Boomerang Family Play Centre on Bowerhill celebrated its 18th birthday on Bank holiday Monday 26th August.
Activities throughout included, indoors, with a free magic show and balloon modelling, free lazer games and face painting, and outdoors with a giant slide, an inflatable obstacle course, an inflatable tug of war and swing boats and the bucking bronco.
Entry fees were reduced for the day to the original prices of 18 years ago – which went down well with the parents! On the Sunday evening all the staff, family, friends and business acquaintances also enjoyed a fun evening of activities, including the majority of the above, plus a disco, buffet and bar.
Owner and manager Gary Cooke said, ”It’s been a fantastic 18 years and we’ve come so far in that time. We started in 1995 in what was then the Royal British legion building in Kingsbury Square. We moved shortly afterwards to semi-permanent residence at the Adventure Centre in Melksham Park for the next year. We had four staff then. Since then we’ve been in our present building on Bowerhill – expanding over the years from 5000 sq. ft. in size to 25,000 sq. ft. We’ve also had to take on a few more staff as we now employ 60 people!
“Our plans for the future are already published in our foyer at Boomerang, and include us creating the only ‘families only’ restaurant in the region. The restaurant will be fully licenced and will have seating both indoors (120 seats) and outside (80 seats) on our patio which overlooks our one acre outdoor play area. The beauty of our restaurant will be that customers (both adult and children) will all be able to play, eat, drink and relax with friends and family, in a restaurant (and play centre) built with the family in mind. We’ll be open later in the evenings and we’ll serve good family favourite meals, with daily and weekly specials and with regular ‘family entertainment’ to keep the big and little kids entertained. It’s something really new and very exciting for us to do – watch this space for further information.”
A big ‘Thank You’ – Gary expressed his thanks to everyone who had helped get Boomerang where it is now. He said, “Firstly to our customers, as without them supporting us there would be no Boomerang! Next my staff, both present day and past staff. Thank you for your hard work and dedication in making Boomerang the best play facilities in the region. Lastly a big thank you to my family, whose continual support throughout the ups and downs of the past 18 years makes me want to carry on.
![Melksham Times Past
A column about days gone by in Melksham by local historian Lisa Ellis
The Independent Chapel and Women’s Rights in the 1840s
A document I recently transcribed lists the baptisms performed at the Independent Chapel. This record is especially helpful in that, along with baptisms, a lot of them include birth dates - one of the ways I discover which day someone was born.
The following is taken from a Wiltshire Times article published on 9th November 1878 which reports a speech given during the 100-year services and to celebrate their renovations (what we now know to be the Rachel Fowler Centre).
One speaker, Rev. T. Mann, minister in Trowbridge, talked about the Chapel’s origins when he related how Rev. Honywill came to Melksham and how he’d gone on to remain as the minister for the Independent Chapel for almost 60 years. [Honywill and his family lived on King Street in what we now call “Legion House”.]
Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.](https://scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.75761-15/505444438_18038424887647822_3264519508333556874_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=gXZQJoHTNiEQ7kNvwHezuPI&_nc_oc=AdlrJvMDapuork_EjycPOcegNeMnCA37GEIudkxkTeCfTgvB5iijE05ojpwlYCd5gN8&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr6-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=QNvAO5SMZpVXmVytNQqVSQ&oh=00_AfPCRkqHgOSMvuudIx2c3c6tPfxG8yxgXENMsL7kQCav3g&oe=685475CA "Melksham Times Past
A column about days gone by in Melksham by local historian Lisa Ellis
The Independent Chapel and Women’s Rights in the 1840s
A document I recently transcribed lists the baptisms performed at the Independent Chapel. This record is especially helpful in that, along with baptisms, a lot of them include birth dates - one of the ways I discover which day someone was born.
The following is taken from a Wiltshire Times article published on 9th November 1878 which reports a speech given during the 100-year services and to celebrate their renovations (what we now know to be the Rachel Fowler Centre).
One speaker, Rev. T. Mann, minister in Trowbridge, talked about the Chapel’s origins when he related how Rev. Honywill came to Melksham and how he’d gone on to remain as the minister for the Independent Chapel for almost 60 years. [Honywill and his family lived on King Street in what we now call “Legion House”.]
Read more on our website, the link is in our bio.")
