“The Local Enterprise Office has assisted us in our evolution over the years, helping us develop our offering and stay relevant.”

Pirates Adventure Play Centre, Tramore, County Waterford was launched in 2009.

The soft play facilities at Pirates Adventure Play Centre provide children from 6 months to 10 years with a safe, supervised and comfortable facility for play, exercise and socialisation in a warm, dry and comfortable environment.

Founders Christie and David Murray originally envisioned a bustling hub for family visits, group outings, and parties. “Despite having no prior experience in the leisure industry, we embraced the challenge, taking on various roles from marketing and customer service to HR and food hygiene management.” Explained Christie,

“Our passion and pride in what we created kept us motivated, even when the recession hit shortly after opening, leading to several tough years just to keep our doors open.

“We quickly realized the need to adapt, shifting our focus to cater for children’s birthday parties rather than the broader family and group market. Over the years, we have continuously evolved and invested in Pirates Adventure, transforming it into the large, soft play and party centre it is today. The Local Enterprise Office has assisted us in our evolution over the years, helping us develop our offering and stay relevant. We are also part of a group called PALI (Play And Leisure Ireland) an association that is made up of similar businesses around Ireland and has really helped us to get and maintain insurance cover, difficult in our industry, as well as helping to keep standards high across the board.”

Christie and David have previously received mentoring and a Trading Online Voucher from the Local Enterprise Office. Then this year Pirates Adventure applied for and received an Energy Efficiency Grant from the LEO in Waterford. It upgraded the kitchen appliances creating better energy efficiency, and enabled further funding to improve the refrigeration system. This enhancement of their facilities opened up the capacity for a larger market share, longer visit times and saved money on energy usage.

The Energy Efficiency Grant supports the investment in technologies and equipment of enterprises following on from a Green for Business Report, GreenStart Report or a SEAI Energy Audit with 75% of eligible costs from a minimum grant of €750 to a maximum of €10,000. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the impact of enterprises on the environment thereby increasing the agility and resilience of these businesses, to operate in a sustainable manner. This scheme supports all aspects of sustainability project expenditure associated with the operation of an enterprise including water; energy; circular economy etc.

Christie and David appreciate the local service the LEO supplies and it has inspired them in their business too, “One of the most rewarding aspects of running our business has been witnessing its positive impact on the community. We’ve created jobs for local students, supported local suppliers, and brought joy to countless children. We get a lot of tourists in the summer visiting the Tramore and the wider Waterford areas.

 “Seeing the smiles on kids’ faces as they come to play and celebrate their special days with friends is incredibly fulfilling. We love creating fun memories and seeing the tangible effects of our work.”

Local Enterprise Office Waterford is here to help you start a business, expand an existing business or reach new markets. It provides advice, information and supports in starting up or growing your business as part of a network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices across Ireland. See more details on the LEO’s Energy Efficiency Grant, www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford/Financial-Supports/Energy-Efficiency-Grant

Contact your Local Enterprise Office Waterford for their latest training programmes, grants and events schedule on www.localenterprise.ie/Waterford or email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie for access to all their training support information.

To learn more about Pirate’s Adventure in Tramore, see www.piratesadventureplaycentre.ie