VICTA once again teamed up with local charities BucksVision and Sight Concern Bedfordshire to host a Christmas party for families in the local area. We had an unprecedented number of applications, and those families who were lucky enough to receive places arrived full of Christmas spirit!

The day kicked off with a delicious buffet lunch in the winter wonderland marquee. We were then delighted to have some furry friends come and make an appearance, thanks to Ark Farm’s mobile nativity. The children loved interacting with the animals, and were thrilled to meet the calf, goats, sheep, geese and more. Extra special highlights were the Labradors and chickens in woolly jumpers! It added a lovely sensory aspect to the festivities and was enjoyed by all.

Santa’s busy little elves kept the children amused with some classic Christmas themed games, including several very competitive rounds of Pass the Parcel. While all this was going on the craft table was getting covered in glitter, as the children were busy making decorations to take home and also to enter into VICTA’s decoration competition. The creations were exceptional, and those entered into the competition will be revealed one by one in December.

After a few more party games it was time for our very special visit from Father Christmas! Seated in his own grotto, each child got an individual visit and a present. We would like to say a huge thank you to Tesco at Kingston and Bletchley for donating the toys and gifts – the children were thrilled with them!

Once Father Christmas had left and the animals had returned to the farm, it was time for everyone to go home. The day was a huge success, and it was wonderful to welcome all the families, new and old, to celebrate Christmas with us. We look forward to more collaborative efforts between VICTA, BucksVision and Sight Concern Bedfordshire in 2018!

By Felicity Poulton
Lead Activities Coordinator

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