Dice Box: Take a look inside Eastbourne's new board game cafe

The Dice Box, in Grove Road, opened its doors on Friday, January 24.

The cafe is a treasure trove of about 500 board games for all types of gamers, catering to ‘all ages and experience levels’.

Even if you’re a novice, staff can recommend something easy to play.

Couple Stuart Martin and Rachael Hulkes are the fifth franchisees of the business which already has branches in Leamington, Worcester, Peterborough and Stockport.

The pair spent years working office jobs before realising it was ‘time for a change’.

Stuart said: “I found this franchise because I was doing a job I didn’t love [and] I thought ‘I should do something I love’.

"I love board games, and I found Dice Box. I immediately knew it was what I wanted to do.”

Rachael is originally from Eastbourne and, having spoken about the town’s ‘charm’, Stuart came to love it too.

He said: “There’s something truly special about being by the sea, and Eastbourne felt like the ideal location for a board game café: a welcoming place where people could connect, unwind, and share our love for the hobby.

“I’ve always had a deep passion for board games, and when I introduced Rachael to the hobby, she was hooked.

“Board games are great, they’re tactile, you use your hands, you can get off the screen for a little while, give your brain a break but you’re also developing your strategy skills and tactics.

"It’s a great social feel. We’ve got games that are super-easy to learn and just great to play with friends.

"It’s quite similar to a normal cafe. For food we do all sorts of things, we do a three-for-ten deal where you can get pretzels, truffle parmasan fries, burgers, pizzas, flatbreads, hotdogs.

“With drinks, we do milkshakes and smoothies. We’re really proud of our coffee and our hot chocolates are really tasty, and we’ve got a load of herbal teas as well.”

Sessions are £2.50 per person, per hour. Children aged eight and under can enter for £1.25 per person, and must be accompanied by a fully-paying adult.

Children aged three and under are free.

For more information, and to book a session, visit: www.the-dice-box.co.uk/the-dice-box-eastbourne/.