The founder of a new play cafe coming to Harold Hill said she is "incredibly excited" to be opening the business alongside her parents.
Cosy Cubs Play Cafe is set to open in Petersfield Avenue, with fit-out works underway to transform the unit into a soft play and role play venue for children aged 0-6.
Founder Alishia, who declined to give her surname, has launched the business alongside mum Sharon and dad Lee, and told the Recorder the family has put a "huge amount of time, energy and passion" into building the play cafe "from the ground up".
Alishia said: "We’re incredibly excited to be bringing Cosy Cubs Play Cafe to Harold Hill and to finally see an idea we’ve been working so hard on become a reality.
"The idea came from our own experiences as parents and wanting to create somewhere that families could genuinely enjoy.
"Opening a business is a huge step, but doing it as a family makes it even more special.
"We’ve put so much of ourselves into creating Cosy Cubs, and we can’t wait for the day we finally get to open the doors and see families enjoying everything we’ve worked so hard to create."
The trio do not yet have an exact opening date for the play cafe, but got the keys for the unit early in September and have been working on renovations since.
Alishia said it was clear there was "quite a lot of work that needed doing" as soon as they saw the premises, adding that the building needed "plenty of TLC".
But the family have been putting their "blood, sweat and tears" into transforming it, sharing their journey on TikTok along the way.
Alishia said: "The response has honestly been incredible.
"Seeing how many local families are already excited to visit has made all the hard work feel even more worthwhile.
"We’ve had people following the renovation, commenting on our videos, sharing their excitement and asking when we’re opening.
"It’s been amazing to see people become invested in the journey with us before we’ve even opened our doors."
As well as soft play and role play spaces, the venue will also feature a quieter sensory room away from the main area, a cafe section for parents and space for events and parties.
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