‘The hand sanitiser isn’t a clue’ - Norwich escape room reopens with social distancing measures

Donna-Louise Bishop finds diamonds as the players break into the vault in the Bank Heist Room at the reopened Clued Up! Escape Rooms. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2020)

Couple Andy Dunn and Treena Reeves, both from Watton, opened Clued Up! Escape Rooms in 66 Prince of Wales last summer, beginning with Nuclear Countdown and they have since opened two more called The Bank Heist and Prison Breakout.

While the rooms have been shut due to coronavirus, they have spent the time adapting them for social distancing and Mr Dunn is also working on a downloadable game which will be ready later in the year.

Mr Dunn said: “Everything was going brilliantly until coronavirus happened and we were sold out every weekend, but business then fell off a cliff.

“We have now reopened and overhauled all three of our games to reduce the amount of things people need to touch and where clues used to be on bits of paper we have now put many of these on laptops.

James Randle and Louisa Baldwin find gold bars and money as they break into the vault in the Bank Heist Room at the reopened Clued Up! Escape Rooms. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2020)

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“Registration used to be on an iPad which was passed around but it is now done by scanning a QR code on the wall.

“We have hand sanitiser outside and inside the rooms and we normally have to stress to people that it isn’t a clue so they don’t tip it all out looking for a key.

“We also have multiple sets of identical props which we alternate so they can all be cleaned.”

Andy Dunn, owner at the reopened Clued Up! Escape Rooms, ready with hints for the players, playing under new social distancing rules. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2020)

Players need to wear masks for the briefing and de-briefing and while single household groups don’t have to in the room, those in separate households will need to do so.

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In the Nuclear Attack, players become secret agents tasked with stopping an attack on Norwich, in The Bank Heist they need to break into a vault and steal as much money as they can and in Prison Break the aim is to escape before the warden arrives.

Mr Dunn added: “We’ve all been cocooned inside for four months, so come out and have some fun.”

Treena Reeves, director at the reopened Clued Up! Escape Rooms, in one of the overhauled rooms, Nuclear Countdown Room. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2020)

All games are for two to eight players and you can book at cluedupescapes.co.uk

Treena Reeves, director at the reopened Clued Up! Escape Rooms, in one of the overhauled rooms, Prison Breakout. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2020)