A Leeds primary school has set up a magical Christmas grotto to give children and families the chance to meet Father Christmas. Valley View Primary School in Rodley, Leeds has created a magical space to make sure children do not miss out on the full Christmas experience.
Due to the cost of living crisis, lots of families are facing hardship and some cannot afford to pay to take their children to see Santa Claus. Valley View decided to create the grotto to make sure children got a chat with Father Christmas and a present, there is a nominal cost to cover the gifts of £5.
To avoid making Christmas too materialistic, Santa is giving each of the children a book, to encourage reading and make sure their visit is worthwhile. The grotto was setup with help from local businesses and residents so that Christmas could be more affordable for parents
Read More: Leeds GP practices where it's hardest to get a face-to-face appointment
A very small team at the school created the hut, which is covered with fairy lights with the inside themed to look like a traditional Lapland lodge. Outside there is a firepit where children and families have been gathering to view the stars and look across the views of West Leeds.
Sarah Griggs, headteacher of Valley View Primary said the grotto is 'incredible' and unlike anything else she has seen in all her years working in schools.
She told LeedsLive: “It is quite incredible, I have never seen anything like that in all my years working in a school. We wanted to make sure all our families could access seeing Santa if they wanted to, in these hard times.”
“The team spent hours and hours working on it, working with local businesses, so that we could have a Lapland-type experience for our children, when Santa arrives, we light our firepit, and we have views over West Leeds, last night we were watching the stars.”
“It is just incredible, the feedback from families, the parents are in tears at being able to see Santa. The focus is not on being materialistic, Santa is giving every child a book, that reinforces reading which is a great thing for children.
“It’s an experience, rather than children adding to their list of material items, what we really noticed last night, the children who saw Santa last night, were so swept up with the experience that they carried their presents out and they didn’t even rush to open them. The children were overawed with the experience of meeting Santa.”
Read next:
