Shrewsbury-based Salop Leisure is pulling out all the stops to make the forthcoming festive season truly memorable and safe for customers of all ages.

The Salop Christmas Adventure runs from November 20 right through to December 23 at Salop Leisure’s Love2Stay resort, situated alongside Shrewsbury bypass at Emstrey. 

Covid-19 safety precautions will be in place to protect visitors and staff as the company has arranged a fun-packed festive programme for families.

Festive attractions include the Shropshire Handmade and Creative Christmas Gift Fair on the weekend of November 20 and 21 which promises to be bigger and better than ever. Up to 100 traders will be offering unique products, with many designed and created by themselves. The fair will be open from 10am to 5pm on both days.

Families will also be able to enjoy Shrewsbury's largest outdoor synthetic festive skating rink, which will be open from November 20. Skating costs £10 for 45 minutes.

Sunday, November 28 sees the return of the Salop Santa and Elf Dash at 9am. Families are being encouraged to enter the five kilometre run, jog or walk in Santa or elf costumes to raise money for Salop Leisure’s chosen charity, the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. 

Entry costs £12 for Santas and £6 for elves, which includes the costume, medal and charity donation.

New this year is a Twilight Trail. As night falls, Love2Stay’s trim trail is transformed with colourful illuminations for a truly magical Christmas adventure which can be enjoyed for £10 per person. 

Children can also give their Christmas wish list to Santa in his grotto, guided by elves. The Santa Grotto experience costs £12, which includes the Santa experience, a gift and digital photo souvenir. There is no charge for accompanying adults. 

The fun doesn’t stop there for families, however, as they can join Santa for tea at Love2Stay. Children will tuck into a freshly made pizza, drink and a festive treat before they meet the Santa. 

An adult ticket includes a hot drink, a festive treat and a short Christmas film in Love2Stay’s cinema. This festive treat costs £12 per child and £5 per adult.

In addition, families are invited to enjoy an hour of interactive fun with local performers reading Christmas stories and performing festive shows. This experience costs £10 per person. 

For full details of all the Salop Christmas Adventure experiences visit www.love2stay.co.uk/christmas . Parents are advised to pre-book the different experiences online to avoid disappointment. 

As no home is complete, during the festive season, without a real Christmas tree, Love Plants at Salop Leisure has this covered too. Both cut and pot grown trees will be available from November 20. 

Customers can choose from Nordman Fir,  Fraser Fir and Blue Spruce varieties in a range of sizes, with prices starting at £30. For opening times, visit www.love-plants.co.uk . 

“After little Christmas cheer in 2020, we are delighted to be hosting our full Christmas programme this year and introduce extra activities to really enhance the festive spirit at Salop Leisure and Love2Stay” said Laura Wilde, Love2Stay’s marketing manager. 

“We hope our exciting events will make the festive season magical for our customers and their families.

“In addition to celebrating Christmas in Shrewsbury, our exciting programme of activities aims to raise public awareness of the full range of services we offer at Salop Leisure and Love2Stay.”