As Santa Claus made his annual visit to Southport Masonic Hall, nearly 60 children, with accompanying parents, invaded the hall at 1:30pm for an afternoon of fun, food and of course presents!
When the doors opened at 1:30pm hordes of children entered with great enthusiasm, followed by a small army of parents, grandparents and other supporters. At 2:15 the entertainment began proper in the main hall as the considerable talents of Mr Stix took the stage to keep the children occupied while Santa’s grotto was set up. This was followed by a hearty meal cooked by the hall’s popular and talented 5-star chef Phil Rayment.
Shortly after the meal, screams filled the hall as a man in a red suit and white beard, carrying a sack of presents tried to sneak in through front door, with the Southport Group Chairman Phil Stock almost as excited as the children! He was followed by a team of helpful elves, with both Phil’s and Southport Masonic Hall Manageress Julie McGee’s relatives joining hall staff to ensure the children had the best possible experience.
To great excitement Santa strode through the hall to his grotto, the children’s excitement barely contained! The children were then invited into the grotto one by one to receive their presents, the warmth of their smiles making the afternoon worth it for all the parents and organisers attending.
The event was laid on for only £10 per child and was a huge success and massive thanks are due to the commitment and effort of those involved. The event was organised by Richard Alty, who had been asked to come back specially after doing a tremendous job in previous years. He was supported by the considerable talents of Colin Jenkins and Eddie Thompson, two highly popular Masons, well known for their charitable endeavours. Together the team ensured the event was well publicised and ran to an exceptionally smooth and professional standard.
Thanks, are also due, (once again), to Julie McGee for organising the presents and helping at all levels of the event, the chef Phil, the volunteer elves, Darren Boyd-Preece the Southport Masonic Hall Manager for looking after the children and parents so well on the day, Alec Myles for working hard to make sure Santa was there and on time, and the many others who helped ensure the children has such a wonderful experience.
The children’s party at Southport is an annual event, and if events continue to be such a success, parents will no doubt have little choice whether they are coming again!
