A grotto which saw families flock to Northampton to see Santa this Christmas has helped raise £689 for a charity keeping visitors to the town centre safe at night.
The attraction in Grosvenor Shopping Northampton, staged by Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with Northampton Town Council, 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 has now been handed to Northampton Guardians, a charity that has been providing a safeguarding and welfare service in the town centre since 2021.
Mark Mullen, operations manager of Northampton Town Centre BID, 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 the BID’s suite of seasonal activities staged in the town centre to mark the Christmas period, including the annual Golden Ticket giveaway, 24-hour Christmas radio via NLive Radio and street entertainers, plus complementary activities in the Market Square on the three Saturdays in the build-up to Christmas as well as a skating rink in January in partnership with Northampton Town Council and West Northamptonshire Council.
The grotto was handbuilt by students from the construction course at Northampton College while props were sourced through Rockin’ Roadrunner.
Volunteering in Northampton Town Centre on Friday and Saturday, the Northampton Guardians work in partnership with the OPFCC, Northamptonshire Police, East Midlands Ambulance Service, Northampton Street Pastors and local venues to ensure the safety of everyone enjoying the nighttime economy.
Gill Goodship, treasurer at Northampton Guardians, 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.”
For more details visit www.northamptonbid.co.uk
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