Butlin’s Minehead launches the UK’s most exciting playground

Exploration and imagination. These are the founding principles behind the new £2.5 million Butlin’s SKYPARK at Minehead.  Created by Nottingham based family company Jupiter Play & Leisure, SKYPARK represents a new age of play, that is transforming traditional play parks and helping communities, businesses, and parents rediscover the wide-ranging benefits of play. The modern design utilises some of the most innovative play equipment on the market, carefully selected from industry leading partners to provide a unique, fully inclusive, and technologically empowered experience.

Discovery is a vital aspect of play, that allows children to build confidence and develop lifelong curiosity. This is utilised at Butlin’s SKYPARK through zones that encompass the many different emotions children experience through play. Joy, surprise and excitement are all represented through different play equipment, colours and designs. This culminates in a playground that is harmonious but varied, with distinct areas that offer something new to discover around every corner.

Accessibility and inclusivity have been placed at the heart of Butlin’s SKYPARK from the design stage right through to implementation. It’s vital that play parks cater for those with special educational needs and those with disabilities. With interactive play; sensory zones; wheelchair trampolines; an inclusive seesaw; accessible swings on the UK’s longest swingline; and illumination throughout, Butlin’s SKYPARK really does have something for everyone. Incorporating accessibility at every stage ensures SEND and disabled children can be included, not in separate spaces but alongside other children. SKYPARK represents an ideal template for accessibility and inclusion that all play parks should seek to follow.

Butlin’s has already been able to map the advantages of SKYPARK with increased Net Promoter Score, increased rebooking’s, and higher spend in the adjacent café. However, this isn’t just about improving businesses. Play is a fundamental aspect of development, of health, and of learning. Revitalising play should be a key consideration for communities and businesses alike. Butlin’s sets the standard for this and, in collaboration with Jupiter Play & Leisure, shows us what the future of play can look like.