EE’s flagship Studio store in Westfield London, White City, is celebrating its first birthday by opening its cutting-edge Gaming Zone as a free bookable space for parents to host birthday parties, with priority access given to local West London community groups. It follows new research from EE that finds two in five parents struggle to afford their children’s birthday. The average party now costs £246 per child, with younger parents aged 18 to 34, typically spending £308. Over a million children in the UK don’t get to celebrate their birthday with a party, and cost is a big factor. That’s despite more than half of parents saying that celebrating with friends is the most important thing to their child on their birthday, ahead of cake , presents and doing something with their family . The EE Studio opened in 2023, alongside a new direction for the brand, with a renewed focus on gaming. EE marked the occasion this morning with a visit from Bradley Riches, star of hit Netflix show Heartstopper and Celebrity Big Brother. Bradley had his gaming face on as he dropped in to try out the latest consoles and titles in the Gaming Zone. To further celebrate the anniversary of the brand refresh and flagship store, the EE Studio is holding a day of in-store celebrations and activities today (Wednesday, 30th October). Visitors will have a chance to win hundreds of gaming prizes throughout the day, including a Nintendo Switch OLED bundle for whoever can log the best lap on the hit driving game Forza 5.