Primary Times Staffordshire WHAT’S ON WHERE through our fantastic Christmas lights and visit to Santa. Book online. Christmas Craft Fair St Chads Church ST16 2HP www.staffordbc.gov.uk Free to attend. Come along and see what’s on offer! Middleport Pottery’s Christmas Lights Switch On Middleport Pottery ST6 3PE www.stoke.gov.uk Join us for Christmas Stories on the boat, traditional carol singers and period costume all in our beautifully lit Victorian pottery factory. Victorian Christmas Fun Day Gladstone Pottery Museum ST3 1PQ www.stokemuseums.org.uk Start the Christmas season in style and join us for a day of festive fun for the whole family. Enjoy seasonal stories from characters from Dickens’ Christmas Carol, join our naughty elves in a snowball fight and take part in Christmas craft activities. There may even be a very special visitor in a red suit! Victorian Christmas Lights Switch On Middleport Pottery ST6 3PE www.middleportpottery.org The start of our Victorian Christmas Programme. Join us for Christmas tales on the boat, traditional carol singers and period costume all in our beautifully lit Victorian pottery factory. Celebrate the Season Emma Bridgewater Factory ST1 3EJ www.emmabridgewaterfactory.co.uk Enjoy the sights, sounds and scents of Christmas the Factory. Meet our reindeer friends, learn to make Emma’s Christmas pudding, come to a wreath making demonstration with Carol Siddorn, make clay decorations in the studio and have a go at our free festive trail to win a treat. Free entry, no booking required, £2.50 charge for clay activity only. 1 Dec – 2 Dec Christmas at a Victorian Mill Etruria Industrial Museum ST1 4RB www.etruriamuseum.org.uk During steaming weekends the mill will be in steam from 12:30-4:30pm with the engine starting on the hour. Guided tours commence at 20 minutes past the preceding hour. Please be in the engine house 10 minutes before each steaming starts. Christmas Food and Gift Fair National Memorial Arboretum DE13 7AR www.thenma.org.uk Enjoy exploring the beautiful wintry landscape of the Arboretum before browsing for those perfect handmade Christmas gifts and tasty festive treats at our Christmas Food and Gift Fair. Children’s craft activities are also available and tasty festive snacks and meals will be available in our restaurant. The Johnson Family Christmas Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum WS13 6LG www.samueljohnsonbirthplace.org.uk Enjoy the historic house decorated for Christmas, with activities for all ages and events throughout the weekend including carol singing, storytelling, mulled wine, magic and special moving displays! 1 Dec – 15 Dec Winter Wonderland...Beaudesert Activity Centre WS15 4JJ www.beaudesert.org Activities include a range of indoor and outdoor activities, Christmas lunch, a visit to Santa, campfire and our fantastic Christmas lights. Book online. Father Christmas’s Grotto Kedleston Hall DE22 5JH www.nationaltrust.org.uk Visit Father Christmas in his magical Christmas Grotto and enjoy some craft activities with his little helpers. Father Christmas has called into Kedleston’s stables this year. Your experience will include a gift from Father Christmas as well as the craft activities which we will have taking place. Please note that advanced booking is essential, please book the most suitable slot for you. There may be a little wait but Father Christmas will see you within this time slot. 1 Dec – 16 Dec Santa’s Grotto Cannock Chase Forest WS15 2UQ www.forestryengland.uk Santa’s Grotto will be open to the public on Weekends (open at 10am and queue closes at 3pm) between Saturday 24th November and Sunday 16th December. The Grotto will also be open on late nights on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th December (open at 4pm and queue closes at 7pm). See online for confirmed venue and bookings. Christmas Lantern Workshop Shugborough Estate ST17 0XB www.nationaltrust.org.uk Create your own special lantern in preparation for our magical lantern parade later in the month. Book a slot or drop by to craft your very own paper pyramid lantern. 1 Dec – 20 Dec Crafty Christmas Cookies Kedleston Hall DE22 5JH www.nationaltrust.org.uk Come along and make your very own 2019 calendar. Order a hot chocolate and a cookie and collect a craft pack to make up your very own calendar for 2019. All children must be supervised by an adult at all times. Christmas at Shugborough Shugborough Estate ST17 0XB www.nationaltrust.org.uk Join us at this magical time of year when the estate is showing off its seasonal best inside and out. Be delighted by themed decorations that adorn the Mansion, Servants’ Quarters and Park Farm House, and treat yourself to some warming indulgences from our tea-room. Christmas Tree Sales at Kedleston Hall Kedleston Hall DE22 5JH www.nationaltrust.org.uk This December, choose your ideal Christmas tree from a wide range of British sustainably grown trees, with a size to suit your home. All proceeds go towards caring for the parkland at Kedleston Hall. 1 Dec – 22 Dec December Christmas Wish List The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery ST1 3DW www.stokemuseums.org.uk Ozzy has written his Christmas wish list. Try and find all the items on his list. £1 per trail and includes a free pencil. 