12/06/2026
🎳🎯 Potential exciting plans for the future at No1 Sweet Spot! 🎯🎳
After seeing so many requests on the community page yesterday for more family and leisure facilities in Carterton, we thought we’d share something we’re trying to work on.
We’re exploring the possibility of bringing a brand-new family entertainment venue to the town, featuring attractions such as:
🎳 Ten-pin bowling
🎱 Pool tables
🎯 Darts
🛝 Soft play for younger children
🕹️ Arcade games
Why are we looking at this? Quite simply because it’s something we’re passionate about. Both directors have strong backgrounds in ten-pin bowling and family entertainment. Between us, we have decades of experience in the industry, from helping manage local bowling centres to competing and coaching at the highest levels of the sport. Bowling has been a huge part of our lives, and we’d love the opportunity to bring something enjoyable, affordable, and family-focused back to the local community.
The support and enthusiasm we’ve seen so far has been incredible, and we’re excited by what could be possible. However, we also want to be transparent about the realities of a project of this scale.
Creating a modern family entertainment centre is a major investment. Once building works, specialist equipment, infrastructure, safety requirements, and professional services are taken into account, set-up costs could approach £500,000. Annual running costs could also exceed £400,000, covering staffing, utilities, insurance, maintenance, and day-to-day operations.
One of the questions we’ve already seen is around pricing. While no decisions have been made, any future pricing would need to balance affordability with the costs of operating the venue. Similar UK venues often charge around:
🎳 Bowling: £7–£10 per person, per game or £30–£50 per lane, per hour
🎱 Pool: £8–£15 per table, per hour
🎯 Darts: £10–£20 per playing area, per hour
🛝 Soft play: £5–£10 per child, per session
🕹️ Arcade games: £1–£3 per play
Our aim would always be to provide great value for local families while ensuring the venue remains sustainable for years to come. We’d also hope to offer family packages, off-peak discounts, memberships, party packages, school and community group rates, and special promotions wherever possible.
For a venue like this to thrive, it would require ongoing support from local families, residents, visitors, clubs, schools, and businesses. It would also mean recognising that fair and sustainable pricing is necessary to keep facilities maintained, staff employed, and the venue operating successfully for years to come.
We’re also exploring all potential funding avenues, including grants, investment opportunities, and potentially community crowdfunding, which could help demonstrate local support and assist with the significant start-up costs involved.
Support from the local council would be equally important, particularly when it comes to planning permissions and helping bring a project of this nature to life for the wider community.
This is still very much an idea in development, and we’re sharing it because we want the community to be part of the conversation from the beginning.
💬 What would you most like to see included in a family entertainment centre? What do you think would be fair pricing for local families?
❤️ Thank you for being part of the No1 Sweet Spot journey. Your support, feedback, and encouragement mean a lot to us
