There are very few contemporary children's characters as iconic as the Gruffalo; however, ask my 5-year-old and any others, and I am certain they would also list an array of characters created by the duo Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Unsurprisingly, therefore, their key characters are all celebrated in a soft play setting. Having opened just 3 years ago, The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse is located on the Golden Mile in Blackpool and has just celebrated the introduction of the Mouse as one of their live characters. My daughter jumped at the chance to go meet him, and my 9-year-old son was equally keen, albeit with a slightly cooler reserve.

Arriving just before 10am, we joined a queue of excited youngsters and their adults, who were buzzing at the chance to see Mouse and his many friends up close. Now, as any parent knows, soft play is great but often worn and torn through overuse. The Gruffalo & Friends Clubhouse is a huge exception to this rule. Shiny and spacious, there are various themed play spaces, a huge cafe area and a performance space. Brilliantly designed, with everyone from the Gruffalo to Zog spaced around in the themed zones, this venue is a pedigree playspace.

Unsurprisingly my two got immediately stuck in, with the friendly staff on hand with additional group game opportunities, while Skye was particularly enthused by the participation allowed in the brief but fun Mouse Interactive Show and the subsequent story time.

With our time allocation drifting by far too quickly, they easily gave the play space a full house of points before we moved handily next door to Blackpool's Sea Life Centre.

The Sea Life Centre, which can be added as a bolt-on combo ticket experience, is a worthwhile addition. Allowing us all an insight into the creatures living in the nearby waters, alongside some magical others, there is something truly captivating about the stingrays, while there is no denying that the children could not resist seeing Nemo and Dory!

Mouse made his debut on 4 July and appear daily throughout the summer until 31 August.

For further information, show times and tickets, please visit: https://www.gruffaloclubhouse.com/blackpool/whats-inside/events/a-brave-little-adventure-with-mouse/