Chill Factore has announced a virtual Santa’s Grotto you can visit from the comfort of your own home this festive season.
There’s no denying Christmas is set to be a little different this year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and with social distancing measures in place, but Chill Factore – the UK’s leading indoor snow complex – is “keeping the magic of Christmas alive” by letting children share their Christmas list with Santa via the power of video call.
With the help of some specially-trained elves, Santa has been brought up to date with all the latest technology, and will be available for exclusive live, interactive video calls with you and your little ones to guarantee good tidings.
From 5th – 24th December, Santa and his helpers will be in his magical grotto on Chill Factore’s real snow, before he flies off to make some very important deliveries, and this virtual grotto experience has the capability to dial in multiple callers and have them interacting on the same screen, which means you can safely bring your family together to enjoy the magic.
How brilliant is this?
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You can expect snow fall, mischievous elves and an interactive ‘Naughty – Nice’ometer’ – which measures on screen how good your little ones have been this year – with this live and bespoke call experience to spread festive cheer after a turbulent year.
Your grotto experience will also be recorded and sent to you by Santa’s helpers, so that you and your family can hold on to the memories forever.
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After all, it’s not every day that Santa calls.
And it’s not just homes that Santa will be calling from his magical Chill Factore grotto, as Chill Factore is also working closely with Saint Nick to bring this festive experience to the bedside of patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for free, helping to bring Christmas onto the wards and make it a home from home for those children being treated in hospital over the festive season.
Speaking on its new grotto experience, Morwenna Angove – CEO at Chill Factore – said: “We’re thrilled that Santa and his helpers are returning to our real snow slope again this year. Due to COVID-19 regulations, we cannot invite guests into the grotto as usual [so] working with our partners at Prestige Events Enterprises, we have set up these virtual calls so that children will still be able to see Santa safely this year through the power of video – something we’ve all grown to use more in 2020, including Santa.
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“We’re also proud to be working closely with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity), ensuring that children who are in hospital over the festive period still get to see Santa.
“It promises to be a really special experience for the whole family, especially after the uncertainty of 2020.”
Chill Factore
The Santa Calls experience will run from Saturday 5th December – 24th December 2020 and each call will last around five minutes.
The experience can be booked from £20.99.
This price includes the call recording and the option to add multiple callers/screens, so that the whole family can be brought together, and you can also text SANTA to 70125 to donate £2 to Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity to support seriously ill children this Christmas time.
To book and find out more information, visit the Chill Factore website here.
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Salford Pride’s popular Pink Picnic returns this summer with ‘iconic’ headliners
Emily Sergeant
Boney M, The Cheeky Girls, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK stars are all on the lineup at Salford Pride’s popular Pink Picnic this summer.
As this summer marks 15 years of Pride in Salford, Salford Pride has announced a whole host of exciting events to celebrate – including the return of The Pink Picnic, its biggest family-friendly celebration yet, with headliners like 90s and 00s music icons, community talent, and even a ‘bigger and bolder’ Youth Zone for 2026.
Returning to Peel Park once again, The Pink Picnic brings together LGBTQ+ community, allies, families and friends for a day built around community, joy, and belonging.
For 2026, Salford Pride is expanding the experience further with even more to do across the park than ever before.
The Pink Picnic has been part of Salford’s Pride story since 2011, but this year’s 15th anniversary addition is set to be one for the history books, as alongside a headline lineup featuring Boney M, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’s Kyran Thrax and Paige Three, The Cheeky Girls, Big Brovaz, Booty Luv, and Baby D, a strong programme of community acts will also be spotlighted.
Some of the exceptional community acts already named on the lineup so far include Tallulah Guard, Fear of Marko, and John Tucker.
Across the day, visitors can also shop from dozens of community stalls and market traders, take part in or watch the much-loved annual dog show, and visit the ‘bigger and bolder’ Youth Zone that’s designed to help young people feel seen and celebrated.
“Celebrating 15 years of Pride in Salford feels really special, and we wanted 2026 to feel like a proper thank you to the community that’s built this with us” said Scott Turzański, who is the Head of Marketing and Brand at Salford Pride.
“The Pink Picnic is a family event – it’s welcoming, it’s joyful, and it’s about making space for everyone.”
The Pink Picnic returns to Peel Park in Salford next month on Saturday 13 June, and you can find out more and book tickets online here.
Featured Image – Salford Pride (via Facebook)
What's On
Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum unveils programme of FREE family fun for half term
Emily Sergeant
Little Mancs can climb aboard a miniature train and set off on a journey of discovery at the Science and Industry Museum this half term.
As schools across Greater Manchester break up for half term at the end of this week, and parents and carers gear up to entertain the little ones, the Science and Industry Museum has, thankfully, just announced a wide range of events and activities especially for the holidays – with many activities free to get involved in.
The popular cultural hub in the heart of Manchester city centre is promising visitors a May half term full of hands-on experiences designed to spark curiosity, creativity, and imagination.
The main event, which is kicking off this weekend (Saturday 23 May), invites families to ‘explore the playful side of power’.
From climbing aboard a miniature steam railway and taking part in interactive engineering sessions, to seeing steam-powered traction engines, live demonstrations, and performances inspired by the sounds of industrial Manchester, visitors will be transported back in time to play the role of passenger.
Almost 200 years ago, this was the site of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway – the world’s first inter-city passenger railway – and May half term will bring this story to life again, as families take a ride around part of the museum’s newly reopened outside space.
Hosted by Little British Rail, rides are priced at £4 (with those under one-year-old going free) and can be booked in advance by visiting the museum’s website here.
The Science and Industry Museum has unveiled its programme of free family fun for the half term / Credit: Science Museum Group
Expert Explainers will be on-hand throughout the half term hosting Curiosity Stops, so you can discover how water becomes steam, see what powers a piston, and explore how our bodies mirror the mechanics of machines.
The final weekend of the holiday (5-7 June) will also see members of Urmston & District Model Engineering Society steaming onto site with its early 20th century Fowler Showman’s traction engine and Foden steam wagon.
Elsewhere at the museum over the half term, you can take a look around the historic Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery, which has recently reopened to the public, and you can take part in interactive workshops with Manchester-based percussion group, Drumroots – giving visitors the chance to experiment with rhythm, movement, and music inspired by the sounds of historic steam engines.
And, of course, half term is the perfect chance to go on out-of-this-world adventure across the Solar System and visit the new Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos exhibition, if you haven’t already. Or visit the ultimate gaming experience, Power Up, instead during its extended holiday opening hours.
For the full programme of daily events throughout half term, and to book tickets for difference experiences in advance, head to the Science and Industry Museum website here.
Emily Sergeant -
16th November 2020 
