Posts tagged ‘hampshire’
I want a laser tag party…
Did you know that Serendipity Sam’s hosts laser tag parties after closing?
They’re a great option for the older children (8 years+) and offer an exciting and fun party option.
Sam’s Laser Tag is a laser tag game played in the play frame after closing. We turn the lights down, and the music up to create a fun laser battle atmosphere. During laser parties you have exclusive use of the centre for your party guests.
Prices start at just £100. Visit our laser party page for full information and for a preview video… just click HERE 
Further information can be found by calling our friendly party team on 0845 450 7200
How to have a great party… Our tips…
When you are booking your childrens party, there is so much to do, which is why at Serendipity Sam’s, we make the experience as stress free as possible.
Our top 3 tips for a great party…
- Book Early
This will help you ensure you get the date and time you are looking for. If you are a member, it will also help you to save money on some of our party options (see Special Offers page for details) - Send Your Invitations Out At The Right Time
With all Serendipity Sam’s parties, we provide FREE invitations once we have received your deposit. It is vital you time sending them correctly, sending them too early will result in a poor response, and leaving them too late will only make you panic. Always try and send invites around 3 weeks prior to the party, this leaves people with enough time to get back to you, and not enough time to forget (in most cases). Always make a list of the people you have invited, as this will help you with our third and final tip… - Chase RSVPs
You want your party to be a hit, and that rests on having the right number of guests. We ask for final numbers due to attend your party, 24 hours in advance of the party. It is always a good idea to chase those people who you have invited, but you have not yet heard back from. Put a mark next to those who have replied (a tick for attending, a cross for not attending, and a question mark for maybe). Then send out reminders or notes to those who you have not heard back from at least 1 week before the party.
Remember, when you book a party with Serendipity Sam’s you only need to worry about cake, candles, napkins (for wrapping the cake), and party bag fillers.
You may also wish to provide party room decorations, due to the number of different age groups we cater for our rooms are decorated neutrally to make them suitable for both sexes and all ages. We allow party organisers to place decorations in our party rooms, but ask that in doing so they only use tack, not tape, and that decorations are removed prior to leaving.
Please remember to book early to avoid disappointment, you can book a Serendipity Sam’s party by calling 0845 450 7200.
Party Discounts… Party For Less
Don’t forget if you’re a Serendipity Sam’s member there are some very special discounts available for you to party with us…
Full information on our party options and discounts can be obtained by calling the Party Hotline on 0845 450 7200 or by clicking here to visit our dedicated party website.
Please remember the best discounts are available when you book at least 1 calendar month (or more) in advance. Discounts are only available to members with valid membership cards.
Members can also take advantage of our credit crunch special, the ‘Budget Buster’ find out more by clicking here…. or here
PS: If you’re not a member, joining for a one-off fee of £10 will entitle you to the fantastic discounts not only on our parties, but also on your visits to our centres. Most customers who join when they book a party, easily cover the cost of their membership and more in savings! Talk to one of our team now on 0845 450 7200 or find out more about membership by clicking here.
Team Member Profile: Hannah (Romsey)
Hannah (Romsey), Play & Party Host
Here’s Hannah who is another of our brilliant team members at our Romsey play and party centre. Hannah is part of our Play & Party hosting team looking after the needs of the lucky birthday boys and girls that have parties with us, and helps keep play safe and fun in our fantastic play frames.
Those of you that have met Hannah will definetely remember her, she is one of our most popular team members with the children that visit, and most know her by name. It’s probably because she loves to make every visit really memorable for all of our visitors, but especially those who have chosen to have a childrens party with us. Having achived her Silver customer service award through our internal customer service recognition scheme, Hannah really does like to make sure there are smiles all-round. You can often see Hannah organising games and races with some of the children, her favourites are our ‘Sams Snap’ game where she hides a picture card in the play frame for children to find, and ‘Bellas Ball’ where she hides a stickered ball in the ball pool for children to find.
Hannah understands the importance of keeping our centre clean, and thats why you will often see her around keeping tables clear, and ensuring the toilets are always at there best.
Hannah has been working with us since the beginning of 2009, and started as a Play Host helping to ensure rules within the play areas where being adhered to and making sure everyone was having a good time.
Hannah quickly progressed to our Party Host team, where she works now helping to make sure parties at Serendipity Sam’s are the best! We regularly receive letters of thanks from grateful parents who have been able to relax and enjoy their child’s party, leaving Hannah to organise everything for them.
On your next visit to Serendipity Sam’s in Romsey for a childrens indoor play party, or just a normal visit to have a play – make sure you say hello to Hannah, she will be waiting with a big smile ready to make your day.
