A Beverley farmer has embarked on a new business venture to provide gainful summer holiday employment for his daughters and other students in the region.
John Clappison, from Risby, has given over 10 acres of his 600 acre farm and planted 60,000 maize seedlings that will grow into Beverley Maze and will provide part-time jobs for 10 people.
John explains why he decided to invest in the tourist attraction that can grow up to 9cm per day once established.
“It was a combination of factors. Maize mazes have grown in popularity over the years and are a great way to get children to leave their computer games and Facebook and enjoy an interactive attraction in the fresh air instead. I’m also very aware that there aren’t that many opportunities for young people to find holiday jobs, so I’m hoping that the Maze will keep my daughters and their friends out of mischief for the summer! It’s a relatively low risk investment so I thought that I’d give it a go.”
Beverley Maze is East Yorkshire’s first Maize Maze and situated at Park Farm, Risby, just of the A164. It will open today, Saturday 24th July and will provide healthy, outdoor entertainment for all ages throughout the summer holidays.
In addition to the clown shaped maze with fun quiz trail and clown look-out towers, there will be a play area with go-karts, trampoline, mini diggers and a hay bale mountain. Refreshments and ice cream will also be available.
The maze is open between 10am and 5.30pm seven days a week and admission costs £5.50 per adult and £4.00 for children 3-16 and senior citizens. Under 3’s and wheelchair users are free and a family ticket costs £17.00.
Once the maze has grown to 1m, the juggling clown shape is cut out using sophisticated GPS satellite technology that steers a tractor around the course and cuts the maize to the ground. At the end of the season, the remaining maze will be harvested and used as animal feed for a local dairy farmer.
The Clappison family are well known in East Yorkshire for their sprouts – the 3.2 million plants that they grow annually represent 5% of the UK’s crop.
Picture: The Maize Maze is based on a clown theme designed by mazescape.com
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