Richmond Centre announces Santa’s Grotto cancellation ‘with a heavy heart’

The shopping centre have announced that ‘with a heavy heart (rather early I know, but it’s best to be prepared) that we will not be having our annual Santa’s Grotto (Log Cabin) this year due to Covid-19.’

They continued: “While we know this will be extremely disappointing for some, it is important to us on a number of fronts to have taken this decision. There will also be no Grand Arrival of Santa in the centre in November.

“Firstly, upholding the tradition and magic of Christmas and creating a safe and positive Christmas family environment for our customers has always been our priority. We do feel that, to put in place a grotto this year with social distancing in mind, would result in children not getting the enchanting experience they have had of previous years i.e. not being able to sit on Santa’s Lap, the need for face masks, and having to adhere to social distancing. Some children will be too young to understand these changes and we would not feel happy at all if we upset any little ones and their families.

“Secondly, the unpredictable nature of this pandemic means that we do not want to commit to even creating ‘appointments’ for Santa, as with winter approaching, guidelines could change at very short notice, and we do not want any child left disappointed and facing changes or cancellations.

“Thirdly, in previous years we have had long queues, and this is not safe, with the need for social distancing. We have introduced a one way system in the centre to allow everyone to shop safely ‘apart’, and long queues cannot not be facilitated safely. Again, appointments would require a pre paid deposit, as in the past we have taken appointments with no deposits and had a large percentage of no shows. In this economic uncertainty, and the fact things can change so quickly, we would not be in a position to offer such a service or put that pressure on families to book early. Our grotto is also enclosed and does not allow for ‘social distancing’ and would require a ‘minimum’ number being allowed in at any one time - can you imagine if some family members had to be left outside? How very sad, and not how we want Christmas to be remembered for families.

“Christmas is such a special time, and we are very apologetic we’ve had to make this decision as we know for many families, the Richmond Grotto is a yearly tradition. However, we have the safety of our customers at the forefront of our priorities, and hope that Christmas 2021 will see a return to some form of normality and be able to offer our magical Christmas experience once again. Again, our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience and we hope that you and yours stay healthy and happy for the remainder of this topsy turvy 2020.”

We’re sure the boys and girls of Derry and across the North West will want to make sure Santa - and their families - are safe and he’s still going to make his way here on Christmas Eve.