A Biggin Hill mum’s 92-year-old war veteran grandfather was the inspiration for Bromley first escape game.

Operation Escape will open at the Beechwood Centre on October 9 and taps into the growing trend for Crystal Maze-style escape games that have been popping up all over the world in recent years.

The Second World War themed game – a stone’s throw from the historic Biggin Hill Airport – will see teams of three to five people locked in a room, having to solve puzzles and challenges in order to get out.

The tasks are based on the systems used for decoding enemy messages during the war.

Behind the game is Stephanie Brand who first visited an escape game in London as a treat for her eldest son and was immediately hooked and decided to create Bromley borough’s first.

“If you come and join in the fun challenge of Operation Escape, you will be greeted by one of our squadron leaders.

“An enemy attack on Biggin Hill airfield is imminent and the only way to stop it is to get into the operations room. There is one big problem…you’ve been locked in a room and the only way out and into the operations room is by finding the missing key code.

“You have only one hour to save the day.”

Stephanie’s grandfather Thomas Cole, who was a telegrapher in the war was the inspiration of Operation Escape’s theme, as well as the proximity to the airport.

Stephanie added: “With Biggin Hill airfield close by, I was determined to include that in the storyline because it played such a crucial part in the war. I’ve really enjoyed creating the puzzles and challenges.”

Book online at operation-escape.co.uk. Readers can get a 10 per cent discount on bookings made before the end of October by using the voucher code ‘newsshopper’.

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