A WREXHAM play centre has welcomed back youngsters just in time for the summer holidays.

From August 10, gyms, swimming pools, leisure centres and indoor fitness studios reopened in Wales after being closed because of the coronavirus lockdown.

Unlike the rest of the UK, children's indoor play areas can open their doors but some facilities that cannot be easily cleaned, such as ball pits, will have to remain shut.

The latest changes to coronavirus regulations in Wales have come into force one week after pubs and restaurants in the country were able to open indoors for the first time since lockdown began in March.

One play centre that has opened its doors was Banana Ben's in Wrexham.

Daniel Haycocks said: "We didn’t anticipate opening to until after England so we assumed that we a lot more time to prepare. It was a welcome surprise nonetheless.

"We have had to establish our own working practices as we’ve had no guidance from the Government on what procedures to follow which is disappointing. Given this, we have taken a belt and braces approach to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.

"We’ve ordered a fogging machine to clean the equipment between sessions and spoken to experts on the correct chemicals to use. The new book to play sessions, along with our reduced capacity, have reduced our potential revenue but we’ve been supported with the reduced VAT and no business rates.

"We’re extremely excited to open."

A new booking system is in place, that was organised within days after receiving the news.

Daniel added: "Our first day went really well. We had a few teething problems but that was to be expected and we overcame them.

"We held four sessions and one was at full capacity. The new cleaning equipment works really well and the plans in place are there to limit interaction.

"It's all looking quite promising. We made the decision to close before the government mandate because of health and safety but it was also quite quiet.

"The furlough scheme worked really well and protected all of our staff. We are pleased to say all of our staff returned.

"We had to turn around quiet quickly but got a good booking system in place and all the safety measures.

"We assumed England would lead the way but then we got the green light to open.

"Discussions are still ongoing but it's ultimately positive."