Tim Lamb Children's Centre
ENTRY
from £4
SETTING
Outdoors
WHERE
Newcastle upon Tyne
What it’s like
A members-only play centre for disabled children and their siblings, with soft play, sensory rooms and alpacas out the back.
This one's specifically for member families with a disabled child or young person, siblings welcome too. Inside there's soft play, a trampoline hall, a sensory room and a media room. Outside there's a fully enclosed play garden built for inclusive and sensory play, plus a nature area with a tipi, fire pit, outdoor kitchen and trim trail. And yes, there are alpacas, described on the site as therapy alpacas, along with donkeys to meet in the Pathways 2 Nature area.
Family Stay & Play is drop in and costs £4 a child. If your child does better without the noise and crowds, Quiet Stay & Play runs Sunday mornings from 10am to 12noon, but you do need to book ahead since places are limited. Both sessions give you the same run of facilities, soft play, sensory room, trampoline hall and the outdoor garden.
Term time hours shift about through the week, longer on Tuesday to Thursday evenings, shorter on Monday and Friday afternoons, and a bit different again at weekends. School holidays settle into a simpler 10am to 4pm daily pattern, with extra activities like arts and crafts, cookery and visiting entertainers thrown in at no extra cost. There's a café on site for teas, coffees and light refreshments, though the catch is you can't bring your own food in unless reception's agreed a dietary exception with you first.
Worth knowing it can close at short notice in bad weather, since heavy snow can block the access road. It also shuts over Christmas and New Year, the Easter bank holiday weekend, all bank holiday Mondays, and for a week in early September while they do a deep clean.
Facilities
Need to know
- Booking
- Family Stay & Play drop-in sessions
- Food
- On-site café with teas, coffees and light refreshments
- Membership and a disabled child or young person in the family are needed to attend, siblings are welcome alongside them.
- Quiet Stay & Play only runs Sunday mornings and has limited booked places, so it fills up.
- You can't bring in outside food or drink unless reception has agreed a dietary exception with you beforehand.
- Snow can shut the place at short notice if the access road gets blocked.
- School holiday extras like cookery and visiting entertainers are included in the normal entry price.
Plan your visit
Who can come along?
It's for member families with a disabled child or young person, and their siblings can come too.
How much does it cost?
£4 a child for either Family Stay & Play or Quiet Stay & Play.
Do we need to book?
Family Stay & Play is drop in. Quiet Stay & Play on Sunday mornings needs booking in advance and places are limited.
What is Quiet Stay & Play?
A calmer, less busy session on Sunday mornings from 10am to 12noon, aimed at children who find a quieter environment easier.
What can the children do there?
Soft play, indoor trampolines, a sensory room and media room, an enclosed outdoor play garden with inclusive equipment, and a nature area with alpacas, donkeys, a tipi and fire pit.
What are the opening hours?
Term time it varies by day, Tuesday to Thursday runs 10am to 7pm, Monday and Friday 10am to 2pm, Saturday 10am to 4pm and Sunday noon to 4pm. In school holidays it's simpler, 10am to 4pm every day.
Is there food on site?
There's a café serving teas, coffees and light refreshments. Anything eaten on the premises has to be bought from the café unless reception's arranged a dietary exception with you.
What happens in the school holidays?
Family focused activities and events run alongside normal sessions, including arts and crafts, cookery, games and visiting entertainers, all included in the standard entrance price.
When is it closed?
Christmas and New Year, the Easter bank holiday weekend, every bank holiday Monday, and the first week of September for their annual deep clean and maintenance.
Could a visit get cancelled?
In bad weather it can close at short notice, since heavy snow can block the road in.
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