The Playhive, Stockeld Park: Popular Yorkshire family attraction named best indoor play venue in the country

Stockeld Park, in Wetherby, opened Europe’s largest indoor play area The Playhive in 2022.

It has now been crowned Best Indoor Play venue in the Association of Indoor Play awards.

The arena hosts more than 250,000 visitors to its adventure park every year, at the heart of which sits the 20,000 ft indoor play centre.

Inside The Playhive are four enormous and interconnected adventure zones, modelled on the themes jungle, space, sea and air. A giant circular space holds a 30ft tower at the centre, from which the adventure zones can be accessed via high walkways, as well as giant slides.

Susie Grant, director at Stockeld Park and the visionary behind The Playhive, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been recognised as Britain’s best indoor play venue at this year’s awards.

“There is no doubt the Playhive is a very unique play space that was several years in the making, and the product of a huge amount of hard work by a great many people both here at Stockeld and beyond.

“I would like to thank every single person who has made this incredible achievement possible.”

Stockeld Park as a whole is now listed as one of the top five theme parks in the UK on TripAdvisor.

Peter Grant, Stockeld’s owner and the man who led the design and creation of the new play space, added: “Winning this award means a huge amount to everyone here at Stockeld. There really is nothing like the Playhive anywhere and we are so pleased to have the innovation and hard work that went into this enterprise recognised in this way.”

This year’s awards marked the first industry-specific awards since 2018, celebrating the best and brightest in the indoor play industry, with a focus on innovation and excellence.

Andrew Newton, the head judge of the Association of Indoor Play which delivered the award, said: “The competition was incredibly fierce. The level and standard of entries were astonishing, showcasing the remarkable talent and innovation within our industry.

“It was a true challenge to select the winner from such an impressive pool of nominees.”