Staff at a Shrewsbury-based caravan, motorhome and campervan dealership and specialist plants centre will be pulling out all the stops to make this year’s festive season extra special for customers.

Salop Leisure and Love Plants are turning their Emstrey sales centres into a winter wonderland, with a Santa’s Grotto in a log cabin, Christmas trees and plants for sale and a menu on offer in the Love Coffee restaurant. 

The company is also hosting Shropshire Handmade and Vintage Christmas Fair on November 26 and 27, which will be even bigger and better, with 60 stalls sold out. The stalls will be selling a wide range of unique handmade and vintage craft and giftware as well as food from Shropshire and the bordering counties, as the fair is set to fill Salop Leisure’s showroom and extend into sister business Love Plants’ building next door. Entry and parking are free. 

Salop Leisure will be launching its new Santa’s Grotto at the fair where there will be entertainment by Christmas bellringers, carol singers, a pottery workshop and children’s crafts area. The popular grotto will be open every weekend until Christmas as well as every day in the week leading up to December 25.

Complimentary children’s face painting will be available on December, 10, 11, 17 and 18, entertainer Pop Up Princess Sophia I will be joining in the Christmas celebrations from 11am on December 4 and 18 and Shrewsbury Salvation Army Band will be paying a visit on December 9 and 16 to play Christmas carols between 11am to 2pm.

To add to the Christmas atmosphere, Andy McKeown from Wild Strawberry will be providing a snow display light show every weekend the grotto is open. Visit to Santa in his grotto costs £7, which includes a professional photograph to take home

Specialist plant centre Love Plants will have freshly cut Christmas trees, in sizes to suit all homes, available for sale from £18 from November 26 together with decorations and wreaths. Customers who spend more than £35 on Christmas trees at Love Plants between November 26 and December 24 will receive a £5 discount.

As part of its festive offering, Love Coffee restaurant will be selling a coffee and mince pies for two for £3.50 between 2pm and 4pm from December 1 to 24.

Tony Bywater, Salop Leisure’s chairman, “Rather than closing up in December like some in the caravan industry do, we spend thousands of pounds transforming our sales centre into a winter wonderland.

“We hope to attract hundreds of young families to Santa’s Grotto and our other Christmas attractions. Christmas is a special time of the year and it’s important that we create some magic for our customers who have young families.

“Christmas is also a great time to meet old friends and we extend a warm invitation to customers to come and have a glass of mulled wine with us over the festive period.”