Escape Rooms Cheltenham and Eat Sleep Axe will have been operating for 5 years at their venue in Winchcombe Street, in Cheltenham town centre, this July. It has been an incredibly busy, fun filled and rewarding 5 years for the team behind the business.
Escape Rooms Cheltenham was initially dreamt up in 2017 as a community interest project in the Hester’s Way neighbourhood. It aimed to boost the economy of the area and offer an affordable, family-friendly activity for local people. After two successful years running pop up games in Coronation Square, first at Hesters Way Community Resource Centre and then at Create on the Square, the team were able to incorporate the business into Laburinthos Ltd - an umbrella company that over the next 5 years would house multiple exciting activities.
The unfortunate halt of business during Covid had its impact, but Laburinthos Ltd were quickly able to pivot, offering online and play at home games, and in the background were working towards moving to their new location at 52 Winchcombe Street. Officially opening its doors for the summer holidays on 17th July 2021 and adding ‘Eat Sleep Axe’ Urban Axe Throwing in October 2021. Since then, they’ve created 7 different Gloucestershire inspired escape rooms, and most recently opened a brand-new activity ‘Splatter Room Cheltenham’ in April 2026.
At the forefront of the businesses ethos is sustainability and environmental consciousness, and this can be seen throughout various elements of the activities on offer - whether that be repurposing our old axe target blocks as kindling at the end of their life, sourcing second hand furniture and props for our escape rooms or opting for reusable overalls instead of single use for our splatter room - their environmental impact is something that is considered for every decision made within the company.
Their second major value is their community impact -offering jobs and work placements to local people and partnering with other local businesses to support one another and drive the local economy.
Over the years, Laburinthos Ltd has worked with various businesses and community groups such as helping set up an escape room at The Engine in Dursley, working with the Holst Victorian House to create a game inspired by Gustav Holst, creating a bespoke game for Magnum Circus Tattoo’s 10th birthday celebration, and, most recently, teaming up with The Everyman Theatre to offer a pre-theatre immersive experience for their recent show ‘The Spy Who Came In From the Cold’.
On top of this, they’ve taken part in the Cheltenham Children’s Festival, Party in the Park, Cheltenham Literature Festival’s Lit Crawl, Lions at Large Trail and worked to support Gloucestershire Young Carers, Active Gloucestershire and National Star College as well as providing over £3000 in vouchers and raffle prizes to many local schools and charity events.
Company director Megan says:
“It’s been such a fantastic five years and we are so grateful to everyone who has supported our journey, whether that be other local businesses and community groups we’ve worked with, the customers that have come along and experienced our activities, or the amazingly supportive friends we’ve made along the way! We can’t wait for another 5 years, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for us.”
To celebrate this milestone birthday, Laburinthos Ltd will be offering a variety of competitions, discounts and giveaways throughout the month of July, so follow them online to stay updated. You can find out more on the Escape Rooms Cheltenham website and Eat Sleep Axe website.
