Kids are going mad for Heaton Park's new 'Place To Potter'

After a successful summer, Heaton Park Garden Centre’s creative hub, The Place to Potter, which opened in July, has launched the ‘P2P Indoor Garden’ to cope with increased demand for crafty events.

They have erected a 70ft long polymer tunnel outside The Place to Potter’s’ craft café, The Hidden Gem, in the heart of the garden centre’s grounds. This will provide the perfect environment for arty parties and messy play, along with further workshops and themed events to run alongside daily drop-in craft sessions.

The indoor and outdoor space has been transformed into a creatively stimulating environment with room for more than 70 children. It has been kitted out with craft pods, giant lawn games, an indoor mud kitchen, a classic games corner as well as hot chocolate and soup bars. This creative oasis will also be decked out with inventive decoration that will change on a monthly basis to fit the season and upcoming events.

For October the tunnel will be given a spooky Halloween makeover in preparation for a fun-filled slime party on Thursday 26, followed by a Halloween extravaganza on Sunday 28 where the whole family can enjoy a fiendish fancy dress party and lots of crafts and games whilst indulging in provided tricks and treats.

This month will also see the launch of their new half term holiday camp, running from October 23-27. The idea behind the jam-packed activity club is to inspire children to create their own journeys of exploration and discovery through a rotating timetable of arts and craft classes mixed with outdoor play and bite size exercise boot camps. 

In November, the P2P indoor garden will be transformed into Harry Potter’s magical Hogwarts castle

Specifically created for children aged 6-12 years, activities will include Halloween themed crafts such as creepy costume creating, trick or treat bag making, pumpkin carving and painting and Halloween decoration. Also on the schedule will be clay design, ceramic painting, canvas design and woodwork along with outdoor pursuits such as scavenger hunts, forest schools, outdoor giant games and mini exercise boot camps run by qualified health and fitness professionals.

In November, the P2P indoor garden will be transformed into Harry Potter’s magical Hogwarts castle complete with potion and wand making classes. December will welcome a winter wonderland, where the whole family can enjoy making bespoke Christmas gifts whilst indulging in seasonal tasty treats. The garden centre’s Christmas tree land will also be open for exploration with hundreds of stunning real Christmas trees available to buy. 

Kelly Harris, Manager of The Place to Potter, said: “We live in a technology dominated world where everyone is constantly on computers and phones. I want to encourage families to put them down and come and enjoy some good old-fashioned fun.

“From making mud pies to getting messy with paints, we offer a creative space to release creativity no matter how old you are. Our new indoor P2P garden will be perfect for private party bookings while our holiday camps combine outdoor play with arts and crafts to make well balanced, engaging activity schedules that kids just love.”

The Place to Potter has enjoyed huge demand since its inception and it’s now one of Heaton Park’s most popular attractions. This is thanks to its ever-changing fantasy environments, cosy cafe setting and a varied range of crafty activities for both adults and children; ranging from flower arranging to pot decorating.