Aberdeenshire’s first trampoline park, which cost £850,000 to develop, is set to spring into action in time for the start of the school summer holidays.
The 32,000sqft Skyline Trampoline Park, based in Highclere Business Park, Inverurie, has created 30 jobs and will offer locals a unique opportunity to bounce on one of 100 interconnected trampolines.
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The new facility will also feature: a dodge ball court, battle beams, foam pits, tumble tracks, an open jump area, traverse wall, hang tough rings, interactive light walls, café and party rooms amongst other attractions.
Having come up with the idea for Skyline after their children fell in love with a similar park while on holiday in early 2016, Julie and John Mackenzie turned to Business Gateway Aberdeen City & Shire to help them jumpstart their enterprise.
After losing out on their first choice of location in the city centre at the end of last year, the couple came across their present unit by chance, and have spent the past four months transforming it into a high-end facility.
Julie, from Aberdeen, said: “Our three boys are aged five, nine and 12 and finding somewhere that catered for all their ages had always been a problem until we went on holiday to Liverpool. During our stay we discovered a trampoline park and it gave us exactly what we’d been searching for – a place we could all go together as a family and have fun. My husband had always been keen on running a business so when we returned to Aberdeen we started our search for a venue, wrote a business plan and visited Business Gateway.
“I’d been a full-time mum for 10 years and my husband still works in oil and gas so I found the support from our adviser very reassuring. Getting free market information helped us firm up certain aspects of our business plan and our adviser’s input ensured our plan was strong enough to secure the funding we needed. Her local knowledge also helped us find an accountant and the free workshops increased my knowledge and made me aware of the pitfalls we needed to avoid.
“It has been challenging getting the park up and running but we’ve learnt a lot since starting this process 15 months ago. Now we are nearly open, the sleepless nights have been worth it! By employing a brilliant team and investing in the best equipment we are confident that Skyline will be a great success.”
Emilia Stanczyk, Adviser, Business Gateway, said: “Julie and John spotted a gap in the market for a trampoline park and knew that by connecting with us we would be able to help them access the information they needed to turn their idea into a reality. With nearly 9000 likes on Facebook before they are even open, their trampoline park has certainly hit the right note with people looking for somewhere to have fun, burn off energy and take part in exercise without even knowing it.”
Over the coming months, Julie and John will look to add an area for under 5s, introduce fitness classes, toddler sessions, and sessions suitable for those with additional needs. Holiday camps and coaching are also on the cards, while a future parkour and ninja assault course could potentially be in the offing.
Julie said: “It’s very satisfying knowing that our facility will offer everyone the chance to jump, climb, balance, challenge and have lots of fun together. We have great plans for Skyline. We want it to become a destination for the whole community; a place that will appeal to people of all ages and abilities, where they will come together and have fun while also getting fit.”
