Alice in Wonderland outdoor escape room praised for bringing increased footfall to Northampton town centre

An Alice in Wonderland themed outdoor escape room has been praised for bringing an increased footfall to Northampton town centre on Saturday (November 19).

The event was brought to the town for one day only by CluedUpp Games, who triumphed with two other outdoor escape room challenges in Northampton previously – so took the opportunity to combine Lewis Carroll’s story with gaming and interactive challenges for their third.

Last month, Tref Griffiths founder of CluedUpp Games said: “Our events are all about getting family and friends outside and playing games together in a completely unique way.”

He hoped everyone would love what they introduced, which he described as “topsy turvy fun”, and it certainly was.

Saturday saw teams compete against each other to save Alice from the Queen of Hearts, by solving puzzles sent to their phones against the clock at different locations around the town centre.

It was highly encouraged that those taking part dressed up in line with the theme, and the costumes certainly turned heads.

One business owner who noticed a big difference in residents wandering the streets was Stephen Partington, who owns Dychurch Lifestyle in St Giles’ Street. Taking to social media, he said: “I haven’t seen footfall like this around the cultural quarter for a very long time.

“It’s a pleasure to see. Well done Northampton and please keep on coming.”

Talking to Chronicle & Echo, Stephen added: “It was amazing to see so many new faces in the town centre. They may have been focused on the Alice in Wonderland challenge, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many people gathered.

“The organisers of the event did a very good job and although they weren’t in shopping mode, when the challenge finished and the crowds dispersed, it was nice to see families, couples and groups wandering round.

“There was a noticeable difference and many traders around the Cultural Quarter remarked about it.”

The last time Stephen saw crowds like this was before the pandemic, and he said the closure of M&S in Abington Street in 2018 also had a negative impact on visitor numbers.

Though he says footfall does fluctuate depending on what is going on around Northampton, such as the Cobblers or Saints playing or a show on at the theatre, Stephen believes there has been a “deterioration”.

“Visiting independent businesses in the town centre leading up to Christmas is very important, and it’s how we survive,” said the Dychurch Lifestyle owner. “If you have chosen to live in the town, use the facilities it has to offer. If everyone did that, it would be so vibrant.”

Another person praising the challenge was Mark Mullen, operations manager for Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID). He said: “It’s always pleasing to see visitors to the town centre enjoying themselves in large numbers and that was certainly the case on Saturday, with many businesses commenting on the increased footfall.”

Mark says the next few weekends are set to be just as busy with the Christmas light switch on this Saturday (November 26), Santa’s Grotto and the Frost Fair “all providing an extra incentive to come into town”.