Abertillery families enjoy free Grotto visits during tough winter

With a Santa’s Grotto typically costing upwards of £10 per child, the expense for some households is becoming an additional burden during an already tough winter.

To support families during this time, local care provider ND Care & Support held free grotto visits where children were able to meet Santa and his elves and receive a special gift, straight from the North Pole.

Between April and September this year, Food charity the Trussell Trust said foodbank usage had increased by 11 per cent on last year. These numbers are expected to grow during the holidays as more pressure is put on families to do more with less.

Emily Tune, CEO of New Directions, which was lead sponsor of the recent Pride of Gwent Awards, said she hoped the grotto helped local families make some special memories.

Emily said: “The festive season is one of my favourite times of the year, but it can be especially important for families with young children as the excitement for Santa, and yes - presents, grows!

“Visiting Santa has become one of the ‘must-do’ Christmas traditions, but as we’ve seen over the past few years, it can also be expensive, especially as the cost of living has grown so rapidly.

“We’ve worked within the community of Abertillery for a long time and this year we wanted to try and make a bigger impact and give as many local children some special memories.

“So, I reached out to a friend of mine at the North Pole, and thankfully, she was able to get a few elves and Mr Claus himself to come down to Abertillery with a few gifts. We’ve repaid him in sherry and mince pies, and nabbed a few carrots for Rudolph and his fellow reindeer.”

The grotto visits took place at the New Directions ND Care & Support office on Somerset Street between December 5 and 9.