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The Green Team creates Santa’s Woodland Experience

Cambridge Regional College and Hinchingbrooke Country Park have come together to create a fully inclusive Santa’s Woodland Experience which will be open to the public from Thursday 16th to Thursday 23rd December.

Over the last few months, The Green Team at Cambridge Regional College and the events team at Hinchingbrooke Country Park have been planning a Grotto experience with a difference that will see visitors enjoying an experience like no other. 

Café and Events Supervisor, Teresa Fairchild said, “As a mother I know what my son and I have enjoyed and disliked during our visits to Santa’s Grotto over the years, and this has been fundamental in the planning for this grotto. The queue has always been the least enjoyable aspect of the visit, so we decided to incorporate this into the experience.”

The Green Team

The Green Team started working on the big build last week, creating a maze of willow tunnels leading to individual Elf pods en route to Santa Claus. The team of adult learners from the Special Educational Needs department at Cambridge Regional College have been working hard throughout the week to ensure the Grotto was ready for the official opening.

Andrew Fountain, Supported Learning Supervisor at CRC commented, “We have been working with Hinchingbrooke Country Park for many years on a range of projects and this is another example of how partnership working enables our adult learners to support their local community. Projects such as these are an ideal way for our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities learners to develop their skill set and employability skills.

During the visit, the children meet Santa’s elves, Sing-a-ling-ding-dong, Merry Berry, Treaty, Arty and Lil Wrapper, each of which entertain their guests with a unique experience. The penultimate pod will see the children stumble across Mr and Mrs Claus where they will have the chance to talk about their Christmas wishes before making their way to Lil Wrapper who will present them with a Christmas gift.

Teresa added, “The design of the Grotto has allowed us to be fully compliant with Covid guidelines, while offering a tailored experience to our guests. All groups get their own personal experience in the safest manner possible. We believe that everyone should receive a unique experience that suits their family, and I think we have created this.”

The Santa’s Grotto is located at the Countryside Centre at Hinchingbrooke Country Park. For more information visit the Hinchingbrooke Country Park Facebook page or reserve your tickets at www.ticketsource.co.uk/hcp.


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