A Northfield family has been filling their neighbourhood with festive magic for the past four years – by transforming their garden into a dazzling Santa’s grotto.
Wilma McPake, 46, first dreamed up the idea during the pandemic, and this year marks the fourth edition of the holiday tradition.
Children are invited to 3 Beech Road to meet Santa himself, snap a festive photo, and receive a special gift.
This year, the grotto has a brand-new, magical addition—a sleigh that, according to Wilma, has travelled all the way from “North FIELD,” not the North Pole.
“I saw posts from people on Facebook saying they were struggling, and it broke my heart so I wanted to try and cheer people up,” she explained.
“I thought – I’ve got the Santa outfit, I can sit on the drive and hand out a small present to the kids.
“Every year it’s got bigger and bigger, and people just seem to love it.
“This year I’ve had Costa hot chocolate donated, and we have cookies for the kids too We have soft snowballs that the kids can have a snowball fight with our elves as well.
“We also managed to secure our Northfield sleigh which looks amazing.”
Biggest year yet for Northfield Santa’s grotto
With support from her family and family, Wilma organises all the presents and treats for the kids.
She said: “It started off with me asking friends and family if they could donate £20 to help out.
“Now some more people have donated, including a big help from my ex-partner Paul’s scuba diving club.
“It’s a huge effort – I’ve not even wrapped the presents for my own family yet. If people can give a donation, it means the world but I don’t look for anything in return.”
Wilma told The Press and Journal she understands the situation that many find themselves in this time of year.
“I was raised in Northfield and I want to give back to my community,” she said.
“It’s not like I’m giving very much, but it means a lot to the kids that have very little.
“I was lucky when I was younger that I got a Santa experience, but not everyone can afford it.
“Some of the prices places are charging now are extortionate, so I just wanted to do something special.”
Wilma also wants to make sure every child has access to something like this, so offers quiet times for kids with additional needs.
“I have an adult autistic son so I understand the importance of having set times for some kids,” she said.
“It’s great that they can still enjoy it at a quieter time, without it being too overwhelming.”
Family affair at Northfield grotto
Stay-at-home mum Wilma lives with her own children Paul, 25, Lily-Rose, 2, and Sofia, 11, with everyone getting involved in the festivities.
Ex-partner Paul Crookbain, 49, takes up the role of head-elf, whilst Wilma’s cousin Lewis, 28, is donning the white beard and red suit of Santa this year.
Wilma said: “We all work really hard this time of year, but it’s fun for us all as well.
“I used to be in the Santa costume myself, however I hurt my back last year. My younger cousin Lewis is taking on Santa this year and he’s doing a great job.
“It’s a real family affair, we all put in effort to make it as special as possible.”
Conversation