Questions parents actually ask
Written out properly rather than in six words. If yours is not here, ring or text and you will get a straight answer.
Space, numbers and timings
How much space do we need?
Enough table for the children to work at, plus room to move about. As a rule of thumb, a folding table seats four comfortably for potion work, so ten children needs about three tables and the floor space around them.
A standard village hall is far more than we need. A decent front room does eight. If you are unsure, take a photo of the room from the doorway and send it to us. We will tell you honestly whether it works, including if it does not.
What is the maximum number of children?
Ten is included in the price and is the number the party is designed around. Up to sixteen is fine with the two of us, at £15 for each child over ten.
Past sixteen we would want to bring a third pair of hands, or split the group and run it in two waves. Both are possible. Tell us the real number when you enquire rather than on the day.
How long are you actually there for?
The session is ninety minutes for the children's parties and two hours for chocolate tasting and life drawing. On top of that we arrive an hour before to set up, and we need about thirty to forty minutes afterwards to pack down.
So for a 2pm party, book your hall from 1pm to 4.15pm and you will not be watching the clock.
Can you do two parties in one day?
In and around Plymouth, usually yes. At the far end of the patch, Exeter, Exmouth, Dawlish, Salcombe, realistically no: the travel and the setup use the day up. That is why those Saturdays go first.
What ages is it for?
Wizard School, Fairy Fantasy School, Slime Lab and the Halloween parties are built for four to eleven. Potion making is ten and up. Chocolate tasting is for grown-ups, and works from about fourteen. Life drawing is over eighteens only, no exceptions.
A wide age range in one group is fine, and we adjust as we go. Tell us the spread when you book.
On the day
What do we need to provide?
Tables, chairs if you want them, a plug socket, and a grown-up in the room. That is the list.
Everything else is ours: covers, cauldrons, ingredients, costumes, wands, backdrops, lighting, bottles, bags and pens. Food, cake, drinks and balloons are yours.
Do we have to help?
No. We run it. You should be free to sort the food, talk to the other parents, or sit down for the first time that week.
We do need at least one responsible adult present throughout, because the children remain in your care. But that means in the room, not rolling up sleeves.
How messy is it, honestly?
Messy. That is most of the appeal. Slime Lab is the worst offender, then Wizard School, then Fairy Fantasy School.
We cover the tables and sheet the floor underneath, and we sweep and clear before we leave. The colours we use wash out of clothes but we would not put a child in something brand new and white. If your venue has rules about glitter or staining, tell us before the day and we will work round them.
What about allergies and medical needs?
Tell us when you book and we will send you the full ingredient list for whichever party you have chosen. The potions and slime are not food, but they are handled, so it matters.
The sweet feast and the popcorn station are the parts most likely to cause a problem, and both can be swapped out or dropped entirely at no cost.
Can a child with additional needs take part?
Yes, and we would like to know in advance so we can do it well rather than improvise. Tell us what helps: a quieter start, a seat at the end of the bench, no sudden noise, a warning before the loud bit, extra time on a step.
The fairy party runs quieter than the wizard one and has no bang in it, which is sometimes the easier choice.
Money, dates and cancelling
How far ahead should we book?
Weekend mornings in term time are the busiest and often go six to eight weeks ahead. October fills in September. In and around Plymouth we can sometimes do a fortnight's notice, occasionally less.
It never hurts to ring about a date that looks gone. Things move.
When do we pay, and how?
When you book online you pay in full at the time of booking, by card through Stripe. That is what secures the date, and you get a confirmation email with a booking reference straight away.
If you would rather pay a deposit now and the rest on the day, ring us. We are happy to do it that way, we just cannot set it up through the website.
What if we have to cancel or move the date?
More than fourteen days out, we will move you to another date at no charge, or refund you in full. Inside fourteen days the ingredients and consumables are usually bought, so we cannot refund, though we will always try to move you first.
If we ever have to cancel, you get everything back, straight away. The full wording is in the booking terms.
Do you charge for travel?
No, not anywhere on our areas list. A party in Exmouth costs the same as one in Plymstock.
Outside that list we travel up to about seventy miles for the right job and would quote it separately. Ring and ask.
Are you insured and DBS checked?
Yes to both. We carry £5 million public liability and Sharon Trevethan holds an enhanced DBS. Both certificates go out with the booking confirmation, and we will send them earlier if you would like to see them before paying.
Most halls will ask for the insurance certificate. Schools will want both plus a risk assessment, which we supply as a matter of course.
Do you come to houses, or only halls?
Both. Plenty of our parties are in kitchens and front rooms. A hall gives everyone more elbow room, but a house is warmer and closer to the kettle. We bring the same kit either way.
Got a date in mind?
Tell us the date, the ages and roughly how many, and we will come back to you the same day with what we can do.
- Everything arrives with us. You provide the room and the cake
- Set up an hour before, and we tidy up afterwards
- £5 million public liability and an enhanced DBS
- Answering the phone every day, 9am to 8pm