VIRTUAL Reality comes to Barrow this weekend, as Ulverston's Vorteka opens a pop-up arcade at Bar Five.

This Sunday, February 19, the country's first VR shop will be staging a taster event at the Dalkeith Street venue, where players can try out the state-of-the-art equipment and compete against friends.

The VRcade gets under way at 11am, until 5pm, and people can pay for day-long passes or "pay to play".

Should the event go well, the VRcade could be a regular feature in the town.

"Our original plan was to have a permanent VRcade," says Vorteka co-founder Phil Turner.

"Unfortunately we couldn't afford a large enough space to accommodate walk-ins so we started out with pre-booked private sessions. Now we have enough equipment to hold a proper VRcade event and Bar Five is a perfect venue.

"If people want it and support us we will be happy to do it regularly."

Vorteka opened its doors in Theatre Street, Ulverston, last March, and has also featured at a number of events across the region.

In 2017, the company will be expanding to Wrexham, the hometown of Phil's business partner, Ed Booth, while live streams and video production should also add another string to their bow.

Phil continues: "The first year has been a learning process. When we opened, Vorteka was the first Virtual Reality shop in the country so we didn't have anything to base it on.

"Since then we've done events across the country including car shows, weddings and school visits.

"People are getting to know about us now, mainly through word of mouth and the feedback has been brilliant - we've never had less than five stars in our Facebook reviews.

"We've built our brand from scratch and we have a unique approach, tailoring our sessions to what our customers want instead of forcing them to play specific games.

"It's great to see people's reactions. Everybody is surprised by how realistic and natural it feels.

"Our customers range from seven to 80 years old and people with physical or mental disabilities are more than welcome.

"For us, Vorteka is all about the social gaming experience, we want to get people out of their bedrooms and playing together in person."

Both in the Ulverston base and at this satellite event, there are a wide range of games and experiences available, and players of all ages and abilities are welcome.

For Sunday's event, people can turn up and pay on the day, from 11am to 5pm.

For more information and to book regular sessions, visit www.vorteka.co.uk