We are a wonderful relaxed venue where children and young people of all ages hangout with their adults. Children visiting The Hang Out Venue must have at least one supervising adult (18 or older) who must remain onsite at all times. Each booking includes up to two adults free.
Safeguarding is always top of our list and below are some of the ways we demonstrate due diligence, thus reducing risk so everyone is able to hangout and play safely.
Play Activities / Facilities:
Standard play sessions last an hour or two hours. Walk-ins are welcome, however at busy times advanced online booking will ensure entry. We therefore recommend booking online at busy periods.
The Hang Out Venue will try to ensure that as many play zones/activities as possible are available for use by customers. However, we reserve the right, without prior notice, to close and change the availability of zones/activities and or operating hours. The Hang Out Venue reserves the right to close the whole or any part of any activity at any time or to restrict the number of individuals having access to the zone/activity.
Activities on offer may vary. Please call or check the website to confirm which activities are available on any given day. Some activities / zones are not available during certain session types (e.g. Breastfeeding support). Please check the website or call to confirm which activities are unavailable during different times.
We are designed for children of all ages, so there are a variety of age appropriate activities and toys. It is the individual adults responsibility to check that any products or services offered meet their specific requirements and age age appropriate.
- we are fully insured as a childrens play and activity centre, with public liability insurance and employers insurance.
- we are all first aid trained.
- we are members of Information Commissioner Office ICO . Due to the Data (Use and Access) Act coming into law on 19 June 2025, this guidance is under review and may be subject to change. The Plans for new and updated guidance page will tell you about which guidance will be updated and when this will happen.
- we ensure our equipment and facilities are checked and maintained regularly, to a high standard, for the health and safety of children, their carers and our staff.
- daily safety check of all play equipment is undertaken.
- throughout the day, and at the end we clean all the equipment and the facility as a whole. This includes hoovering and wiping down with a specialist cleaning products to ensure that 99.9% of germs are killed.
- our low capacity for open play, caps the number of children to a max of 25 children, plus their adults. This so we are never in danger of exceeding our capacity and results in a better all-round experience for all our guests.
- capacity for exclusive venue hire is up to 65 people across all three rooms.
- we want everyone to have a happy and relaxed time so we have a secure door entry system, which is managed by a member of staff to keep any ‘would-be escapologists’ in the building. The back door has a baby gate. We take safety seriously and monitor our play space with CCTV cameras to give parents, carers and children extra peace of mind.
- we host an annual independent inspection of our whole establishment. This includes risk assessments, PAT testing on electrical appliances, fire extinguishers and alarms, as well as gas checks and Carbon Monoxide detectors.
- we are all food hygiene trained and inspected every three years,
Policies and further information available upon request info@thehangoutvenue.co.uk
CCTV & seCURE ENTRY
We have a secure door entry system and CCTV in all rooms for transparency, peace of mind and safety. The CCTV cameras from all three rooms are visible on the main screen in the main room. Cameras are not placed in areas where individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as bathrooms and changing rooms. Recorded footage will be retained for a maximum of 14 days unless it is needed for an ongoing investigation or for legal purposes. After this period, the footage will be automatically overwritten. We do not record audio.
Certain groups request this is turned off, such a breastfeeding support groups.
Policy available upon request info@thehangoutvenue.co.uk
dbs cHECKS
Adults and carers are responsible for children, young people and vulnerable members of our community. We are not legally required to be DBS checked. However, because we work closely with children, services and families, we made a business decision that all staff are fully enhanced DBS checked via Care Check.
Policy available upon request info@thehangoutvenue.co.uk
CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
Any persons showing violent, aggressive, threatening, abusive, discriminatory, insulting behaviour or foul language will be refused entry or even banned from the premises. The Hang Out Venue reserves the right to do this without refunding admission and all abusive behaviour towards other customers or our staff will be reported to the police
Southend Business Improvement District
We are a Friend of Business Improvement District (BID) Company for Southend. As a we are outside of the BID Zone, we receive some of these benefits by becoming a Friend of the BID. The benefits
Receipt of regular updates regarding the city centre and business advice.
- Participation in events and trails such as Southend Cocktail Week.
- Involvement in relevant PR activity throughout the area.
- Participation in social media activity.
- Potential for inclusion in marketing campaigns throughout the year.
- Opportunity to be involved in the Keeping Together safety wristband scheme.
- Regular updates from the BID, Police and Council on crime and safety issues.
- Access to the DISC crime reduction and information sharing system.
- Invitations to join city centre activities.
- Plus, able to call on assistance from the Street Ranger team via Townlink Radio, should you require support in incidents of crime or anti-social behaviour.
TownLink Radio
We have the TownLink Radio system . It is used by businesses and services in the city centre. It helps to develop a safer environment.
It allows users to communicate quickly and effectively, helping to detect and prevent crime.
Currently it has over 100 users including:
- Essex Police
- CCTV
- Community Safety Team
- BID Street Rangers
For further details, please contact ShopSafe Radio on 0870 600 2006.
Reviews, feedback & complaints
Reviews & feedback
Your reviews make us smile so very much. It is also important to get feedback and suggestions too. Its ensures we know what we are doing well, and what we could do differently.
We are dedicated to delivering a genuine service to all our customers. If you wish to provide customer feedback or raise a complaint, we have a variety of ways.
To leave a review on Google, Facebook or in our feedback and suggestion box. We welcome young people to do this too.
To give feedback or make a complaint, we ask if possible, to raise your issue to the manager on duty at the time of your visit to see if they are able to resolve any problems for you at first point of contact. If you cannot resolve the problem at site, we ask you to write to us at info@thehangoutvenue.co.uk. Please be advised it may take up to 14 working days to respond to your feedback or complaint, this may be due to any investigative work that needs to be carried out. Please include in your email which site you visited, the date and time or your visit and any other information you believe will assist us in any investigation.
Food & Drink
The Hang Out Venue operates a ‘No Picnic Policy’ for open play sessions. This means food and drink purchased elsewhere may not be consumed on the premises. The only exception to this exclusive venue hire/parties. This policy is necessary for us to comply with our liability insurance and to ensure we adhere to local health and safety regulations.
We’ve teamed up with a couple of local family businesses for food packages so can offer a variety of options. Those who have booked exclusive hire are welcome to order a delivery from a local established restaurant or McDonalds (with a food hygiene rating via Southend Council).
Due to insurance restrictions it is not possible to cook and bring your own, and we have a strict no nut policy. Party bookings can bring a home made birthday cake. We have a strict no nut policy.
cancellation & refund policy
All bookings are non-refundable. Bookings can be transferred to a different date if we are given at least 24 hours’ notice.
Party Cancelation & Refund Policy:
Any Party bookings made at The Hang Out Venue require a £50 non-refundable deposit to secure the booking. This deposit cannot be refunded; however, a party can be moved to a later date if required as long as we are given at least 7 days’ notice. Management may accommodate or reschedule any bookings at their discretion depending on circumstances.