Green Santa and Lights

The Craft Centre was really bright last night as visitors watched the start of the Jinney Ring Christmas!

Worcestershire’s Green Santa, whose mission is to encourage people to think local and make Christmas a more sustainable celebration, teamed up to with Rachel Johnston one of our regular customers to switch on the centre’s Christmas lights. Rachel rang the bell to start a wave of lights which ran round the front of the centre, it now looks really pretty. All of the craft units have decorated their own trees outside their units -- many have decorations relating to their crafts.

Rachel decorated her chair for the occasion and enjoyed the evening

After the lights were put on Santa went shopping and had a good look around the craft units meeting Soap Maker (Jorg) and having a good look at the blown glass in Topglass.

We managed to get a peak at the activities from the garden but most of the visitors were soon shopping and visiting the restaurant whilst listen to Christmas tunes from accordion player Helen O'Donnell from Droitwich.
There was a lovely smell too -- the mulled wine was chef's first batch of the year and it certainly smelt nice alongside the roasted chestnuts cooking in the BBQ.

The lights are now on every evening from dusk until close.

Xmas is coming

Another beautiful day in the garden today -  difficult to think it will be December soon!

One sign that Winter is coming is that the three horses left the field this week as it is getting too wet underfoot and cold at night.  Warm stables were sounding very attractive!  We will miss them.

13 duckings - growing up, now rampaging around the gardens!

The 'rescued' ducklings have come on leaps and bounds since my last diary note, they have been let out to play in the gardens this week. They are quite adventurous and have explored the entire garden swimming on both ponds - normally duckings are a bit slower at getting off the top pond! This lot are a bit cheeky, probably being a large crowd makes them brave!

I did have to follow them out on to the car-park yesterday, just to see what they were looking at.  We all got herded back into the garden quite quickly, but not before I had caught glimpse of Christmas preparations.  Lights are going up and being tested and I can see that the shop has lots of Christmas stuff out.

Outside the gift shop

There is a late night shopping evening tonight 17th Nov (gift shop only) and all the lights are going to be switched on next week with a Christmas "light up" evening when all the craft units will be open and there will be lots of Christmas food and other things.  Worcestershire's own "Green Santa" is coming along to help one of our regular visitors Rachel Johnston to switch on the lights.  Rachel is a wonderful lady who is often comes here from Worcester with her carers to watch us on the pond, she is in a wheel chair, so can sometime not come on the grass, she seems to enjoy our antics though!  There will be music, chestnuts and other christmassy type things I am told!