Parents angry at ‘ridiculous’ long wait to see Santa
TWO-AND-HALF HOURS QUEUING AT BELVOIR CASTLE
PARENTS and families were left angry and upset after an “administrative issue” left them queueing for two-and-a-half hours to get into Santa’s grotto at Belvoir Castle.
Visitors were left waiting without anywhere to sit and one mum was so concerned about overcrowding she rang the police.
The parents, taking their kids to see Santa, paid up to £14 per person to experience the festivities at Belvoir Castle.
But instead, the families found themselves “shuffling” down corridors in huge queues, leading some to give up completely on getting in.
The castle is now closed following advice from local authorities, reports The Mirror.
A spokesman for Belvoir Castle, home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, said the delay was caused by administrative issues and apologised to guests. Lucinda Smith, one of the mums in the queue, is eight months pregnant and was forced to wait two hours in the queue with nowhere to sit.
The 39-year-old, from Northamptonshire said it was “ridiculous”.
She, her husband and children eventually gave up altogether. “We thought it would be a bit of a treat but we just wasted the whole day,” she said.
Another guest, Rebecca Leigh, branded the event a “shambles”. “It’s been such a rubbish year and this was one nice thing to look forward to but it was really poor and badly organised,” she said. Rachel Nash, from Corby, had brought her relatives along, thinking she would be taking them for an enjoyable end of year event. Instead, she felt “embarrassed” she took them along as all they did was shuffle down a corridor.
The 55-year old said: “It felt like they were just trying to ram as many people as they could in. It was an absolute disgrace.”
Leicestershire Police confirmed officers attended the event after a member of the public reported their concerns about social distancing.
No fines or warnings were issued.
They spoke with organisers of the event who told them marshals were there managing the queues, and everyone was being asked to wear a face mask where possible.
A spokeswoman for Belvoir Castle said: “We apologise unreservedly to all guests inconvenienced or disappointed by our Santa’s Grotto experience.
“Due to administrative issues, it fell way below acceptable standards and we will be refunding in full anyone who purchased tickets for that day.”
Before deciding it should be shut, they had intended to introduce new time slots for the grotto.
On their website, they said an alternative outside grotto, as well as the castle gardens, might be able to open onwards in the final runup to Christmas.
It felt like they were just trying to ram as many people as they could in. It was a disgrace Rachel Nash