A Bristol trampoline park has helped develop new industry standards aimed at making trampolining safer for jumpers across the UK.

North Somerset Times: AirHop's trampoline park is the largest of its kind in the world at 60,000 sq ft, featuring 160 trampolines both on the floor and on the wallsAirHop's trampoline park is the largest of its kind in the world at 60,000 sq ft, featuring 160 trampolines both on the floor and on the walls (Image: Copyright Ben Costigan Photography)

The International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP), of which AirHop Bristol is a member, teamed up with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, British Gymnastics, environmental health professionals, and the Health and Safety Executive to devise a set of guidance for trampoline park operators

AirHop Bristol is among the first in the industry to receive this new accreditation, following an independent inspection.

The new Publicly Available Standard (PAS 5000) from BSI, the British national standards body, will help minimise risks to park users and ensure they have a safe and enjoyable visit by setting out rules on construction, maintenance and operation.

North Somerset Times: Visitors can challenge each other on the battle beamsVisitors can challenge each other on the battle beams (Image: Copyright Ben Costigan Photography)

“Safety is at the core of everything we do,” says park manager Ian Perett, whose background is in managing lifeguards at a leisure centre.

“It will hopefully give visitors peace of mind. If you go to a swimming pool, you know that the staff have had training and the pool itself has gone through various assessments. We model ourselves on that industry.”

The park’s court monitors act much like lifeguards on land, promoting safe use and stopping any unwanted behaviour. They are first-aid trained, with bi-monthly ongoing refreshers.

North Somerset Times: AirHop's trampoline park is the largest of its kind in the world at 60,000 sq ft, featuring 160 trampolines both on the floor and on the wallsAirHop's trampoline park is the largest of its kind in the world at 60,000 sq ft, featuring 160 trampolines both on the floor and on the walls (Image: Copyright Ben Costigan Photography)

But unlike swimming, you are encouraged to run and jump, and you don’t have to contend with changing rooms and wet hair. You just need to grab a pair of special socks and, after a brief training video which explains the park’s rules and safety information, and a brief chat with a member of staff, off you hop.

“As a parent myself,” says Ian, “when I take my children somewhere, I want to be able to join in with them and make those lasting memories. AirHop is a place where they will get to learn about risk and become safety conscious, but still be active and not be stuck indoors on a PC.”

North Somerset Times: Visitors can challenge each other on the battle beamsVisitors can challenge each other on the battle beams (Image: Copyright Ben Costigan Photography)

60,000 sq ft of fun

AirHop’s trampoline park is the largest of its kind in the world at 60,000 sq ft, featuring 160 trampolines both on the floor and on the walls, dodgeball courts and foam pits for you to jump, flip and fall into.

On a visit, you might see a pair of dads challenging each other to slam dunk basketballs from a trampoline base, or a mother and daughter squaring up on the battle beams, doing their best gladiator impression as they attempt to knock each other off into the foam pit below.

North Somerset Times: Visitors can challenge each other on the battle beamsVisitors can challenge each other on the battle beams (Image: Copyright Ben Costigan Photography)

The park’s most recent addition is a one-of-a-kind obstacle course, which pits runners against each other in a timed race to the finish.

“You don’t have to be the most active of people to take part,” says Ian.

“It gives people who may not have excelled in traditional sports an opportunity to have fun and keep active in a non-competitive environment.”

Between 10am and midday, the park is open exclusively for children under the age of five, so you do not have to worry about an older jumper knocking into them.

Perfect for groups

The park is popular with schools, youth groups and sports clubs looking for a fun activity at the end of their season.

AirHop’s party hosts regularly hold up to 50 birthday parties every weekend. Every group gets an hour in the park, including a game of dodgeball and a relay race on the obstacle course. The children then move into a fantastic party room to enjoy pizza, squash, and exciting party bags. They can even play virtual reality games with AirVR.

Trampolining is a less painful alternative to paintball for team building days as well, and AirHop offers a variety of packages, from a place to hold meetings to your very own company ‘Olympics’.

Book your next bounce at airhop-bristol.com or call 0330 2233333.

AirHop, Patchway Trading Estate, Unit 5, Britannia Road, Bristol, BS34 5TA.