Calderdale welcomes one of UK’s largest escape rooms at ROKT climbing centre

The biggest escape room outside of London will soon throw open its doors – and then swiftly close them on visitors taking part – in the basement of a former Calderdale flour mill.
Euan Noble and Benn Stoker at the new escape room in BrighouseEuan Noble and Benn Stoker at the new escape room in Brighouse
Euan Noble and Benn Stoker at the new escape room in Brighouse

Brighouse-based Operation Clearsafe spans seven rooms and has seen heavy investment to the tune of £55,000.

It is based at Project Breakout located inside the ROKT climbing and activity centre.

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Project Clearsafe is the brain child of Benn Stoker who said: " A few years ago we stumbled upon a little room in my brain where these ideas for our escape rooms come from.

"It started as an interest and now it's my passion, creating rooms that entertain and challenge people on ever increasing and possibly terrifying levels.

“The fact we've had to delve into the bowels of a disused subterranean flour silo means we've got a naturally dramatic, tense and atmospheric location before we've even really started work.

"Using a blend of cutting-edge technology and old school human interaction, we've created something big, something special and something that will scare people – but in a good way.

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"We believe it will be the biggest escape room experience in Yorkshire, which will add to the already amazing rooms spread all over the county in what is now a really strong independent sector. ”

Operation Clearsafe eatures cutting-edge technology with stunning sound and lighting effects, created by a team of in-house coders.

The new escape experience based on a storyline of a top-secret facility where inhumane experiments have been taking place on humans and animals alike features live actors, jump scares and confined spaces in the only 75 minute long game in Yorkshire.

Bosses at Project Breakout believe gamers from all over the country will visit to take on the new experience.

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ROKT is also home to the UK's highest outdoor man-made climbing wall and multiple award-winning pub & restaurant, The Millers Bar and 47 Grains, all adding to the credentials of the site as the adrenaline capital of Yorkshire.

Euan Noble, joint-owner of Project Breakout, said: “Everything we do at ROKT is about pushing the boundaries and putting Yorkshire at the forefront of visitor experiences, whether it's climbing or escaping from a Project Breakout room.

"This new project takes us to a whole new level and shows what can be done with imagination, hard work, some investment and by doing so repurposing old buildings to bring out the best in them while harnessing their naturally dramatic look and feel.”

Escape rooms are now big business with Yorkshire one of the regions leading the way in the sector nationally. Escape rooms are worth around £5m to the Yorkshire economy, according to industry expert Ken Ferguson. In May 2014 there was only 1 escape room in the county compared to 134 as of December 2018, showing the explosion in openings in Yorkshire. There are now around 1,300 across the entire UK.

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Ken Ferguson, industry analyst from The Logic Escapes Me, added: “Yorkshire is at the heart of the industry's growth with games appearing that push the boundaries of the genre – whether that's in the format of the experience, the quality of the set or the stories they're exploring.

“Project Breakout's new game is a great example of that with their longer format and interesting location allowing them to create a more engaging experience for the players. Combining that with the quality that was evident in their previous experiences, I have no doubt Operation Clearsafe will be a huge success.”