Santa's grotto opens at Scarborough's Brunswick Shopping Centre this weekend

Children will be able to visit Father Christmas in his socially-distanced grotto at Brunswick Shopping Centre this month.

Santa will sit behind a perspex safety screen and Santa’s elves will be helping to hand out the gifts, making sure everyone maintains a safe distance.

The grotto is large enough to safely accommodate one family group at a time and there will be no need to pre-book as the grotto will be operating a virtual queuing system.

Visits to Santa are free and include a small gift. Families are being asked to make a donation to Brunswick’s joint Christmas Hamper Appeal with The Salvation Army which aims to provide festive food parcels to local families in need.

The grotto will be open from 10.30am until 1.30pm and 2.30pm until 4.30pm on Saturday December 5, Sunday December 6, Saturday December 12, Sunday December 13, Friday December 18, Saturday December 19, Sunday December 20, Monday December 21, Tuesday December 22 and Wednesday December 23.

Sue Anderson Brown, Centre Manager at Brunswick, said: “Christmas really is for the children and we know how special it is for them to meet Santa and share those all-important Christmas wishes.

“The festive season is going to be a little different this year, and we want to try and make up for what has been a very difficult year for everybody.

“We’ve taken a lot of time to make sure we can deliver that special festive spirit while making sure everyone can visit safely with confidence."