WWT festive fun – mixing tradition and treats
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit to Santa, but a festive day out at a Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Centre is a great opportunity to mix tradition with nature too.
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit to Santa, but a festive day out at a Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) Centre is a great opportunity to mix tradition with nature too.
In recent years, Santa may have taken to wearing red robes, mainly due to the influence of an American soft drinks company. But earlier times featured a similar figure who represented the coming of spring, wearing a long green cloak and carrying holly, ivy or mistletoe.
The Green Man was originally a pagan symbol encompassing all things green and alive: tradition meant that he had to die at the end of the old year, on the winter solstice, but this was also reason to celebrate as he would return as surely as the days would lengthen once more.
Today Father Christmas remains as popular as ever, with record numbers of parents taking their young charges to see him.
Several of the larger centres are putting on special Christmas events, with Castle Espie’s festivities including crafts, Mrs Claus Christmas Trail, a quest to find Santa’s grotto and meet the man himself, plus storytelling, toasting marshmallows, Santa’s Post Office and Christmas crafts.
Visitors to London Wetlands Centre can find Santa in his grotto within the northern pine forest, or join in craft making in the elves’ workshop. There’s also the chance to enjoy a husky sleigh ride or to ride a festive donkey, saddled up in Christmas finery.
At Martin Mere, meanwhile, the popular Sail to Santa’s Island feature will run on weekends from 3 to 17 December, with ticket holders taking a boat trip to meet Santa himself. The Celebrity Dusty Duck Trail is currently at Martin Mere, providing another outdoor attraction for young visitors.
Slimbridge’s Santa events, featuring breakfast in addition to special activities, are now sold out, but tickets are still available for the chance to meet Santa in his grotto and take part in marshmallow toasting, elf den building, arts and crafts plus Santa’s Post Office.
And at Washington, there are two weekends featuring Santa’s Winter Wonderland which includes craft activities and a visit to Santa. Tickets are all sold, but a reserve list is being drawn up to give people a chance to join in the fun.
You can turn your festive visit to a WWT centre into a wildlife expedition by checking out the birds and animals on show. Many centres offer animal feeding sessions, talks and walks, while the seasonal influx of swans and other over-wintering birds means daily swan feeds provide a wonderful wildlife spectacle. Caerlaverock, Martin Mere, Slimbridge and Welney have daily feeds, Llanelli offers Sunday swan feeding, with Santa joining in, while Slimbridgeand Welney offer floodlit feeds.
Special floodlit swan suppers are also on offer at Slimbridge: these include a three-course meal for visitors in the refurbished Kingfisher Kitchen, after the swans have dined.
With gift-giving a focus of the festive season, Craft workshops are a popular attraction with sessions ranging from Arundel’s Christmas Wreath workshops (on 8 and 10 December) and Washington’s December Winter Craft weekends, to Llanelli’s natural decorations (3 and 4 December) and robin nest box workshops (11 December).
If you prefer to buy gifts, Caerlaverock’s Christmas Fayre takes place on Sunday 4 December when there a surprise VIP visitor may call in to meet people, and to browse the food and craft stalls.
For more information about Christmas events at our nine UK WWT wetland centres, please visit wwt.org.uk/visit
