Lazerzone
Saturday June 11th

So after being alerted to the fact that the LazerZone in Kirkstall, Leeds is fully accessible to wheelchairs we decided to book a party there to let our families join in the fun.

After going down for a preliminary visit we hired out two games for just Hiccups families and made a few more touches so that it was accessible to all of our children. We had no music in the game, the emergency lights were left on dim so it was not as dark and there was less smoke in the arena. The sound was also reduced in the briefing room and the lights left on in there.

In all, on the day we had 33 players which consisted of children, parents and carers. But there were others involved that were not playing – parents went in to support their children and we had a couple of children that didn’t play but wanted to appreciate the flashing light show that was available from the passing players!

And of course for after the games, we opted for the Party option – we couldn’t leave people hungry. Pizza was available for everyone including those that had only come to supervise plus an open tab for teas and coffees for the hard-working parents who had earned a decent cuppa for following their child around in the arena.

There was lots of positive feedback after the event with lots of families saying they have never done this before with their child or that their child had never had the opportunity to play with other children in a LazerZone. It’s sometimes takes me booking something like this that my children would consider a ‘normal’ activity to remind me that not everything is always accessible for various reasons. We had a few children who had sensory issues at this event and because it was so laid back they just took it in their stride. Parents were approaching me after to say they and their children had loved the session. And that is why we do what we do! Sometimes we try the extreme and sometimes it’s just a case of bringing the everyday to our families but putting it in an environment where there is no pressure.

And I have to add the staff were brilliant. They were so attentive to our needs. They took everything in their stride (including the order for 45 pizzas!) and kept asking if there was anything else they could do to help. I truly recommend this LazerZone if you are thinking of going!

“‘Do you know, lazer zone is my favourite game?” from my boy who was adamant it was going to be too scary. Thankyou so much for today xxx”

“Fab time at lazer zone, thank you”

“We had a fantastic time, thank you so much”

Website: http://www.laserzone.co.uk/leeds/home