Lights out in the grotto this Christmas
A beloved piece of Christmas magic has no home in Marton this year.
Granny’s Christmas Grotto has been run by Jenny Greener for 25 years, but the poor state of its premises means the ornaments will be staying in storage this December.
For the past two years, the grotto has been running out of a shop on Broadway in Marton, provided by Rangitı¯kei District Council.
In a Facebook post, Greener said the deterioration of the building was starting to damage the grotto’s props and decorations, meaning the building was no longer a viable venue.
She said she had known she would only be able to use this venue for two years at most.
The grotto takes eight weeks to set up, which has ruled out finding a new location for 2018.
Greener said in the past she has received offers from Sanson, Whanganui and Feilding to host the grotto, but she wants it to remain ‘‘Marton’s little treasure’’ so she was reluctant to move it out of town.
Greener was originally running the grotto out of her home but in 2012 she decided to move it into town, partly to reclaim her house for private Christmas celebrations, and partly because her collection of Christmas regalia had outgrown her home.
She said more than 10,000 people had visited the grotto in the past five years, and hoped to have the grotto back in action in 2019.