Santa’s On His Way to Swindon town centre. Yes! Santa Claus is returning to Swindon this Christmas! He’ll once again be setting up his popular grotto at The Brunel Shopping Centre. And, because Santa knows that times are hard he’s frozen prices from last year. And, what’s more, this year time-poor, hard-worked parents can pre-book. That way they can avoid having to queue and have more time for Christmas shopping.
Quiet times
Also, for the first time this year, The Brunel has organised special ‘quiet’ sessions during the first 30 minutes on Sundays. These sessions are for children who would prefer to visit Santa when there are fewer people around. These sessions must be pre-booked.
Where to find him
You’ll find Santa’s grotto, expertly run by a well-trained group of elves at the Brunel centre, on the ground floor, opposite Boots. It launches on Saturday November 15, and the last day is Christmas Eve.
Because of Santa’s busy seasonal commitments, the grotto isn’t open every day. So it’s advisable to check opening times in advance and take advantage of the online booking.
Every child receives a small gift and the chance to tell Santa what they’d like for Christmas. There will also be a post box near the grotto, for children to pop their letters to Santa.
Santa was a little too busy for an interview. But Laura Hepple – centre manager of The Brunel, has been liaising with his North Pole team. And she said: ‘We’re delighted to be welcoming Santa back to The Brunel for our traditional grotto. We know for some families, every penny helps, which is why we’ve kept the cost to meet Santa the same as last year.
Being able to prebook for the first time will mean shorter queuing times for families. And we hope families who prefer visiting when it’s less busy, will take advantage of the ‘quiet’ sessions on Sundays.’
Families can book up to four children per time slot, and the cost is £4.50 per child. Walk-ins are still welcome but it’s recommended that you pre-booking to reduce queuing times.
Booking is available via https://www.bookfatherchristmas.co.uk/TheBrunel, and there is an additional £1 admin fee per booking.
