Festive magic for all the family at St Catherine’s Christmas Festival!

A giant snow globe and real reindeers are just two of the exciting new attractions confirmed for this year’s St Catherine’s Christmas Festival, as the charity organises a fantastic festive celebration guaranteed to end their 30th anniversary year on a high.

This is the fourth year the hospice has transformed their gorgeous grounds into a magical winter wonderland for the event, and this time is set to be extra special as their milestone 30th year draws to a close.

The event takes place over the weekend of Saturday December 5 and Sunday December 6, with Sunday’s event also featuring the annual St Catherine’s sponsored Santa Dash and Rudolph Rumble.

The charity’s target in their 30th anniversary Give A Gift campaign is to have 300 Santas and Rudolphs taking part, so they are encouraging people to sign up now and show their support.

The highlight of Saturday’s event is set to be the visit of reindeers Rudolph and Blitzen – festival goers will be able to have their photo taken with them and their sleigh, and feed them some reindeer food.

Other attractions which will be there for the whole weekend include a giant snow globe which visitors can have fun inside. The hospice is launching the #MySnowGlobeSelfie campaign to coincide with the festival, and will be encouraging people to snap a selfie and upload it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, tagging the charity and helping to spread the word about the event.

A craft fayre, a host of gift stalls, a pop-up ice rink, Santa’s grotto and festive entertainment are just some of the other things on offer over the weekend. The Mill Café will be open as usual, and the catering team will also be out in the grounds serving up tasty winter warmers including hog roast, chilli and nachos, parched peas and roasted chestnuts.

Rachel Hewitt, head of trading at St Catherine’s and festival organiser, encouraged people to come along and join in the fun.

She said: “We have had an incredible year celebrating our 30th anniversary in all sorts of different ways and have been delighted with the support we’ve received from the local community.

“After our summer of special 30th birthday events, we’re determined to ensure the year ends on a high with a fantastic Christmas Festival, featuring new attractions which we hope offer something for everyone.

“We’re particularly excited to have the reindeers here on the Saturday for the first time – they are such a symbol of Christmas and we know the children are going to love meeting a real-life Rudolph in the flesh! The snow globe is also new for 2015 and we’re looking forward to seeing our supporters perfecting their pouts and sharing their selfies.

“Not only is the festival a great Christmas event which brings the community together, it also raises important funds to pay for the specialised care St Catherine’s provides. As we end our 30th year and look ahead to 2016, it’s important that we can build on all that we’ve achieved with our supporters’ help this year, to ensure that the hospice can continue caring for local people now, and in the future.”

Leyland Trucks have once again offered their support by allowing the hospice to operate a park and ride system from their nearby car park. Regular shuttle buses will be running between the hospice and the factory between 10.45am and 3.15pm each day. Parking for blue badge holders will be available on the hospice site.

Registration for the Santa Dash is £10 for adults and £5 for under 18s while the Rudolph Rumble – for eights and under – costs £5. All include either a Santa suit or red nose and antlers. To sign up click here or call 01772 629171.

Share with your friends!