Moors Valley Country Park and Forest is quite literally buzzing thanks to a new play area.
The Bee Hive will allow children to explore a network of hives and discover more about different types of bees and the jobs they do through a range of sensory activities and puzzles.

Designed to help children connect to nature and understand more about the important role of bees, the play area enables youngsters to help bees collect pollen, learn about how a colony works, explore the network of different hives and try out a range of bee-themed puzzles.

The Hive has been created to be fully inclusive, including sensory activities to hear, touch or see and also features braille to help describe the experience.
Other key features include a double slide to allow carers and children to use it together, ramps and level paths making it accessible for all.

The area was created by the same team at Andy Frost Design who built the play trail 35 years ago.

Natalie Crabb, recreation ranger for Forestry England at Moors Valley, said: “There’s a real buzz about this brand-new play area. It’s taken over six months to carefully construct the colony and create all of the experiences it offers.

“During this time there’s been so much anticipation building. We are so pleased to now be able to open it up and it’s been brilliant to see so many busy bees enjoying it.

“There is so much to do on the Bee Hive while at the same time learning more about just how important these creatures are to nature and in protecting our environment.”