Sky's the limit at top seaside resort

Butlin's head of innovation talks to MILO BOYD about which amazing global playgrounds inspired the £2.5million Skypark at Skegness...

- 

Butlin's Skypark opened in 2023

What would you do if you had millions of pounds to spend on creating as much fun as possible? That was the enviable position that Heidi Watson, the head of innovation at Butlin's, found herself in back in 2021, when the holiday park giant decided to invest in a new project - the Skypark.

The Skegness thrillzone cost £2.5million, making it the second most expensive playground in the UK, 25 times the UK average, and one of the most ambitious.

"The research started in 2021 as part of our 'resort of the future' project, which is ongoing. We wanted to create a 'wow' experience that inspires by day and illuminates by night to continue Butlin's legacy of classic playparks," Heidi explained.

As well as building what was then the tallest playpark tower in the UK at 14 metres high, a major focus was making sure Skypark was "authentically accessible for all", which meant designing a space that all generations and abilities could and would want to use. Wrapped around a kinetic-powered play apparatus would be bits of wheelchair accessible equipment, found in very few other playparks.

For daredevil visitors, the central tower is designed so that the risk level increases the higher you go. And when children return to Butlin's for their next holiday, a little taller and braver than the year before, they can push themselves to the next level.