Hannah’s favourite part of the play frame is the spinner where you stand on the base, hold on to the pole and spin around. It’s really good fun! Hannah’s favourite dish on our menu is the childrens Chicken Nugget meal, made from 100% chicken breast – they are delicious, and very popular.
Hannah is a valued member of our team, and looks forward to welcoming you to our Romsey centre soon…
Childrens Party Options – Fantastic Party
We thought we’d bring our blog readers some information on our popular ‘Fantastic Party’, we know that when looking to book your child’s birthday party it isn’t easy, there are many options available these days – but with 10 years experience, and regular ‘excellent’ markings on our after party questionnaires, we like to think (and believe those who have had a party with us, would agree) that we offer great parties that children of all ages enjoy. Our team understand that a child’s birthday party is a very important day for them, and invest heavily in ensuring that our party host team operate at our very high standard and monitor feedback through our after party questionnaires to ensure we are achieving this.
Serendipity Sam’s Fantastic Party is a great childrens party option at our big indoor play and party fun centres in Dorset & Hampshire.
Before the party
On booking a date and time for you, we will then take a deposit payment from you of £25 (in some cases we may require a larger deposit, for example- last minute bookings)
We will then provide you with a confirmation letter, detailing price, dates, times and any other important information. We will also provide you with FREE party invitations.
One of our team will then be your main point of contact, although using our computerised booking system any of our booking team can access and help you with anything related to your booking.
What happens?
When you arrive at our centre (Romsey which is near Southampton, in Hampshire or Christchurch which is near Bournemouth, in Dorset) you are taken to your own private party room, which is yours for the duration of your party. Our party host who will be with you for the party will explain to you what will happen, confirm important details, and register the children as they arrive. The children take their shoes off and leave them in the party room.
Now to the exciting bit…
The children are then let free for 90 minutes of fun in our fantastic indoor play space, they can climb up, slide down, run around, and of course make lots of noise. They love it out there, don’t forget that you too can be part of the fun as at all Serendipity Sam’s centres, adults (18+) are allowed onto the equipment to supervise their children. Please remember to have enough adults to supervise the children, we suggest at least 1 adult (18+) to every 4 or 5 children.
I’m thirsty!
After all of that running around, the party guests may have worked up a thirst – that’s why throughout the duration of the party, your party host will keep their drinks topped up – unlimited squash for all of the party guests, is included in the price of your party.
…can I have something to eat
Yes, included in the price of your party is either a Hot meal, or a Cold food buffet. So after the 90 minutes of running around, the children are called over our sound system back to their party room. For the hot meal choice, we take the childrens orders at the start of the party (as they arrive) so you don’t need to worry about trying to get everyone’s food orders in advance. The choices for the hot meal are similar to our ‘Favourites’ childrens menu, they can choose from Chicken Nuggets, Fish Fingers, Beef Burger, Sausages, or Vegetarian Fingers all served with chips and a choice of beans, peas or mixed vegetables (please note all options are subject to availability on the day) For the cold buffet we offer sandwiches (normally Ham, Jam, Cheese Spread and Marmite) along with carrot and cucumber sticks, crisps, chicken nuggets and cold sausages.
Happy birthday to you…
After the children have eaten we will start the cake ceremony, that’s a 1,2,3 – “Happy birthday to ….” we encourage all of the children to join in singing happy birthday to the birthday child (you will need to provide a birthday cake), once the singing finishes, we put out some biscuits whilst the cake is cut and put into party bags (see the note below about our party bags)
That’s a wrap
That’s the end of the party! We get the children to pop their shoes back on, and hand out party bags (please see the note below about our party bags). The children all receive an ice lolly on their way out, and all leave with big smiles on their faces
How much will this cost me
Just £9.00 per child, with a minimum of 10 children gets you a Serendipity Sam’s Fantastic Party. If the birthday child is a member of Serendipity Sam’s you could be entitled to a discount if you book a calendar month or more in advance – call our Party Hotline on 0845 450 7200 for details, please have the child’s membership card to hand.
Party bags
Our Fantastic party includes a party bag and discount voucher for each party guest. We do not provide any fillers for the bags (we only supply the actual bag itself alongside a Serendipity Sam’s discount voucher). You are free to add your own fillers to our bags, or to provide your own bags and fillers.
How do I book…
Please book early to avoid disappointment, for the best choice of dates and times book a good 6-8 weeks before the party.
