I'm from a generation which grew up with trampolines being pretty much confined to a seaside activity option.
Usually someone would stand, leather money bag in hand and take your holiday money for a quick bounce on a rusty metal rimmed trampoline, where you would jump trying to avoid contact with said rusty metal rim or it was trip to A & E.
I wasn't a particularly brave 'jumper' back then, bouncing from my feet to my backside was pretty much the sum total of my talents. Nothing much has changed in that department, as I found out when I visited i-Jump in Mansfield Woodhouse Nottinghamshire recently, but thankfully trampolines have come on in leaps and bounds (pun intended)
From garden trampolines to trampoline parks, things have moved on for todays children. I-Jump have not one trampoline but a building full of the things. Wall to wall bounciness! I took my 13 year-old niece along with me to enjoy the fun.
One thing that has changed is the health and safety. Strictly speaking it's probably safer than it was in my day. The trampolines are ground level, so you can't fall off the sides, and the walk ways around them are soft too. The obvious risks remain the same and we each have to watch a safety video prior to our session which we must state we've understood before entering.
Safety is paramount at i-jump and each area is supervised by staff with radios, keeping a watchful eye over participants. Fun is guaranteed but safety is also paramount. Anybody putting themselves or another 'jumper' in danger is soon sorted out.
Yes, i-Jump is primarily for children but adults have the option to jump with them too, so issued with our i-Jump socks we make our way into the park of over 55 interconnected trampolines. I stand a safe distance and watch my Niece who, going to Gymnastics every week, makes aerobatics look easy as she bounces and somersaults.
Ever heard the phrase 'bouncing off the walls'? You physically can here at i-Jump as they are trampolines too so you can literally bounce wall to wall. Kids don't know what to do first as they run around the activities. There's even monkey bars and cargo nets, each one suspended over an enormous foam pit, deep enough to bury the adventurous fallen jumper.
Of course I can't stay off. A mixture of curiosity and nostalgia gets the better of me and I have a little bounce. I'll win no prizes but I loved it. We even compete against each other on the coordination game on the interactive walls. She is far better than me on the climbing wall but its an opportunity for me to fall into foam pit which I've secretly been wanting to do since we got here.
One thing I don''t try is the elevated launch pad. I'm OK with heights but not with falling from them. It doesn't seem to bother the endless stream of little ones who jump from it on to the giant air bag below.
Our session is an hour, which flies by, but I'd say is probably long enough for older kids and adults, though I imagine parents might have a job getting younger off the park without a struggle. Staff can tell which session you're on by the colour of your wrist band, which is a shame (I lie) because we've only just started playing Gladiators on the Battle Beam (and I've already fallen in the foam pit - again)
After collecting our belongings from our locker we hit the cafe. You can sit in the cafe and watch your child if you prefer or pay them a visit after if you need to recover like me (I actually sleep like a baby when I get home), or have worked up an appetite like my Niece. There's a decent menu to please hungry tummies; the Niece refuels with a classic hot dog, but you can also choose from Pizza, Salad, Toasties, Jackets, Burgers, Sandwiches and Salads as well as Slushies to cool down.
There are a number of different sessions to enjoy from just 7 per person per hour (Which includes your attractive free-jump socks) Choose from an Open Jump, I-Party, I-Tots, Family Jump, After School Fun and I-Keep Fit. You can also get a Jump Club Pass for 30 consecutive days or an annual pass which allows you to jump every day for 365 days!
For more information visit: https://i-jump.co.uk
Love Tx
Disclaimer: Our visit was gifted but my views are my own.