Horwich 8 Bit Micro Arcade Bar to open

Arcade and console fan Leon Pimbley is opening  8 Bit Micro Arcade Bar, a fun arcade and games centre for families by day and a bar at night for adults.

The idea stemmed from Leon's childhood love for consoles such as PlayStations and arcade games with pac-man, rampage, point black, space jam and more.

8 Bit Micro Arcade Bar also features a huge screen display with a Nintendo Wii, DS and PlayStation consoles available.

From 9am to 7pm on Saturdays the bar will be open for families to bring their children for an hour’s session at a time, with Leon’s seven-year-old son Harry Pimbley on hand to show other children how to play.

Leon said: “I saw arcade games online and found parts to machines, so together with a friend we made our own.

“Then I got the idea to put the mini arcade games in a bar and let people enjoy their childhood games.

Harry Pimbley

“They’re the ¾ off the original size machines but if we put them in a micro bar, it’s not taking up that much room.”

Other arcades like Bury Arcade and N64 in Manchester already exist but this would be the first for Horwich.

Leon said: “In Horwich, there is nothing going on for kids so it was an opportunity to give back and do something for them.

"And it’s something for everyone especially as I used to love playing games when I was young, it brings back some memories."

Gas engineer Leon came up with the name using ‘8 Bit’ because he owns an ‘8 Bit’ console at home.

He said: “There’s always bad things being reported and it’s not fair.

“I’ve lived here all my life and I love it here.

“The kids need something different to do and the adults can enjoy it too.

“And if anyone comes and has nobody to play with, my boy Harry will step in because he loves playing games on his consoles and on arcades.”

Cllr David Grant hailed the new addition to the town as ‘something different’ for the town centre.

8 Bit Micro Arcade Bar hopes to open by the end of the month on the August bank holiday in Lee Lane.