To make a booking or to find out more about our parties call our party booking team on 0845 450 7200, the team are available to help you Monday to Friday from 9.30am – 3.30pm, and are also available at the weekends between 11am – 3pm. An answerphone operates outside of opening hours, and when the team are on other calls.
All information subject to change without prior notice. The managements decision is final in all regards. Terms apply, contact Serendipity Sam’s for further details.
The Fire Alarm (Childrens Fire Safety Story)- Full Story – Featuring Serendipity Sam
One sunny morning Jeremy the giraffe was walking through the house doing his monthly check of the smoke alarms, when all of a sudden…
“Somebody has taken the battery out of this smoke alarm!” shouted Jeremy.
He ran through to the kitchen where Bella was washing up breakfast.
“Have you seen the battery from the smoke alarm, Bella? asked Jeremy.”
“No, I haven’t Jeremy” replied Bella.
So Jeremy went through into the lounge where Kitty was watching television.
“Have you seen the battery from the smoke alarm, Kitty?” asked Jeremy.
“No Jeremy, I haven’t” said Kitty
With that Jeremy ran out into the garden where Sam was playing football. “Have you seen the battery from the smoke alarm, Sam?” asked Jeremy.
“No I haven’t Jeremy” said Sam.
With that Jeremy ran out into the garden where Sam was playing football. “Have you seen the battery from the smoke alarm, Sam?” asked Jeremy.
“No I haven’t Jeremy” said Sam.
No sooner had Sam said that, when they both heard a loud noise coming from the play room. They both ran in to find Lemmy the Lemur playing with his new radio controlled car.
“Lemmy, have you taken the battery out of the smoke alarm?” asked Sam
“I’m sorry guys, I didn’t think that it would matter if I just borrowed it for a little while” said Lemmy.
“Oh Lemmy” said Jeremy “You must never take the battery out of the smoke alarm or it won’t work! If we had a fire we could all get hurt” explained Jeremy.
Special offer at Sams Intergalactic Diner
We have a great special offer running at Sam’s Intergalactic Diner at the moment…
Choose any baguette, with a side of chips or onion rings and a cold drink for just £4.99
PLUS… If your child is a member, you may purchase this meal deal and receive a free childs meal worth £2.95 (so long as you show your membership card). Find out more about the members meal deal here.
Keep the kids healthy through the winter…
With many long winter nights ahead of us, there is a real danger that children substitute running around outside for the computer console or television. The Play Providers association (to which Serendipity Sam’s are approved members) is keen to raise awareness of this potential health risk and is urging parents to utilise some of the UK’s superb indoor play centres to ensure that children maintain the Government’s recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
“With the nights now closing in, there is less opportunity for children to play outdoors and the danger is that instead of running around they spend their time sat in front of a computer or television”, says Janice Dunphy, Chair of the PPA. “The resulting in-balance of energy in versus energy out can then lead to an increase in weight and all the negative side effects this can have on a child’s health.”
Weight gain is not the only side effect of a reduction in activity due to long winter nights. The Mental Health Foundation recognises that a lack of exercise can darken mood, increase anxiety and reduce concentration – all recognised symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (2) (SAD).
Maintaining activity levels will also help overcome the problems associated with a disturbed sleeping pattern, brought on by the clocks going back. According to The Chartered Institute of Physiotherapy, a lack of sleep can affect the immune system, growth and bone development, cognitive abilities and performance at school. (3)
Dunphy adds: “Many parents do not feel it is safe for children to play outside in the dark, but there are alternatives. The PPA has a network of more than one hundred superb indoor play centres across the UK where children can expend energy in a safe, supervised environment.
All PPA approved centres offer a good range of play equipment that challenges young minds as well as developing movement skills. The beauty of exercise in play centres compared with more structured activities is that it is exercise in disguise. Children are involved in fun, active play but at the same time they burn calories and get their government recommended 60 minutes per day without even realising it.”
Thanks to Play Providers Association for this article, and to PicApp for the image
WIN FREE ENTRY FOR YOU & 3 FRIENDS – Colouring Competition – Bonfire Night
Hey guys,
How would you like to WIN A FREE ENTRY TO SERENDIPITY SAM’S IN ROMSEY, OR CHRISTCHURCH? The FREE entry will be you and up to 3 friends (up to 4 children in total)
All you have to do is click this link, to download a PDF colouring sheet. Then just print it off, colour the pictures of me and my friends in, and return your entry to your local Serendipity Sam’s by 6.30pm on Sunday 11th November. I will select a winner at random, one for Romsey and one for Christchurch.
If you want to know more about Firework Safety, please see our Firework Safety & Story pages – select the topic from the right.
Serendipity Sam
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