A BOLD career change has an accountant jumping for joy – at the thought of opening his new state-of-the-art trampoline park this summer.

The £400,000 Air Vault Trampoline Park will see an empty warehouse in Westhoughton filled with 700 square feet of trampolines in all shapes and sizes.

It is the brainchild of 43-year-old Andrew Caldwell, who hopes the venture will be open at the Wingates Industrial Estate by August or September.

The centre will be based on ‘free-jumping’, with inter-connected trampolines, angled wall trampolines, tumbling trampoline lanes, curved and double-curved trampolines, dismount platforms, foam pits, slam-dunk basketball hoops, a dodgeball court and a separate area for toddlers and parents.

Mr Caldwell, of Crowborough Close, Lostock, is father to Adam, aged 14, and 12-year-old Sally and previously worked as a chartered accountant for PwC in Manchester for 20 years.

He began to re-evaluate his life after wife Louise was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, but happily she finished radiotherapy last week and will end treatment in January.

Mr Caldwell said: “As a Bolton man with a young family of my own, I am really excited at the prospect of opening a facility like this in the area.

“This is a complete departure for me, but when Louise became ill it turned all of our lives upside down and made me re-evaluate things.

“Thankfully, now she is through the worst we can start making plans for the future.

“I have always wanted to set up my own business and, having advised a number of clients in the leisure sector over the years, I am really looking forward to bringing something new and exciting to Bolton that the whole family can enjoy.”

The plans for Air Vault, which were submitted to the council last month by Mr Caldwell’s new company Active Entertainment Ltd, also include a cafe with mezzanine viewing gallery, two party rooms and a conference suite for school visits and corporate events.

If the proposals are passed successfully, work on transforming the site will begin in June.

Mr Caldwell said the equipment at Air Vault will be the most modern and safe available, and he hopes the centre will also run fitness classes.

He added: “We want to provide a modern leisure and fitness facility that the whole of Bolton can be proud of.

“Trampoline parks are a new phenomenon – there are currently only a handful of facilities like this in the UK.”

Air Vault is expected to create 10 new full time and 48 new part time jobs.