1 Dec – 23 Dec Santa’s Enchanted Village Amerton Farm ST18 0LA www.amertonfarm.co.uk Visit Santa’s Grotto in the enchanted village, hidden away in the woods. Full details and booking online. Family Christmas Crafts Kedleston Hall DE22 5JH www.nationaltrust.org.uk Come along and drop in for some bird themed Christmas crafts in the Stables. Normal admission charges apply to the park for non National Trust members. Twelve Days of Calke’s Christmas Calke Abbey DE73 7LE www.nationaltrust.org.uk Christmas weekends at Calke are a magical time to make memories with the family. Find inspiration at the Christmas gift and food markets in the Riding School, then explore the grounds to discover twelve festive displays, telling stories from Calke’s past. As darkness falls, follow a twinkling trail of lights and illuminations through the Pleasure Grounds to the church, and catch a glimpse of the house lit up in festive lights. Squirt’s Stable will be open for Christmas crafts. Father Christmas in his Grotto Calke Abbey DE73 7LE www.nationaltrust.org.uk Father Christmas is returning to his magical stable grotto this year! Tell him just how good you’ve been this year and what special gifts you are hoping to receive on Christmas morning, then Father Christmas will give you an early Christmas present. Online booking is essential. Santa Specials Foxfield Railway ST11 9BG www.foxfieldrailway.co.uk A truly fun packed Christmas awaits on board Santa’s magical train journey, delivering an abundance of festive cheer and merriment. Gently winding through the scenic Staffordshire countryside enjoy a 5 1/2 mile round trip festive train ride. Book online. The Churnet Valley Railway: Santa and Steam 2018 Churnet Valley Railway ST10 2HA www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk Get Christmas off to a magical start by riding the Santa Express. Sit back and enjoy the Santa Express as it steams through the Staffordshire Moorlands. Santa strolls through the train bearing wonderful gifts for each little boy and girl whilst Mum and dad can relax and enjoy a mince pie and a glass of sherry in garland filled coaches which will delight all. Breakfast with Father Christmas Kedleston Hall DE22 5JH www.nationaltrust.org.uk Enjoy a wholesome cooked English breakfast in the great kitchen with tea/ coffee or squash. Father Christmas will be making an appearance and he will be joining you to hand out presents to all of the children. Why not capture this special memory with a photograph of your family and Father Christmas. Booking required. Christmas Lapland Experience Blithbury Reindeer Lodge WS15 3HY www.blithburyreindeerlodge.co.uk Join us at Blithbury Reindeer Lodge in the lead up to Christmas and get into the festive spirit. Meet and feed our beautiful herd of reindeer, visit Father Christmas in his traditional Scandinavian style Grotto, explore our soft play area and be entertained by our Punch and Judy performance with a Christmas twist! Additional activities are also available. 1 Dec – 24 Dec Breakfast With Santa Amerton Farm ST18 0LA www.amertonfarm.co.uk Enjoy a festive Christmas breakfast with Santa! Full details and booking online. Santa Specials Brownhills West Station, Chasewater Country Park WS8 7NL www.chasewaterrailway.co.uk Santa will visit you on the train and his helper’s will give out presents. All trains will be steam hauled, subject to availability, and the whole train will be festively decorated. Book online. Christmas in the Home Black Country Living Museum Trust DY1 4SQ www.bclm.co.uk It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Stroll around 26 acres of shops and houses and get a snapshot of Christmas past. From Victorian lavishness to wartime Christmas on the ration, visitors can enter the homes of the past as characters prepare for the big day. See online for full details. Santa Hunts Black Country Living Museum Trust DY1 4SQ www.bclm.co.uk Children and adults alike can join the fun-filled search for Santa, alongside the museum’s festive costumed guides, in an unforgettable Christmas experience. Meeting a series of characters along the way, children can solve enchanting clues, sprinkle “magic dust” on reindeer shoes and even send letters up the chimney to Santa’s workshop. Book online. 1 Dec – 30 Dec Christmas Crafts and Activities Sudbury Hall and National Museum Of Childhood DE6 5HT www.nationaltrust.org.uk Join us at Christmas in the beautiful surroundings of Sudbury Hall to make something special to take home. Christmas Activities Sudbury Hall and National Museum Of Childhood DE6 5HT www.nationaltrust.org.uk Discover Regency pop-up activities along the Hall visitor route. Spark your imagination and get hands-on with table-top activities or dress up with props and costumes. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 1 Dec – 6 Jan Christmas Tree Festival Lichfield Cathedral WS13 7LD www.lichfield-cathedral.org A wonderful array of real Christmas trees decorated by schools, charities and businesses. Vote for your favourite! Open daily except 25 December. 2 Dec Christmas Family Day Museum Of Cannock Chase WS12 1TD www.museumofcannockchase.org Our annual Christmas Family Day returns with festive fun for everyone. Free admission, small charges for some activities. Visit Father Christmas in his twinkly cottage. Christmas Fayre 2018 RSPB Sandwell Valley B43 5AG www.rspb.org.uk Drop into the visitor centre any time between 11am-3pm to make your own Christmas crafts! Frosted pine cones, woolly sparkle sticks and log fire bundles to hang on your Christmas Tree. There will be festive stalls, some scrumptious festive 6 WINTER 2018 | www.primarytimes.co.uk/staffordshire <strong>PT</strong> <strong>STAFF</strong>_<strong>WIN18</strong>.indd 6 20/11/2018 17:16
www.primarytimes.co.uk/staffordshire | WINTER 2018 7 <strong>PT</strong> <strong>STAFF</strong>_<strong>WIN18</strong>.indd 7 20/11/2018 17:16
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