David and Peter Gale, owners of Exciting Escapes, are delighted to have brought the global phenomenon that is escape rooms to Croydon with their biggest and newest site. However the duo didn’t get off to the easiest of starts in the borough.

Croydon’s Exciting Escapes is set to be the firm’s flagship with a whopping nine different escape rooms each involving an hour-long adventure to find clues, solve puzzles and complete challenges with your friends, family or work-mates.

Like many other hospitality businesses Exciting Escapes was forced to close its doors for much of 2020 and survive on government loans and grants. The first lockdown happened when only four of the nine new rooms had been built, and not being able to generate cash meant not being able to complete the build.

One essential step of the Croydon build, one that became all the more important due to Covid, was to complete the air conditioning and ventilation.

Looking for ways to support the recovery and growth of their business they applied and were successful in being awarded one of Croydon’s business recovery and innovation grants.

“The grant has made a massive difference to us! We can now plan ahead knowing that the aircon and ventilation is in place, and we can open the next floor. We really can’t thank you enough – the cash has been an absolute lifeline for our business.”

Peter Gale, Exciting Escapes