A NEW £2.5 million playground has officially opened in Minehead just in time for the start of the schools summer holidays.

SKYPARK is located in Butlin’s Minehead holiday resort where it is free to use for families staying on site or for those visiting on a day pass.

The play park has been designed for inclusivity, interactivity, and illumination, allowing children to enjoy six zones across two play spaces so youngsters of all abilities can play together.

It has a focus on sensory features, including a place of calm in the unique Sound Domo playing 18 relaxing sounds.

The six zones are based on positive play emotions and there is also a dedicated play space for ‘tots’.

The new playground includes brand-new features such as the UK’s longest swingline at 138 feet, a wheelchair-friendly seesaw, and two light-up intertwining slides.

The new £2.5 million SKYPARK play area in Butlin's Minehead resort.
The new £2.5 million SKYPARK play area in Butlin's Minehead holiday resort. PHOTO: Butlin's. ( )

The play park lights up at night for an after-dark experience.

It is part of a £23 million investment by Butlin’s across the Minehead resort this year

Following severe flood damage to the resort in September of last year, Butlin’s investment has seen in 400 units of accommodation completely renovated.

A Changing Places toilet has been opened in Butlin's Minehead holiday resort.
A Changing Places toilet has been opened in Butlin's Minehead holiday resort. PHOTO: Butlin's. ( )

Resort director Craig Goodwin said: “Since completing the renovations, guest feedback for those staying in these units has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The Minehead site has also opened the first Changing Places toilet facility across all three Butlin’s resorts, the others being in Skegness and Bognor Regis.

It is located next to SKYPARK and is designed to be fully inclusive with a height-adjustable changing bench, a ceiling hoist and tracking, and a toilet with transfer space either side.

The national Changing Places campaign wants everybody to be able to use a toilet hygienically and with dignity.

The new SKYPARK play area at Butlin's Minehead lights up at night.
The new SKYPARK play area at Butlin's Minehead lights up at night. PHOTO: Butlin's. ( )

Butlin’s has also opened the Beachcomber Inn Terrace in Minehead, an extension of the restaurant which looks out onto SKYPARK, allowing adults to enjoy food and drink while their children play.

Pan-Asian restaurant Chopstix has been proving popular on both family and Big Weekender breaks since opening in February, while Studio 36 has become a permanent entertainment venue.

Mr Goodwin said: “This means the venue is used on adult-only Big Weekenders where headline acts perform to nearly 2,500 guests.

“It will also be where guests on family breaks can watch next year’s incredible new headliners Gladiators, the Masked Singer Live, and Stephen Mulhern.

Butlin's new SKYPARK play area on its Minehead holiday resort has six different zones.
Butlin's new SKYPARK play area on its Minehead holiday resort has six different zones. PHOTO: Butlin's. ( )

“As the ‘home of entertainment’, nowhere else offers fun like Butlin’s, so with SKYPARK and all our other new openings we are confident guests staying with us in Minehead will have the best holiday experience.

“We have come a long way since the devastating floods last year and I am proud of all these new openings and what our resort has to offer our guests.

“We want all our guests to enjoy their holiday and use our facilities in safety and comfort, which is why we are pleased to have partnered with Changing Places.”

Butlin’s offers more than 20 different breaks, including decade-themed parties to genre-specific music weekends and festivals, and sees about 1.5 million guests annually.