Wigan escape room preparing terrifying Halloween game

The escape room, in The Galleries Shopping Centre, last year put on a sold-out scarefest in which groups of people had to cope with zombies played by actors as well as a series of taxing puzzles in order to get out of the escape room.

However, with the coronavirus pandemic having dominated everyday life in 2020 the business says convincing customers to sign up this year has been far tougher.

Daniel Brooks and Stuart Barton, who run the attraction, spoke of their extensive efforts to make Adrenaline Escape Covid-secure and of how last year’s success helped numerous businesses in that part of Wigan town centre.

With the prospect of restrictions still ahead and evidence of a second wave of Covid-19 cases hospitality firms are more in need of a winter boost at their tills than ever.

Daniel said: “Last year we did this for the first time and it sold out really quickly, but in the current climate it is a bit more difficult.

“I would say we’re about 40 per cent down on bookings for this compared to last year. We were doing 70 to 80 games per week, now we’re doing 20 to 30.

“Before Covid we had a 16 minute turnaround to reset the room. Now it takes us an hour and a half. We’re cleaning all the props and making sure our customers have masks and gloves on as well as using hand sanitisers.

“Last year, when we sold out the Halloween games, the restaurants near us had a mini-boom as well. People came to play our game but then went to eat or drink before they went home.

“It has a knock-on effect. If we can give people something to come into the town centre for then hopefully they will stay longer and support the other businesses which are open. People are trying to keep going.”

Scary live-action Halloween attractions have become popular in recent years, with one of the biggest local examples being Farmaggedon at Ormskirk.

Ingeniously Daniel and Stuart are planning to make the most of the restrictions which are being imposed on them for public health reasons when setting up this year’s Halloween escape room ordeal.

Daniel said: “As people will be going in with masks and gloves on we’ve decided to make it like a hospital. We’re making the PPE part of the theme.

“There will definitely also be mad crazy doctors and nurses who they will have to contend with.”

For more information about the escape room, visit www.adrenalineescape.co.uk

Book tickets at https://terrormall2020.resova.eu/