SCOTTISH Government grants for soft play centres that have been closed by law since March have been hailed as a “huge relief”.

However, there are warnings the grants are not a solution but will only buy time, especially with the new Covid tier system in Scotland being “a nail in [the sector’s] coffin”.

One-off grants of up to £50,000 will be available to businesses in both the soft play and nightclub sectors through the Covid-19 Contingency Fund. Grants will be based on rateable value.

Businesses operating multiple premises will be eligible to claim one full grant plus grants of up to 75% on subsequent properties.

The grants come in the wake of a plea put out last week by Craig Meikle, who runs Saltire Soft Play in Newtongrange, Midlothian.

In a video posted to Facebook, Meikle asked people to leave a short comment explaining what his facility “means to you, or what it means to your kids” to try and get the Government to take notice.

Over 6000 people replied, and 26,000 shared his video.

READ MORE: Revealed: Level of Covid restriction forecast for every Scottish council areas

Today, Meikle told The National that he saw the newly announced grant money “as time, not as a silver bullet”.

He added: “At this moment in time I’m not going to complain. Is it enough money? No it’s not. But it is going to buy us time.

“It’s going to buy my facility time and the other 150 members of the [Scottish soft play] action group time.

“It’s going to allow my staff to know that they’re going to be able to get their wages up to Christmas, which is obviously a huge relief. But the bigger picture for us is that we want to be open.

“Since I posted that video last Thursday I have had literally hundreds of messages that would break your heart, the stories are tragic.

“Mothers with postnatal depression stuck in houses and desperate to get out. I’m not saying opening a soft play is going to cure that, but it certainly gives them something.”

The Scottish Government said guidance, developed in partnership with clinical experts, regulators, trade unions and industry representatives, will be published later this week.

It said this guidance will aim to help soft play centres prepare for re-opening when it is safe to do so.

However, Meikle said the point in the future when the Government considers it safe for his industry to open is still a long way off.

He said: “I’m looking at the new tier system and it is not good for our business. Whether they produce guidance or not we need to be in tiers 0 and 1 to be able to open our soft play.

“I’m in the central belt in Scotland and it feels like we’re never going to get to tier 1. It’s an absolute disaster for us.

“These funds we’ve been given are only allowing us the chance to survive until those regulations change. The chance we get moved off the tiers, or up the tiers, or something, because essentially those tiers are a nail in our coffin.”

READ MORE: Covid Scotland: What each proposed lockdown tier means for you

Meikle further urged the Government to consider allowing his businesses in his sector to open, saying he could not understand why they had not already when other businesses of a similar nature are allowed to open.

He said: “Let me open at a quarter capacity, let me try and make it work, let me worry about whether it’s going to be viable. At least give us something we can try.

“Don’t just say ‘you’re business is closed’ and then that’s the end of it. I would be quite happy for the Government to say ‘open at a quarter capacity’.

“I think we could make that work, at least it would give us a chance.”

Business Minister Jamie Hepburn said: “We know that nightclubs and soft play centres have been particularly badly hit by this pandemic – unlike the majority of businesses, they have not been allowed to open since March. These grants take account of those exceptional circumstances and will provide a boost as we continue to tackle the virus.

“We don’t want any business to remain closed for a day longer than is necessary but public health is paramount. Unfortunately we are at a critical point with infection levels rising again and it is not safe to lift restrictions on these activities.

“Local authorities will be contacting businesses directly to get the information needed to progress their claim [for a grant].”