Sussex charity takes special-needs children to visit Santa in his festive grotto

Children from West Sussex with special needs had the chance to visit Father Christmas in his Enchanted Forest during a festive outing.

By Trevor ButlerContributor

Published 14th Dec 2023, 16:58 BST

Herons Dale children visit Santa at Old Barn, Dial Post

The 20 pupils from Herons Dale Primary School, in Shoreham-by-Sea, were taken to Old Barn at Dial Post, near Horsham, to meet Santa.

The visit to the Tates garden centre was arranged by Sussex charity The Budding Foundation which works to support children across the county.

Teachers volunteered to be elves for the day which included Makaton signing to aid communication.

The outing was part of a wider scheme giving free visits to Santa for children who are disabled or have complex special needs.

“We are pleased to be able to support such visits and thank Tates Garden Centres for their help in this”, said the Budding Foundation’s founder, Clive Gravett. “We have also been able to support Kangaroos charity and YMCA DownsLink clients, as well as over a thousand free tickets distributed through foodbanks and councils.”