On 29th November, Ocean Village transformed into a mini winter wonderland. Pop-up wooden huts and Christmas stalls lined Ocean Village Promenade as it became an Artisan Christmas market. Prior Park School Choir sang festive carols, the Christmas lights were switched on and Santa’s Grotto was declared open for business.
This year, we were kindly invited by Ocean Village Management to be a part of Santa’s Grotto as a participating charity. We set up a stand outside the Grotto, underneath the inflatable reindeer adorning the roof. Cancer Relief was represented on Friday 29th November (opening night), Sunday 1st December, Saturday 7th December and Sunday 15th December. Tickets to see Santa were £5 and all proceeds on the designated days were donated to our charity.
It was lovely to see the smiles on the children’s faces as they drafted their letters to Santa with all their Christmas wishes. It was also an important opportunity for us to engage with the community at a time of year when reflection and compassion and particularly poignant. Spreading awareness of the free services we offer to anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis is an important part of our work.
We are very grateful to Ocean Village Management for the opportunity to participate in the festive fun and for its generosity in donating a proportion of the proceeds to support our work. Here are some of the highlights:
