An immersive new play centre that encourages real-life role playing for kids has opened its doors in Kingston.

PICNIC is a cafe and play centre for children and their parents in the borough.

It's the creation of Entrepreneurs Stacey Richard and Erika Robinson, who brought the project to life thanks to "a five figure funding package" courtesy of Natwest Bank.

Stacey and Erika worked to transform the Rotunda Centre on Clarence Street in Kingston into a cafe-play village hybrid that's now ready for residents and their kids to experience.

The bitesize village comes complete with 10 themed areas including a supermarket, theatre, fire and police station.

"The idea behind PICNIC was to create an environment that appealed to both children and adults alike," Stacey said.

"Our aim has always been to offer something different to other play centres with a particular focus on education and sustainability," she added.

A spokesperson said PICNIC will run four sessions daily, seven days a week, encouraging children aged up to seven-years-old to act out a variety of roles in everyday life "from serving customers in the supermarket to delivering post".

The centre includes a family-friendly 88-seat café serving nutritious and locally-sourced food, "with the focus on sustainability through reducing single use plastics and food wastage," PICNIC said.

The entrepreneurial pair behind the centre said they would be running the centre with the help of eight additional staff members including a manager and chef.

They also hinted at the possibility of opening new PICNIC centres in the future.

Natwest meanwhile commented on why they chose to fund Erika and Stacey's project.

"Stacey and Erika identified the type of family-friendly place Kingston was missing and have designed a unique business that meets this need," said Max Fenlon, relationship manager at NatWest. said.

"With our support, they have created a play centre both children and adults will love to visit."