New lease deal for indoor play centre at mill complex

Jackaboos, an indoor play centre in Farsley, has signed a new lease at Sunny Bank Mills.

The centre was founded by Angie Walker and is based in the historic Old Combing building at Sunny Bank.

Walker said: “The play centre opened in 2006 and we have gone from strength-to-strength, surviving both the financial crisis of 2008 and the pandemic.

“Sunny Bank Mills has changed over the years since I arrived, as it was once focused on cloth production, with just a couple of tenants.

“It is now so different with a wide variety of businesses and services and is a thriving community, recreational, cultural and social hub for Farsley and beyond.

“Landlords John and William Gaunt have a strong vision and focus for Sunny Bank Mills and deliver this in their sensitive renovations and choice of tenants on site.”

John Gaunt, joint managing director of Edwin Woodhouse, the owners of Sunny Bank Mills, with his cousin William, added: “Thousands of Farsley children and parents have been through Jackaboos’ doors since the play centre opened in 2006.

“We have been through a lot together, as Sunny Bank has been transformed from a traditional worsted mill into a creative centre for business, leisure, arts and the community.

“Jackaboos is one of our oldest and most loyal tenants and we have weathered recessions and floods and survived a pandemic together.”