Or at least, it isn’t- even the shops haven’t yet started laying on the Christmas Spirit- mostly because they’ve got a mountain of Halloween merchandise to shift first- but here at Steamworks, the start of October signals the start of some rather unseasonal planning for the Santa Specials. If you’re not familiar, this is our annual event, taking place on two consecutive Saturday evenings in December, where families can come and ride the BVLR to see Santa and receive a gift, with crafts and festive snacks thrown in.
This year is our fifth year running the Specials- (insert Ska joke here) and to be honest, I don’t know where the time has gone. What is gratifying is how popular they have proved to be- each year has been well-subscribed, and even better, we have a core of families who come year after year, at least until the children grow out of it. It’s always a shame when a familiar name fails to come round the next year, but then new families discover us every year as well, and it seems word-of-mouth is doing wonders. One visitor observed recently that it must be lovely creating memories for the children, and that one day they might bring their own grandchildren. I replied that if I was still going round and round in the freezing cold on a miniature engine at the age of 103 then my life will have taken some very regrettable turns indeed.
All that aside, we do try and improve a little on what we offer every year, and it’s this ambition that is currently keeping us well and truly occupied. Father Christmas’ Grotto, whilst excellent for the purpose, has been due an upgrade for the last couple of years, and this year is getting it, with the installation of permanent wiring and a wainscot- because no Grotto is complete in 2025 without a wainscot. Just look in any edition of Ideal Grotto magazine, and you’ll see what I mean.
Fortunately, with a bit of inspired scrounging and hard work, Robin, Russ and myself have managed to smarten things up quite nicely, to the extent that I’m considering moving in, whilst Richard is now queued up to hook in the tingly bits and banish the network of extension leads forever. We’ve also managed to install a new roof, as the old one leaked slightly- directly above Santa’s chair, obviously!
There’s a lot more on the cards- the Stationmaster at Santa Halt has the misfortune of overseeing a rather exposed outpost, rather like Hawes Junction on a bad day; so, to stop him freezing to death, a small hut- beg pardon, Stationmaster’s Office- is next on the list. In fact, Santa Halt is getting something of an upgrade overall, the recent provision of some neat picket-fencing being not entirely unconnected with Robin spending hours yanking nails out of old pallets and cutting them up on the chop-saw. One man’s rubbish, as they say..
Overall, it’s an odd way to prepare for Christmas, but once the night rolls around, it’s worth it. As well as the obligatory visit to Santa, the Cafe is open with extra festive refreshments, as is the Shop, whilst children can hunt for errant elves, make Christmas Crafts (which usually involves glitter turning up in unusual places for months afterwards- sorry Jackie!), watch the operating display of tinplate trains, and last year saw the addition of a hot-chestnut cart as well, although I suspect that pleased the volunteers more than it did the public. Certainly they were all eaten by the end..
Should you wish to make a booking, the best way to do so is by ringing the Trust at Steamworks- the ‘phone is manned Tuesday-Friday 9:00 am until 5:30pm, and we’ll be happy to help you. Requests to book can be sent via email, but if you do so, please be sure to include a telephone number so we can contact you to confirm details.
Ho-ho-ho and all that..