The Penzance mum prosecuted for having a son at 17 now runs a successful soft play centre

A Cornwall mother who was court-martialed for having her young son set up a hugely successful soft play centre. Sea Life Soft Play, at St John’s Church in Penzance, celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this month.

It was set up by Molly Blewett, now 28, who started the project while at university to have somewhere to take her son, Mason, after noticing a lack of playgrounds in the area. It also became a space to go that was free of judgment because she was a young mother.

“I got pregnant at 16 and had Mason at 17 and there was a lot of prejudice from people,” Molly told CornwallLive. “If I went to children’s groups or the park, I felt like people would look at me or think it was my younger brother or a family member.”

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She initially opened a pop-up shop to get an idea of ​​what other parents felt was needed in terms of a soft play facility in the area. He was then offered a space in St John’s Church and started giving sessions with just a few pieces of equipment.

Now, a decade later, Sea Life Soft Play has grown to facilitate a large play structure and bouncy castle for families with young children to enjoy. Molly said she never imagined she would become what she has, but she feels she has created a “safe and secure space.”

However, being a young mother and trying to get the project together didn’t come without its challenges. “The main problem (at the time) was that we had this idea, but the rents for the shops were exorbitant,” she explained. “If it wasn’t for Sian, the local vicar, I wouldn’t have the space I have today.

“At first there was just the floor equipment and then over time we got funding for the bigger play structure and the bouncy castle. It was a little more complicated because I was younger, but if I hadn’t had Mason, I probably wouldn’t have set this up because I wouldn’t have known it was needed.”

The center now offers birthday parties and themed events – including a Halloween party and Santa’s Grotto – which Molly manages alongside her job as a family worker. While she admitted it can all get stressful at times, she said she’s proud of what the project has become.

“I feel very proud that she has become what she has,” she said. “Mason’s always been involved, he’s 11 now and he loves being behind the counter, so maybe if it lasts another 10 years, maybe he can take it over.”

When asked what advice she would give to other young mothers looking to set up their own ventures, she said: “You can feel a lot of prejudice from having a baby at a young age, but I think you can have a baby at a young age. any age and so take care of them regardless of your age.

“(Sea Life Soft Play) went really well and I didn’t think it would make it to 10 years, but I’m really thankful and grateful to everyone who supported it and the church for allowing this to be in their space. “

Molly hopes the center will continue to grow in its success, as well as her new project called Generations United, which she founded in March. The project aims to facilitate intergenerational activities between schools and 12 different care homes in and around Penzance.

She said the idea came from doing a buddy scheme, where older residents visited schools for an activity, and found everyone “loved it”. However, she said: “People in care homes can’t go out and do the same thing, so I thought I’d bring the project into homes. It has been very successful so far.”

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