The leader of Dudley Council dropped by a new Escape Room business in Stourbridge as part of the Made in Dudley Borough initiative. 

Courtyard Escapes, 50-51 High Street, Stourbridge opened this year and employs eight people. It offers a series of themed escape room games suitable for all ages (children under 12 must be accompanied.) Participants need to work as a team, to find clues, solve puzzles and complete challenges before the time runs out.

Each game lasts an hour with a 15-minute briefing beforehand. Players don’t need to bring anything except their wits and a sense of adventure.

Courtyard Escapes has two games on offer: Archibald’s legacy, a challenge for players to track down the Rose Tiger diamond and rescue it from being sold on the black market; and Chocolate Fix, collect the ingredients, get the production line up and running and get the chocolate to market. All games run for a maximum of 60 minutes and are for 2-6 players, but larger parties or bespoke requests are welcome.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council said

"It was an absolute pleasure to meet Jess, Ben and the team and to see such a young and dynamic business with real ambition and commitment to social value.

"They’ve only been open for a few weeks but they’ve clearly put a huge amount of time and thought into these games, which were really challenging as well as being a lot of fun. I can imagine people of all ages enjoying the experience and really embracing the inventiveness of it all. As the only escape room in the region which caters for children, as well as adults, I’m sure they’ll do well and I wish them all the best for the future."

Ben Rudkin, manager of Courtyard Escapes, said:

"Opening a new business post COVID presents many worries but knowing we can call upon Dudley Council to support us is extremely comforting. We’ve loved having the opportunity to introduce Councillor Harley to the wonderful world of escape rooms today."

The council is also working hard to cut red tape and offer a helping hand to local businesses when contracting them for work as part of its social value policy 

Dudley Business First, the council’s business arm, offers all-year-round support to business on grants, accessing finance and much more.