Santa and his elves are going to have a very busy time at a Shrewsbury-based leisure business in the run up to Christmas this year.
In addition to welcoming children to his grotto at Salop Leisure’s Emstrey headquarters, he will be hosting Tea with Santa every day of the week during December up to Christmas and will be lost in a sea of lookalikes for the Santa and Elf Dash.
Shrewsbury’s largest outdoor festive synthetic skating rink also returns as Salop Leisure is planning an extra special, action-packed and fun-filled festive season.
The Salop Christmas Adventure begins on the weekend of November 23-24 when Salop Leisure hosts the Shropshire Handmade and Creative Christmas Gift Fair. More than 60 local traders will be offering handmade, home designed, artisan products and food all under one roof.
Free admission and parking are offered for the fair, which will be open from 10am to 5pm on the Saturday and Sunday.
The weekend also sees the opening of Santa’s Grotto with parents able to book their child’s visit online atwww.salopchristmas.co.uk to avoid disappointment. Elves will guide children through Toyshop Lane to the grotto where Santa will be waiting to hear Christmas wishes.
A charge of £9 per child will be made to visit Santa, which includes a gift and a souvenir photograph. Last year, Santa welcomes more than 1,600 children to his grotto at Salop Leisure.
In addition, Shrewsbury’s largest outdoor festive outdoor synthetic skating rink will be opening at the Love2Stay resort next to Salop Leisure’s headquarters. The 96 square metre rink, which can accommodate up to 20 skaters at one time, will be open every day until December 23 with skaters charged £8.50 each for 45 minutes.
Extra activities on offer for children during the festive season at Love2Stay’s Adventure Centre include supervised zorbing on the pool. Children will also be able to paint tealight holders and make Christmas decorations.
Children wishing to have tea with Santa at Love2Stay during December must pre-book online. Tea will be served at 4pm during the week and at 11am, 2pm and 4pm at the weekends for a cost of £12 per child and £5 per adult. There will also be a chance to post a letter in the North Pole letterbox and to watch a festive film in a cinedrome with cookies, blankets and hot chocolate.
As no home would be complete without a real Christmas tree during the festive season, Love Plants at Salop Leisure will again be selling freshly cut and potted trees in a range of sizes. Prices start at £22 for varieties including Nordman Fir, Fraser Fir, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce and Noble Fir.
The Salop Santa Dash and Elf Dash take place on Sunday, December 1, starting and finishing at Love2Stay. The Santa Dash covers a five kilometre course around the beautiful grounds of Salop Leisure, Love2Stay and Love2Live.
The £12 entry fee includes a Santa suit and medal, and participants can choose to run, jog or walk. New this year is the Elf Dash, which is and designed for children under the age of eight and covers a 1.1 kilometre course. The £6 entry fee includes a suit and medal.
The charity chosen to benefit from the dashes this year is Shrewsbury Town in the Community, which needs to raise £1 million a year to deliver 39 different programmes for people of all ages in the community.
To add to the festive experience, Love Coffee restaurant will be serving up special Christmas treats for visitors and Love Plants will have wreaths, decorations and Christmas gifts on offer from November 23 and throughout December.
“The Salop Christmas Adventure will definitely be the place to be this Christmas,” said Ed Glover, Salop Leisure’s marketing manager. “We have planned something for everyone and hope our exciting programme of Christmas activities will make the festive season magical for our customers who have young families.”
For full details, visit www.salopchristmas.co.uk
