Spreading the Magic: Our Christmas Charity Days

Christmas is about making memories and sharing joy, and we believe everyone deserves to feel part of that. Not every family gets an easy run-up to the big day, some are navigating serious illness, additional needs, or circumstances that make a "normal" Christmas outing feel out of reach. So each year, we dedicate special festive days exclusively to North West children's charities, giving families a chance to enjoy the full North Pole Experience, free of charge.

Who we've welcomed

Over the years we've been lucky enough to open our doors to some incredible organisations, including:

• Claire House - supporting almost 500 families across Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. Around 300 of their children and families came along last year, riding the Snowtrail Express and meeting Father Christmas, with Home Bargains helping fund a wheelchair-accessible ice rink for the day.
• Zoe's Place - the Liverpool baby hospice, caring for babies and young children with life-limiting conditions since 1995. It's a lot of hospital appointments and hard days for these families, so we just wanted to give them one that wasn't.
• Lumiere - runs SEN-friendly sessions for families who often struggle to find inclusive things to do at Christmas. Their visit meant kids could just be themselves and enjoy the day like everyone else.
• Olly's - works with children across Merseyside who've lost a loved one to violence, or who are growing up in some of the region's toughest communities. A day out like this is a chance for them to just be kids for a few hours.

What a charity day looks like

Accessibility is built into the North Pole Experience as standard, and on these visits we make sure every bit of it is set up for the families joining us that day. They get the full experience: the train ride in from Liverpool Victoria Station, time in the Elf Workshop with Patch and Coggs, gingerbread with Mrs Claus, a spin on the ice rink, a letter posted to Santa, and then a visit with Father Christmas himself in his log cabin.

Looking ahead

Steven Cosgrove, one of our directors, sums up why we do this: “Christmas is about making memories and sharing joy, and everyone deserves the chance to feel part of that. Inviting local charities in lets us spread a bit of that magic to the families who need it most — and we're proud to keep growing it, with even more charities joining us this year.”

There's nothing quite like watching a child's face light up the moment they step off the Snowtrail Express, or catch their first glimpse of Father Christmas in his log cabin. We can’t wait to welcome even more charities and families to The North Pole Experience this year.

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