‘I know times have been hard but he’s pulling my leg if he thinks I’m paying £66’
PARENTS BLAST £18-A-CHILD CHARGE TO VISIT SANTA IN DERBYSHIRE GROTTO
A DERBYSHIRE Christmas grotto has come under fire from parents for being too expensive.
Garden King in Swadlincote is facing criticism from mums on Facebook for charging up to £18 for a children’s ticket, as well as an extra £6 for a mandatory accompanying adult.
Babies under 12 months are also charged £6 to join in on the festivities.
The 40-minute experience begins when visitors are checked-in by an elf and taken to Santa’s kitchen to see Mrs Claus.
Here children will make magical reindeer food, a mixture of bird seeds and oats, to take home and sprinkle in their gardens on Christmas Eve.
This is followed by a trip to see Jingles, Garden King’s post person, where youngsters can write a letter to Santa Claus.
Then families are taken through to meet Santa in his lodge, be read a story and have their picture taken by a professional photographer.
Children are also given a small gift, like a doll or little toy car, before heading out for a walk through magical woodland.
Children cannot attend the event alone and must be accompanied by a paying adult on their visit.
The experience would cost a family of two adults and two children £57 to visit during peak times, which started last week.
This is without the additional cost of the professional photograph, which comes in a variety of formats such as keyrings, and starts at £5.
Parents on the Spotted Hilton Facebook group have said that forking out such a large amount of money at an already expensive time of the year is “ridiculous”.
The post made on December 6 included a picture of tickets costing £66 and read: “Can anyone recommend anywhere *cheaper* to see the big man?
“I know times have been hard this last couple of years but he’s pulling my leg if he thinks I’m paying £66.”
There were a total of 33 comments made on the post.
One parent said: “That is a ridiculous price,” to which the original poster responded: “Absolutely, that’s only three children but adults have to pay too apparently.”
Another mum commented: “That’s got to be a typo.”
However some Facebook users came to Garden King’s defence, and one user wrote: “I think cause this is a whole experience not just seeing Santa, you get woodland walk, elf workshop, and the kitchen to make food for the reindeers.
“Ours was cheaper than this, about £40, but we’re not going at peak.”
In response to these criticisms, Garden King said they believe the activity is fairly priced for what children get.
The garden centre emphasised that guests are paying for a longer experience, with four different activities, and are welcome to stay for a couple of hours if they wish to do so.
When asked why adults must pay £6 for the experience, Garden King said that Santa’s Grotto offers something for all ages, and adults can enjoy seeing the reindeer on the woodland walk. However, the woodland walk is not accessible with a pushchair or wheelchair, meaning that babies would have to be carried, but the garden centre does provide pushchair parking.
Can anyone recommend anywhere *cheaper* to see the big man?
Parent’s Facebook post