An Aberdeen shopping centre’s grotto has raised nearly £6,000 for a leading North-east cancer support charity after only its first three weekends of being open.
Santa and his helpers have taken up residence in Bon Accord & St Nicholas and for the first time in the mall’s history, all proceeds are being donated to charity partner CLAN Cancer Support, which has helped organise the festive event.
The grotto has already welcomed nearly 800 children through its doors in its opening three weekends, with families from all over the north-east eager to get involved with the festive fun. The Grotto will continue to be open throughout the month on December 12-13 and 19-24 from 10am to 4pm.
The shopping mall’s support of CLAN is the latest in a host of events and activities that it has completed on behalf of the charity after it selected it as its chosen cause for the year.
Craig Stevenson, centre manager of Bon Accord & St Nicholas, said: “This year, our Santa’s Grotto really is at the heart of the centre’s festive offering and we’re delighted with the response from our shoppers towards the attraction so far; it’s been fantastic to see so many happy faces taking time out to visit Santa and his helpers.
“I’d also like to thank our shoppers for their enthusiasm in supporting CLAN; we’re proud to have raised this amount for the charity so far and we look forward to adding to this further over the coming weeks.”
Susan Crighton, CLAN’s fundraising manager, said: “The number of children that have passed through the grotto along with the amount raised so far has really gone above and beyond our expectations and we can’t thank the shoppers of Bon Accord & St Nicholas enough for their generosity and support.
“Every penny raised from this year’s grotto is going directly to CLAN; your donation will make a big difference as we continue to strengthen our provision of free support services to anyone affected by cancer across the north-east of Scotland, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.”
Located in the upper mall on the Bon Accord centre, admission to Santa’s Grotto is £4.50 and includes a free gift for all those that attended.
For more information and opening days, please visit www.bonaccordandstnicholas.com