Imaginative Children’s Play Near Newtownabbey – A Must-Visit for Families

For those of you who don't know us and are just learning about us, The Wee Village speiclaises in Imaginative Children's Play and we are situated between Doagh and Ballyclare and thus close to Newtownabbey, Belfast, Antrim and Ballymena. As well as providing Toddler Mornings, we also offer After School Club during the week when it comes to Birthday Parties; here in Northern Ireland we are a leading venue if you are looking for something cosy, quiet, quirky and fun for your child and all their friends.

We were delighted to be featured not so long ago in Mighty Women NI! You can click here to see the original article and of course we have included some of the article below:

"Cosy, magical and enchanting are the words which spring to mind when thinking of the experience at the fantastical setting at award-winning The Wee Village set in Doagh.

The brainchild of local businesswoman Victoria Nichols (and the help of her three lovely daughters, Anna, who turns 10 in December, Nancy, aged seven, and youngest daughter, little Frances), The Wee Village offers an exploratory place for little ones to play and let their imaginations to run wild.

From ‘Anna’s Health Centre’ to ‘Nancy’s Beauty Parlour’ and ‘Treats by Frances’, there is so much for children to see and do, all in an intimate, safe setting. “All the names are connected to our wee family,” explains Victoria.

The indoor mini village allows children to experience the high-street through their imagination. With areas such as a beauty salon, health centre, coffee shop, construction zone, farm shop and more, the children can let their minds run wild, while parents can relax and enjoy a cuppa with some locally sourced goodies.

With different themes proving to be a huge hit from the famed Gruffalo to dinosaurs, fan-favourite Paddington Bear is currently proudly adorning the walls of the The Wee Village, having been completely hand-painted by talented Victoria, who is a trained architect.

“The Wee Village is my everything,” outgoing Victoria explains. “Hopefully my girls and I really shine through and the passion that we all have for it. My little Frances has grown up there since she was just two months old.

“My background is in art and architecture,” says Victoria. “I gave that up whenever I met Graeme and we moved to the south of England. I lost my mum 20 years ago this September and she was always my drive for everything, she is very much still with me and very much alive in me.

“I stopped architecture and started drawing and had Art of Memories and also Art of Gifts when I had Anna and Nancy – and so whilst I have of course always gone with Graeme to where his work has been, I have always kept up my own work. My mum always taught me to always be your own woman and that was just what mum always taught me.”

After moving to Cyprus for her husband’s new role, Victoria, who also has a passion for fitness, thoroughly enjoyed a new role as a fitness instructor. Upon moving home to Northern Ireland, Victoria had been out of architecture for seven years and had given birth to her two eldest daughters, Anna and Nancy.

“I was always trying to plan with friends where we could meet with our children and it was always soft play or gymnastics and there was nowhere with imaginative, creative play. I found there was a real need for this as real, imaginative, interactive play is so important and was what we were used to at home. Nowhere here offered this and so I realised there was a real need for this in Northern Ireland. So I went to see Go For It NI and they absolutely loved the idea and told me to go and find a premises and then we could build a business plan together.

“In my head I always said I would love a barn, but never in my dreams did I think something like this would become available!

“A friend of my mum’s who I hadn’t spoken to for years sent me a lovely, kind message saying how proud my mum would be of me and the girls, it was so lovely. We were messaging back and forth and I suddenly realised Deerpark, where my mum’s friend had run her flower shop, would be the ideal place for The Wee Village.

“I couldn’t believe it when it turned out the barn was available and had just been fully renovated. It was just perfect and felt so meant to be, especially as this was always where I had gotten flowers to bring when I was visiting my mum’s grave. It was just absolutely ideal.”

Victoria opened the doors to the Wee Village in February 2020, however on 17 March 2020 the UK was ordered into lockdown due to the pandemic. Despite having been open for just five weeks, Victoria had welcomed 1100 children through the doors in that incredibly short amount of time:

“I knew my business plan worked but the pandemic felt like it ripped it away from me,” Victoria explains. “I was really upset as you can imagine, because of the unknown and I had pumped all of my money into this business to suddenly have to close the doors.

“I then became pregnant with Frances, and I very much believe that my mum saw what a difficult time I was going through and helped me and I fell pregnant with our little miracle, Frances. She is our little blessing, we didn’t think we could ever have any more children and here she is, and she is the absolute double image of my mum. This is what I truly believe.

“Having Frances really got me through this difficult time, and then we were finally able to reopen from 27 May 2021.

“The day that we reopened The Wee Village, a butterfly flew through my backdoor and landed on the rainbow at the Wee Village, which I just could not believe. I really believe my mum was telling me she was 100 per cent with me still. I associate butterflies with my mum’s memory, which is why we have butterflies throughout The Wee Village.”

Visitors will attest that there is something extremely unique about the magical, whimsical atmosphere of The Wee Village, which is something of a dreamhouse for little ones.

“I home bake all my traybakes, and we are constantly coming up with new, creative and exciting ideas for the children,” Victoria says. “I hand paint all of the new designs which allows me to bring my love of art into it, and I feel in this way, this is what will always make the Wee Village unique and stand out from the crowd.”

It is certainly the personal touches which add to the magic of The Wee Village, in addition to the cleanliness which is clear to see.

“I pride myself in the cleanliness of The Wee Village,” Victoria explains. “After every session I allow two hours for a full clean. It is not a 45-minute turnaround and people are not rushed out,” Victoria hastens to add. “We always leave time for parents, grandparents and friends to leave without feeling like they are being pushed out the door or left feeling like they are just a number.

“I am often told that people feel like they are coming to their home, and I have gotten to know and made great friends with people who have visited us at The Wee Village. I want The Wee Village to feel like their safe place, so to hear people say this means the world to me. It just means I am reminded once again that I am doing the right thing.”

The outgoing mother of three adds: “I hope my passion and my love for the place shines through.”

The Wee Village offers SEN sessions as well as group sessions and options for groups of limited numbers for children with lower immune systems or those going through medical issues. And Victoria emphasises the cleanliness of The Wee Village means parents shouldn’t worry about what little ones might pick up."

Thank you again to Might Women NI for featuring us. If you have any questions on The Wee Village or would like to ask a question, please contact us and lastly you can keep up to date with all of our news by following us on Facebook and Instagram. We offer a wide range of imaginative children's play and see families come from Ballyclare, Newtownabbey as well as Belfast, Antrim and Ballymena to visit us!

Imaginative Children’s Play Near Newtownabbey – A Must-Visit for Families | The Wee Village 2025