Flipping great: New £1m trampoline park gives Rochdale’s entertainment scene extra bounce

Posted by on 18 Dec 2017

A new trampoline park has just somersaulted into town, bringing with it 20 new jobs for Rochdale residents.

Flip Out, which has just opened a new branch at the Royle Pennine Trading Estate near Tesco, is the fastest-growing trampoline park operator in the world, with over 65 outlets in seven countries.

Their new venue in Rochdale, which boasts box zones, tumble tracks and kids’ arenas, will open seven days a week from 7am to 9pm, giving some lift to the borough’s early evening economy.

All 20 staff who have been taken on were employed through the council’s employment links partnership (ELP), which helps get people job ready by offering free support, like interview training and help to get onto courses.

The new recruits, who were all either previously unemployed, or working fewer hours, have all been given training in a variety of areas, including party organising, first aid, reception work and safety marshalling. Training was provided by Heywood-based, Mantra Learning.

The Business Growth Hub also helped the company access a grant to install an energy efficient heating system to reduce its carbon footprint.

Councillor Liam O’Rourke, cabinet member for business, skills and employment at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “This fantastic new opening will be a welcome addition to Rochdale’s thriving leisure scene and the fact that it helps people get fit and healthy is even better.

“I’m really proud to see that, with the help of our Employment Links Partnership, a number of Rochdale residents have secured jobs at this fantastic new facility, with one of the new employees coming back into the workplace for the first time in ten years after taking a break to raise her children.”

The new trampoline centre has also brought a jump in investment in the local area, with Flip Out ploughing a whopping £1m into the facility. The company also plans to open escape rooms at the venue from 21 December.

Imran Matadar, General Manager at Flip Out, Rochdale, said: “We found the perfect site here, but the fantastic support we got from the council, RDA and the Business Growth Hub really made it happen.

“This will be a great new facility for Rochdale. It will help get people fit and active and give young people something to do. We’re really keen to work with local primary schools and have given away free tickets, so youngsters can come in and see what we’re all about.”

Jade Massey (19) is one of Flip Out’s new recruits. She said: “I worked in warehousing before, but was looking for something different. I’ve got a health condition which can limit the jobs I can do, so I wasn’t really confident about applying for things, but I got a lot of support from Employment Links.

“Being here from the beginning makes me feel like I have a stake in this place and and I’m so chuffed to be working here. It’s an exciting time.”