The role-play village and cafe was set up as an alternative to traditional indoor soft play centres.
It featured miniature settings, such as a veterinary clinic, supermarket and hairdresser’s, where children could dress up and explore different roles.
But Betteridge said her customer base had fallen: “We are seeing a lower birth rate, we have done for the last few years.
“There are infant schools that are joining together; some schools are taking pre-schools into their schools to use the space.
“I know that there are places around that have done baby sessions, some of them offer them for free, like in the church hall, and they’re not even getting people coming in.”
Figures from the ONS showed children under 15 now make up 17.6% of Hampshire’s population, down from 19.6% in 2004.
Nationally, fertility rates, which is the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her…
