SUCCESS is child’s play for a Bolton businesswoman who is a finalist in a top regional awards’ competition.

Catalina Sastre-Done from Party & Play Funhouse, based at Wingates Industrial Estate, has been shortlisted for an Enterprise Vision Award in the Businesswoman of the Year category of the well-known annual awards honouring North-west female entrepreneurs.

This follows a successful 12 months of business which included being chosen as the backdrop for the daily children’s TV CBeebies’ “Happy Birthday Song.”

Ms Sastre-Done opened an indoor play centre in 2007 after 20 years working in the logistics’ industry for shipping giants Maersk, and with clients including Adidas and Makro. When she was made redundant, the mother of two from Little Hulton, decided to return to study and took an MBA at the University of Bolton.

She wrote her thesis about play and started researching the subject before deciding to open her own play centre. She rented a large industrial unit and then filled it with supersize play equipment.

The venture proved very successful and she decided to relocate to larger premises on the same industrial estate, investing half a million pounds to create a state-of-the-art venue.

This new centre – complete with ball pond, go karts, slides, play frames, party rooms and a sensory room for babies – has continued her success story.

Since she moved, she has doubled the number of staff to 24 and is introducing fresh ideas all the time, including a programme this month that includes everything from toddler gym to storytelling.

“We are still running plenty of parties, daily play sessions and classes and were delighted to be chosen for the CBeebies’ filming,” she explained.

Now, she has been made a finalist for the EVAs’ and will learn on September 25 whether she’s been successful in winning her category at the glitzy event at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.

“It’s a real honour to be chosen for the final of the EVAs,” she said. “We have all worked very hard to make Party & Play a real success and if I won it would be a great tribute to the team here.”

Caption: PLAYTIME – Party & Play Funhouse owner Catalina Sastre-Done and her 14 month-old son Fabian