Shanna Majewski

The development of two brand new play spaces has commenced at a popular family attraction following a successful grant application to the Rural England Prosperity Fund, funded by UK government.  

Adventure Valley, located in Durham, have confirmed the development of an inclusive playground which meets accessibility needs for children with disabilities alongside the development of a new flagship play tower elsewhere on the site. 

The first phase of development for the new accessible play spaces will be complete before the start of the October half-term holidays. Development of the second play space is set to commence in November 2024. 

The play spaces, which are being constructed across two separate areas of the attraction’s site, will include a wheelchair accessible swing, two user accessible roundabout and a wheelchair accessible seesaw. There will also be multiple sensory spaces and a braille play panel for children with impaired vision. A play tower at the centre of the accessible development features 44 play activities, multiple slides, towers, climbing walls and accessible play panels. 

It is hoped that the new play spaces will allow the attraction to provide an enjoyable experience for families of children with special educational needs and additional physical needs, alongside welcoming more community groups and schools.  

The total investment in the inclusive play spaces is set to total £350,000, with £100,000 of the project funded by the UK Government’s scheme and the rest of the balance invested by the management team at Adventure Valley. 

The planning and grant applications for the development received wide ranging support from local schools and the wider community.  

Adventure Valley owner, Janine Calzini said “We’re committed to making the experience at Adventure Valley both inclusive and accessible for all. This groundbreaking development is one of the largest single investments which have been made in the attraction in our history. We received outstanding support in the planning process from the local community including from Evergreen Primary School and Springwell School and we were delighted when we received confirmation of the £100,000 grant from the Rural England Prosperity Fund to make this aspiration a reality.” 

Zoe Westley, Head Teacher at Springwell School said, “We have children with a range of special educational needs including those who are non-ambient and use a wheelchair. It is always challenging for us to find venues which are suitable for our children. We have found staff at Adventure Valley to be very supportive and understanding of the additional needs of our children and welcome further improvements, especially for our non-ambient children.” 

Adventure Valley are on a mission to put the Happy back in to ‘Happy Halloween’ this October.

With the popularity of the Halloween season continuing to grow, ‘scare fests’ and ‘scare mazes’ are popping up across the country. Whilst many people associate Halloween with paranormal activities, blood and gore, Adventure Valley’s seasonal offering is appropriate for the whole family, taking a whimsical approach to the season with the introduction of their ‘Fa-boo-lous Fun’ Halloween event. 

The park is offering family-friendly activities, pumpkin picking and enchanting character meet and greets at their Halloween ‘Fa-BOO-lous Fun’ event! This spine-tingling adventure kicks off on Saturday 26th October and is hosted daily until Sunday 3rd November. 

Guests are invited to pick up their ‘Halloween Trail Card’ upon entry before embarking on a magical quest to meet beloved characters, collect stamps, and eventually visit the Wicked Witch for a special treat.. Or trick! 

Throughout the event, guests will encounter various characters. The Mad Hatter will hand out maze sheets for a spooky Ghost Trail. The Pumpkin King invites everyone to try their hand at the Corn Cob Catapult, where participants can compete for a spot on the daily leaderboard whilst firing corn at Halloween themed targets. Guests can catch a glimpse of Jack Skeleton who operates the thrilling Ghost Train, while Lady Western runs a crazy cowboy ride that adds to the fun.  

A daily Character Parade, takes place daily with characters awarding prizes to the children who have the best dance moves and also the best costumes! 

Adventure Valley’s on-site restaurant will also boast a selection of seasonal treats including marshmallows and trick-or-treat bags and guests can collect a pumpkin to take home and carve for just £2 each. 

“Halloween is a joyous celebration at the heart of autumn and our whole team are dedicated to making sure that the season is fun for the whole family. Guests can catapult corn and compete for a spot on our daily leaderboard, wander through our Maize Maze and get tricks and treats from our friendly Halloween Characters, we’re confident that it is going to be our best ever Halloween season. There’s just so much going on during Halloween at Adventure Valley, it really is a full day out experience for the whole family,” said Adventure Valley Owner, Janine Calzini. 

Adventure Valley’s ‘Fa-boo-lous Fun’ event takes place daily from Saturday 26th October until Sunday 3rd November, from 10am until 5pm each day.

Gigantic Maize Maze returns to Adventure Valley for fifth year 

A gigantic Maize Maze has opened at Adventure Valley ahead of the final two weeks of the school summer holidays. Adventure Valley have opened the seasonal attraction in Durham for the fifth consecutive year despite a difficult year for growing the crop owing to the turbulent weather which has plagued the UK this year. 

The Maize Maze spans four acres in total and this year guests are encouraged to find clues throughout the maze to help them find a ‘hidden’ dinosaur. It was hoped that the Maize Maze would be open in time for the start of the summer holidays, but unseasonal weather in June and July slowed the growth of the crop, but recent temperatures have enabled the maize to recover and reach the heights required to open the attraction. 

The environmentally friendly attraction has opened for a fifth consecutive year, with the maize crop itself used as part of a ‘Corn Catapult’ attraction during Adventure Valley’s Fa-Boo-lous Halloween season. Once used by guests during the Halloween season, the maize is then fed to the farm park’s resident animals including pigs, goats and chickens. 

“The Maize Maze is a real favorite for our guests and we see people come back year after year to immerse themselves in this living maze. Once our guests have finished enjoying the maze at the end of our Halloween season we then feed all of the remaining crop and it’s foliage to our animals. It’s a real favorite for our poultry and aviary birds and the pigs can’t get enough of it,” said Adventure Valley owner, Janine Calzini. 

“The recent improvement in the weather has seen the maize grow quickly and to the level that we would usually expect at this time of year. A few weeks ago we were seeing so much rain that it was touch and go that we would be able to open it for our summer season. Thankfully, the crop is now looking as good as ever and even though we are confident that you should be able to find your way out, you really could get lost in there.” 

The Maize Maze is open every weekend and during school holiday periods between 16th August and 3rd November 2024. 

Entrance to the dinosaur themed Maize Maze is included in a standard admission ticket to Adventure Valley in Durham. Visitors to the park can also enjoy tractor rides through the valley, close animal encounters and whole host of play attractions and rides.