Despite storm Darragh’s best efforts, our Meet Santa event was a huge success earlier this month.
With the storm and strong winds forecast for the weekend, trustees made the decision to cancel on Saturday but thankfully Santa battled the elements in time for children to visit on Sunday.
As families arrived, children were so excited at the sight of the Christmas tree, Santa’s sleigh and the 1000s of lights that lit up the garden.
Our ‘elf and safety officers checked children, and parents, for Christmas spirit before ushering them into the garden towards Santa’s workshop.
Santa’s elves had transformed the greenhouse into a beautiful workshop where our crafty elves helped children make beautiful decorations to hang on their tree at home. They then scooped magic reindeer food into little sacks ready to sprinkle outside on Christmas eve and wrote their letters to Santa!
After leaving the workshop, children headed towards the Fernery where they were entertained by the naughty elves as they waited to see Santa!
The fernery looked magical. Twinkly lights hung around the walls, the Christmas tree was surrounded by presents and Santa sat in his chair welcoming children with a smile and a ho, ho, ho!
Children chatted to Santa and were thrilled that Ford Park had the REAL Santa and that he had bought Mrs Claus with him too.
After giving Santa their lists, they made sure he knew how good they had been all year, took lovely photos and left with beaming smiles clutching their gifts from Santa.
It was wonderful to see them chatting away to parents about meeting Santa as they explored the garden, hinted reindeer and climbed aboard the sleigh.
The smiles on children’s faces makes all the hard work that our team and volunteers put into making Christmas so magical for our community. And the feedback has been wonderful, so many people saying how the Ford Park Meet Santa event is one of the best they’ve been too and is now part of their family tradition.
So, a huge thank you to everyone who helped to make this event such a success. The Sants, of course, to our events sponsors, The Water Works Studio and Siemens, to Charnley’s Home and Garden for donating the beautiful Christmas tree, and to our team and volunteers who spent 2 weeks putting up lights, making reindeer, decorating the garden, organising crafts, dressing the grotto and wrapping over 400 gifts for the children.
And to you all for coming along and supporting the park this year – from all of us, Merry Christmas!
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