Santa Claus is returning to Swindon this Christmas, and will once again be setting up his popular grotto at The Brunel Shopping Centre.
Prices have been frozen from last year and not only that, this time it is possible to pre-book, so families can avoid queuing and have more to time to spend Christmas shopping.
Also, for the first time this year, The Brunel has organised special ‘quiet’ sessions during the first 30 minutes on Sundays. These have been specially designed for children who would prefer to visit Santa when there are fewer people around. These sessions must be pre-booked.
Santa’s Grotto – expertly run by a highly trained group of elves – will be hosted at The Brunel, on the ground floor, opposite Boots. It launches on Saturday November 15, and the last day is Christmas Eve.
Because of Santa’s busy seasonal commitments, the grotto isn’t open every day, so families are advised to check opening times in advance and take advantage of the online booking.
Every child receives a small gift and the chance to tell Santa what they’d like for Christmas. There will also be a post box near the grotto, for children to pop their letters to Santa.
Santa was a little busy to be interviewed, but Laura Hepple – Centre Manager of The Brunel, who has been liaising with his North Pole team – said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Santa back to The Brunel for our traditional grotto. We know for some families, every penny helps, which is why we’ve kept the cost to meet Santa the same as last year.
“Being able to prebook for the first time will mean shorter queuing times for families, and we hope families who prefer visiting when it’s less busy, will take advantage of the ‘quiet’ sessions on Sundays.”
Families can book up to four children per time slot, and the cost is £4.50 per child. Walk-ins are still welcome but prebooking is recommended, to reduce queuing times. Booking is available via https://www.bookfatherchristmas.co.uk/TheBrunel, and there is an additional £1 admin fee per booking.
Article by Jo Smyth, Word Worker
