Santa Exclusive Santa gets the hump at first garden centre Grotto opening
Date line: Saturday 3rd November, Splading, Lincolnshire. Santa arrives at the Baytree Christmas Grotto on a camel!
Crowds flocked to Baytree Garden Centre on Saturday to see Santas first arrival of the year at a UK garden centre. The crowd were surprised, however, to see him arrive on far from traditional animal transport. While the Baytree reindeer lay down on strike in their plantarea enclosure, the services of two circus camels were enlisted to get Santa to his grotto in time for the 2:00pm opening.
Strike breaking Rudolph, not wanting to miss out on the occaision, hitched a lift aboard the second camel. Both camels feature as part of Pantomime Cinderella by Circus Mondao which will be performed in the Big Top at Baytree during December. In the meantime the circus animals are creating a real zoo display alongside the grotto entrance.
As soon as Santa declared his grotto opened the first Santa queue of the year formed and his trusty elves helped all the excited children to their audience with the big man himself.