilst they drank coffees and chatted, the kids were entertained and safe. All the staff at Glo were extremely helpful, the food was fantastic and the venue warm, clean and quite charming.

What stands out the most for me about Glo is that every aspect of the venue and guests’ requirements had been accounted for. It’s clear that the venue is run by people who know what parents and kids want and need. And perhaps the most important thing about Glo Family is that the centre has managed to capture those special things, the things we all remember from our childhood parties; simple, innocent fun.

For more information about Glo Family and coming events visit www.glofamily.com