IT’S the Hampshire café with a Monopoly on fun.

Board in the City is a new Southampton eaterie dedicated to gaming.

But instead of coffee and conversation customers will be battling alien armies and growing pink bamboo in board games that rely on strategic thinking and complex decision making.

It’s the brainchild of Millbrook mum Hayley Binstead who has been into non-computer gaming since she first played Dungeons and Dragons as a child.

Since then the 44-year-old has used board games in her role as a foster parent and community worker around the city with friend Michelle Dadswell.

The mum of three said: “We’ve been running games in the community for free for about six years.

"We work in schools, youth groups and hospitals.

"It’s not Monopoly or Scrabble, it’s much more advanced. There’s strategy involved.

“Even the Ministry of Defence uses war gaming. They help develop crucial skills like resilience, resourcefulness and planning ahead.”

The venture is Hayley’s strategic move in a bid to help support her community work.

“The café will help us spread the gaming further afield. We do it for free in school hours but because I’m a foster mum and Michelle has three kids we can’t do it out of school hours.

“There are over 650 people in care in Southampton – we’re often told by social workers that they have nowhere to take the young people they look after.

"Gaming is a therapy and if there was somewhere to go it might help with relaxation while playing.”

“It’s about social interaction, and purely face-to-face playing,” Hayley said.

The café will operate like a resource centre where gamers can choose from over 200 games on site, with games masters on hand to go through the rules.

Hayley and family have been building up their stock since summer 2015, scouring charity shops and accepting donations. with the family’s personal collection going into the mix as well.

And the café menu is being designed specifically for the venue, withHayley’s daughter Tia is in charge of the kitchen cooking up a selection of mainly vegan and vegetarian dishes with some meat and fish.

Hayley said: “The menu will be quirky and a bit unusual – we want to surprise people.

"Last year I was diagnosed as borderline diabetic so I had to change my diet, but nowhere in town did brown bread or brown rice. We will be default brown.”

As a Community Interest Company 65 per cent of the profits will go back into the community.

The café will open from 11am-11pm with a launch party on March 4. It is on the site of the former Dorchester Arms on Onslow Road, Southampton.