To celebrate the return of its Santa services to Bridgnorth after 40 years, the Severn Valley Railway is running an extra-special Santa service dedicated entirely to local family charities.
Steaming from Bridgnorth at 4.25pm on Sunday, December 1st, the special service will give Shropshire families the chance to enjoy a magical ride through the Severn Valley with Santa on board – all for free.
The Railway is now looking to divide the 176 seats among a range of family-based charities around Bridgnorth, Shrewsbury and Telford, and is inviting them to email for further information.
Unfortunately, due to the age of the heritage carriages used for the service, wheelchairs cannot be accommodated.
Families will be invited to board their steam train at Bridgnorth and settle into their seats for a festive journey through the Severn Valley to Highley and back with Santa on board.
Santa will meet everyone at their reserved seats, handing out a gift to each child and posing for festive photos. The experience will be rounded-off with a gift for the Christmas tree for each group.
To find out more about the service, charities are being asked to email events@svrlive.com as soon as possible. A maximum of two parents/carers will be allowed per family unless exceptional circumstances apply. Tables of four or compartments of six will be allocated after November 11th to lucky families chosen at random.
Nick Ralls, the SVR’s General Manager, said: “We’re delighted that our Santa services are once again returning to Bridgnorth after four decades, so wanted to give something back to the local community to celebrate this.
“As it’s the season of goodwill, we’re running a special Premium Santa Special and offering all of the seats for free.”
This year, for the first time since 1979, Bridgnorth is involved in the Railway’s hugely-popular Christmas festivities, with its all-new Premium Santa Specials running from the station, as well as its brand-new Steam in Lights services.