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Church puts on first free grotto for community

Queenie Goredema A man dressed in a Santa Claus suit and black boots, standing in front of sheeting made to look like a red brick wall with a festive door.Queenie Goredema
People travelled from as far as Leicester to meet Santa

A Wolverhampton church transformed into a free Christmas Grotto on Saturday, with around 200 people visiting the church to enjoy the event.

Potter's House Church offered free gifts, games, and a visit from Santa, with one family even travelling from Leicester to attend.

Volunteers dedicated days to transforming the church for the festive grotto, which is the first the church has ever put on.

Organisers said they were amazed at the success and thanked the congregation for all their help.

Queenie Goredema A church hall covered in red festive decorations. A sheet covers the back wall which is patterned with red bricks and a festive doorway. White and clear balloons hang from the ceiling and a Christmas tree is covered in baubles in the middle of the room. Tables are covered in red tablecloths, fairy lights, and Christmas decorations.Queenie Goredema
Volunteers transformed the church into a free festive grotto for the community

Visitor Martha Ngozo said it was her first time in England and her family wanted to go and see Santa, but did not know where to go and found the church's event on Google.

"We enjoyed everything from the games, the mood, the kindness and the outfits," she said.

Deimile Valiuskaite said: "We came from Leicester to see Santa. It's amazing. My daughter really enjoyed it."

Queenie Goredema A man in a Santa hat sits in a red chair in a grotto, with sheeting up showing a burning fireplace and a candy store. Wrapped presents are stacked up in the grotto.Queenie Goredema
Cleveland Campbell from the church's events team praised the support he has received from the congregation in preparing for the grotto

The large interest came as a shock to Cleveland Campbell, who heads up the events team at the church in Clarence Street.

He said: "The turnout was great, it was more than what I expected, which was great to see. There was just a general excitement.

"I was kind of thinking it would be smaller, 40 or 50 people, but God showed me that I can do bigger than what you imagine."

Mr Campbell said they wanted to do the event as a type of outreach, to let people know they were there and to show what they did.

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