The owners of the UK’s most easterly live escape room have expanded their business and unveiled a second location.
Despite being closed for seven months because of coronavirus restrictions, a Lowestoft couple have now opened another venture in a former cycle shop.
Location two of the Prestige Escape Rooms has been opened at 141-142 High Street – just yards away from the ancient Scores and the first location at 133 High Street, which opened as Lowestoft’s first ever escape room last October .
Now, a year on, the Prestige Escape Rooms owners Francesca and Steve Dixon-Grant are looking forward to having both locations running simultaneously from next month.
The couple said: “We were actually meant to open our second escape room site in March but because of Covid-19 we weren’t allowed to.
“The reason we opened at a second location was because we had so many people saying that they wanted to do more after they had completed the first two escape rooms.”
The first location features two rooms called ‘Saving Wonderland’ and ‘Amnesia.’
Mrs Dixon-Grant said: “We get groups of all ages, parents with their teenagers, mates from work, 40th birthday groups, Hen parties and Stag do’s – and they often ask when are we going to open more rooms as they really enjoyed the first ones.
“So we decided to open two more with my husband Steve in charge.”
Mr Dixon-Grant said: “Changing the existing rooms is quite expensive to do, so we decided that as I already had a building which I previously ran as a bike shop, we would develop it into a second pair of escape rooms with very different themes.
“In our new rooms we have ‘The Z Files’ which is based on FBI agents and aliens while the other is ‘Jungle Escape’ which is for fans of the film Jumanji. “We have the second location live now and will run both together from November – with Francesca at location one and myself at the new second site.”
The couple have introduced a ‘Hall of Fame’ on its website for groups who have completed all four escape rooms “as it is a prestigious thing.”
With 60 minutes to find the clues, solve the puzzles and escape the room, for more information visit www.prestige-escape-rooms.co.uk
‘Something new to Lowestoft’
Now with four escape rooms to try out in the historic high street, Mr Dixon-Grant added: “We decided we liked being in the High Street in north Lowestoft because the footfall is good and so we wanted to stay here and offer something different on the entertainment side.
“I have lost count of the number of people who have said thank you for bringing something new to Lowestoft.
“We have used local trades people and local companies to help to put it together and we think the investment is worthwhile.”
Mrs Dixon-Grant added: “With the Covid restrictions we have been closed for seven months. We have heeded all the government guidelines and have completed all the risk assessments.
“Now everything in the rooms gets cleaned between each group. Everyone has to wear masks while on the premises including ourselves and we have hand sanitiser everywhere as groups are limited to six people. Our customer safety is our number one priority.
“Thinking of the future, the sky’s the limit – there could be even more different escape rooms.”
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