A NEW role-play centre has opened in Basingstoke offering young children the chance to use their imagination.

Tot City has opened upstairs in the former Lloyds Bank building at the Top of Town, as the family-run business’s fifth venue to open in the last six months.

Tot City was first launched by Leon Li in Andover in 2019, and the father-of-one decided to expand following the pandemic.

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The Basingstoke centre is his fifth, with others in Andover, Salisbury, Winchester and Worthing.

Speaking of the new Basingstoke centre, Leon said: “It is for toddlers and has six to seven play rooms all kitted out like a building to make it feel like a street. There are themes such as a hospital, supermarket, post office and animal hospital.

“There is space for little ones to go and explore and use their creativity and imagination.”

He added: “It’s not just for children, parents can sit down and have a coffee and not worry about the little ones escaping. Each session lasts 90 minutes.”

Leon, from Stockbridge, who used to work in the jewellery industry, said he has faced various challenges with the opening of the Basingstoke branch, the main being the upstairs location making it tricky for parents with pushchairs to gain access.

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The 52-year-old said: “Basingstoke has been shouting for something like this. Over the years people said ‘you need to come to Basingstoke’. We thought let’s have a look. There are still things we need to improve but the initial feedback is it’s something finally for the little ones.

“Being upstairs has always been a challenge, but Basingstoke’s rent is really high. It’s really hard to find a unit unless you have a lot of finance behind you and can afford extortionate rent. We knew pushchairs will be the biggest challenge, but after discussing with parents they said they would rather have something here than nothing.”

Leon has created a shed at the back of the building for customers to park pushchairs, which he admitted is “not ideal”, but said: “Because it’s an old building it’s not possible to have a lift. After discussions, we decided to go ahead.”

He added: “This is something that we always wanted to do for the community. We wanted to give something back that’s fun for children.”