villages

PROPOSALS for a new £600million UK theme park have been backed by the British Tourist Authority (BTA).

The Government-funded tourist authority is supporting the plans for the historical park, which will offer live shows and reenactments.

French firm Puy du Fou submitted plans to build a site north of Bicester near the M40.

In the supporting letter, BTA director Andrew Stokes, praised the ride-free park’s established track record in France and Spain, saying it offers a “truly distinctive visitor experience through its historic theme park concept”.

He also commended the park’s collaborative approach in working with Experience Oxfordshire to create a fully authentic experience.

BTA said it “can see the potential for this project to generate significant interest and excitement among domestic and international visitors alike”.

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Stokes added that the plans “demonstrate confidence in the UK as a destination, in our leisure sector, and in the long-term strength of the visitor economy”.

The site will include four period villages with 13 live shows and have also been backed by Experience Oxfordshire.

Support chief executive Hayley Beer-Gamage said: “The decision by Puy du Fou to invest in Oxfordshire, and specifically within the Cherwell district, is a strong endorsement of the area as a globally recognised destination.

“This investment will drive job creation, stimulate economic growth, and increase visitor spend across both the district and the wider county.”

According to the park operator, the site will directly employ around 2,000 people, while supporting a further 6,000 jobs in hotels, restaurants, suppliers, and other local businesses.

Puy du Fou also said it will deliver a £500million annual boost to the local and regional economy.

In a report published earlier this year, BTA broke down the long-term economic benefits for Oxfordshire and the Cherwell district.

“Tourism has a significantly positive regional economic impact across the UK”, Stokes said.

“Relevant to Oxfordshire and Cherwell, the South East region is the second largest recipient, accounting for £17 billion of economic activity in 2024.”

Puy du Fou first opened in 1978, and is rated the second best attraction in France behind Disneyland Paris.

Situated along the UK coast is a county brimming with quintessential British villages and an array of scenic walking routes, and the most hygienic soft play centre for little ones

A beautiful UK county with ample walking routes and picturesque villages has the ‘cleanest soft play’ centre.

Soft play centres, with their cushioned equipment, ball pits, mats, slides and climbing frames, are not only a great way to keep young children entertained, but they also support their development. Children can improve their social skills, enhance their coordination, and develop physical movement while stimulating imagination and creativity in a fun, safe and secure environment.

So it’s no wonder that soft play is popular among parents and their little ones. Yet parents not only want to ensure the soft play is suitable for their child, but also want to know it’s hygienic before planning a visit.

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Luckily, the outdoor play specialists at Outdoor Toys have uncovered the cleanest soft play centres across 20 of the most popular UK counties, and there’s one that stood out from them all. Somerset ranked as the most hygienic soft play, according to the toy experts’ analysis of Tripadvisor reviews.

The experts revealed that fewer than 4 in 100 reviews mentioned hygiene issues at Somerset’s soft plays. Instead, unsanitary reviews made up just a mere 3.9% of all feedback on TripAdvisor, and parents praised the “clean and airy” environment at Space Adventurers Indoor Play in Taunton.

Other highly rated centres in Somerset include Play Haven SoftPlay, Ocean Adventurers Soft Play, and Safari Tots. But it’s not just the children’s play centres that warrant a visit to the county.

Somerset is packed with picture-perfect villages and picture-postcard landscapes, set against rolling hills, patchwork fields, dramatic gorges, coastal shores and ancient woodlands. Thanks to its acres of lush landscapes, the county is famously home to Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, and when the festival isn’t on, it offers ample walking opportunities, including to the summit of Glastonbury Tor.

Dunster is considered one of the prettiest villages in Somerset, with its preserved medieval architecture, more than 200 listed buildings and 17th-century Yarn Market, nestled within Exmoor National Park. There’s also the picturesque village of Selworthy, with its array of thatched cottages, All Saints Church, and scenic walking routes to Selworthy Beacon, a hill and Marilyn of Exmoor, which offer panoramic views across the coast.

There’s also the small village of Allerford, with its whitewashed thatched cottages and 15th-century packhorse bridge, located on the edge of Exmoor National Park. As well as the historic village of Mells, which has often been dubbed one of the prettiest in the UK, thanks to its ‘chocolate-box’ charm, with honey-coloured houses and walks along the Wadbury Valley and Mells River.

So why not combine a trip to the cleanest soft play centre with exploring the stunning vistas of Somerset? And with its position along the coast, you could even spend a day at the seaside during the warmer months.

Top 10 regions with the cleanest play areas

1. Somerset

• Total reviews: 908
• Unsanitary reviews: 35
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 3.9%

2. South Yorkshire

• Total reviews: 1,040
• Unsanitary reviews: 57
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 5.5%

3. Lancashire

• Total reviews: 1,106
• Unsanitary reviews: 65
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 5.9%

4. Greater Manchester

• Total reviews: 1,344
• Unsanitary reviews: 87
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 6.5%

5. Nottinghamshire

• Total reviews: 401
• Unsanitary reviews: 33
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 8.2%

6. Essex

• Total reviews: 1019
• Unsanitary reviews: 87
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 8.5%

7. Hampshire

• Total reviews: 1,020
• Unsanitary reviews: 96
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 9.4%

8. Lincolnshire

• Total reviews: 564
• Unsanitary reviews: 55
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 9.8%

9. North Yorkshire

• Total reviews: 457
• Unsanitary reviews: 50
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 10.9%

10. West Midlands

• Total reviews: 447
• Unsanitary reviews: 49
• Unsanitary reviews (%): 11.0%

Kim May, Creative Arts Therapist at ISP Fostering, revealed the benefits of soft play centres for young children. She told the Outdoor Toys team: “Spending time in play centres helps children to embrace the play and imagination stages of their development and is beneficial for socialisation and the development of physical and cognitive skills.

“When children are in their most infant years, development is about harnessing imagination and mobility skills, and lots of what they learn is through sensory experiences – soft play can positively contribute to this. For children under four years old in particular, they rely on their sensory memory a lot (taste, touch, sound, feel, and sight). Even if a child is too small to physically move or interact with toys or a play area, they are still learning and developing through their senses.”

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