A new indoor ax throwing and ‘rage room’ venue is set to open in Swansea city center this spring.

The brainchild of Matthew Griffin, a 24-year-old carpenter from Llantrisant, Lumberjack Ax Throwing was first launched in Cardiff in November 2019, and has been so successful that the young businessman is now preparing to launch his second place just over two years later. .

The premises, which will fill estate agent Peter Alan’s empty former unit under Sin City nightclub on Dillwyn Street, are getting a facelift as Matthew and his team build six ax throwing lanes and two rage rooms from zero.

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Matthew said: “In 2017 I visited London with my brother and we came across an ax throwing place and really enjoyed it. I was a carpenter and started thinking about using my tools and my experience to create my own site in Wales.

“Two years later, in November 2019, I started Lumberjack Ax Throwing in Cardiff. Lumberjack took off well and it’s been really successful, despite the pandemic, and we’re now booked three weekends in advance.

“Following the success of the Cardiff branch, I am currently in the process of building the second site in Swansea,” he added. “The premises are the former Peter Alan unit under Sin City on Dillwyn Street, I know these premises have been derelict for almost eight years, and I think the people of Swansea will be relieved to see the premises put to use!”

When Matthew started his ax throwing business in Cardiff he was just 21 and in his final year of university. He therefore found it difficult to find the necessary funds to undertake a good-sized unit.

He is therefore delighted that Lumberjack’s second premises in Swansea are larger than those in Cardiff.

He said: “I was a 21 year old student when I started the business so I could only afford a small unit a bit outside Cardiff city center with three ranges.

“The Swansea site will be much larger, offering six ranges and two rage rooms. It will be fully inclusive, open to everyone.”

A statement on the Lumberjack Ax Throwing website outlines what the company hopes to achieve: “We are proud to say that we are the first urban ax throwing experience to come down to Wales,” it says.

“The idea might sound a little crazy, but taking an ax and throwing it at a target was pretty big in America, so we decided we wanted a piece of the action.

“It’s a growing sport in America and we thought it wasn’t fair to pass it by. So whatever your ability or age, with a little practice and the help of our instructors, we will make you hit the target every time”

Matthew and his team are currently halfway through the construction of the ax throwing lanes and rage rooms at the Dillwyn Street site and aim to have the ax throwing lanes open towards the end of April or early May 2022. rage halls will follow later in the year.

The site will be open to everyone, but Matthew hopes to eventually offer ax throwing tournaments on the site.

He said: “In the US you can win up to $50,000 in competitions in this sport! We hope to open tournaments with great prizes that will bring ax throwers from all over the UK to Swansea. “

Opening hours will be confirmed later, but the team expects the site to be open from 4pm to 9.30pm on weekdays and 10am to 9.30pm on weekends.

What is ax throwing and what is a rage room?

Ax throwing is as the name suggests: throwing axes!

It started as a leisure activity in Canada a few years ago, but is now becoming a popular pastime in the UK for families with older children and teenagers, students, couples and people at home. looking for an original and unusual activity with friends or colleagues.

Typically, throwers stand 12 feet from a target, which looks like a large wooden dartboard, and throw one ax at a time at it, aiming for the center of the target.

It’s a fun competition: the closer you are to the target, the more points you score. And there are always trained coaches on hand to make sure every competitor follows the safety rules.

A rage room, on the other hand, is a safe space where people can destroy or smash a range of objects – a novel way for someone to vent their anger!

Going to a rage room with friends is a particularly popular leisure activity in the US, but there are a few rage room sites in the UK.

People are usually fully equipped with protective clothing and given a certain amount of time to smash and destroy a range of materials or objects, such as dishes, televisions, monitors and walls.

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