Aust Services, with views of the Severn Estuary and the Severn Bridge, has sat empty for many years. It once welcomed all crossing from Wales to the South West, but its use dried up with the opening of the Prince of Wales Bridge. But this once iconic glass building may have now found a new lease of life.
In 2023, Bristol-based charity Gympanzees secured £3.3m of funding to transform the former motorway service station into the UK’s first play centre for disabled children and young people. It’s now aiming to raise another £8 million to open the purpose-built facility by June 2026.
The Gympanzees Centre will host 200,000 visitors every year. This world-class facility is being described as a “first of its kind” in the UK, with everything under one roof for children with disabilities. It will be open 364 days, 7 days a week, for all (0-25yrs) with sensory, physical, learning difficulties, SEN and any mild to profound disability.
What will the Gympanzees Centre offer?
According to Gympanzees, there are 90,000 children and young people with disabilities living within an hour of Bristol. The vast majority (77%) can’t access regular leisure facilities like their peers. The Gympanzees Centre aims to change that—offering everything from a kitchen and gym to a party room and quiet cafe.
The 43,000 sq ft site will include a therapeutic swing room, a two-story soft play area, full-size trampolines, a wheelchair-friendly outdoor playground, a soundproofed music room, two sensory spaces—one dark and one light room—and a hangout room for older young people to socialise, with sofas, ping pong, and gaming areas.
We’ve barely scratched the surface of what this play space will offer, but it’s coming along quickly, with renovations on the site having now started. Gympanzees have already raised £5.4 million of what they need—including through a crowdfunding campaign, pop-up events and grants—but there’s still plenty more of the way to go.
To learn more about the Gympanzees Centre, head here.