Santa’s Grotto raises over £800 for Mayor’s charity

A grotto which saw families flock to Northampton town centre to see Santa this Christmas has helped raise more than £800 for the Mayor’s chosen charity.

The attraction in Grosvenor Shopping Northampton was a huge hit over the festive season, with hundreds of families popping in for their own private appointment with Father Christmas himself.

Families were asked for a donation of £1 and the money raised will now be handed to Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service – the chosen charity of Mayor of Northampton Rufia Ashraf.

Mark Mullen, operations manager of Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), which staged the grotto, said: “We loved seeing so many families visiting the town centre to see Santa in our grotto. Our team have immensely enjoyed meeting all of the families and hope that we were able to provide some magical memories.”

The grotto formed part of a suite of seasonal activities staged in the town centre to mark the Christmas period.

Rufia Ashraf, Mayor of Northampton, said: “This Christmas, Northampton really was turned into a winter wonderland, with so many things going on for all the family. The grotto was a massive success and I’m delighted hundreds of families were able to see Santa while helping to raise funds for such a brilliant cause.”

Zoë Tatham, NDAS Business Manager, said: “We are incredibly grateful for this wonderful donation and we would like to thank all those families who donated as part of their visit to see Father Christmas. This money will make a huge difference to our work as we continue to support victims of domestic abuse across the county.”

If you, or someone you know is affected by domestic abuse, please call NDAS any time on 0300 0120154 or for more information on services available visit www.ndas.co/.

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