A food and farming themed visitor attraction is part of a multi-million pound scheme to launch a National Centre for Rural Enterprise in Coventry.

The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) is behind the idea to create an international centre of excellence for agriculture, land and rural resource management at its headquarters in Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.

Among the proposals, which include a rural science and technology business park, an international livestock centre, an international equine centre and a rural education centre, is Destination Stoneleigh Park, a range of year-round visitor attractions.

Focusing on a number of key themes such as the food chain, the living countryside and the world of plants, proposed attractions include a virtual reality ride which could shrink the audience to the size of a field mouse to tell the story of crops and a magic carpet ride across the British countryside.

Other potential attractions include a themed adventure park, a virtual zoo of Britain's birds, fish and wildlife, interactive exhibits explaining science and technology and a bakery, microbrewer and sweet factory.

A new purpose-built centre will house the entertainment and educational exhibits, which RACE says will aim to involve every audience.

Initial discussions with potential stakeholders in the project, including the government, representative organisations and rural businesses, are said to have been positive. Industry-wide consultation is currently underway, while The Royal Show will host a detailed launch of the project in July.

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