Children all over Solihull will be revelling in the excitement of the start of the Christmas holidays this Friday (16th December), when the school bell rings for the final time this year. To help youngsters celebrate their festive freedom, Solihull Borough Council and Mell Square have put together a jam-packed schedule of events to make the week leading up to Christmas Day more magical than ever.

From Saturday 17th December until Thursday 22nd December, daily craft workshops will take place in and around the High Street and Mell Square from 11.30pm until 3.00pm ' meaning there is plenty going on to keep younger members of the family entertained.

The workshops will include a variety of activities from face painting and novelty airbrush tattoos whilst there will also be fair ground fun with the Helter Skelter and land train. Add in visits from festive faces Santa Claus and Jack Frost, along with some balloon modelling and Christmas 2011 looks set to be a cracker!  

But wait ' that's not all! On Wednesday 21st December Mell Square will be hosting its very own Yuletide adventure with the annual Christmas Trail ' where a variety of quirky puzzles will lead junior shoppers to stores around the Centre.

Beginning at midday, youngsters will be able to collect their clues from the Town Centre Events Marquee, which is situated in Mell Square, where they will also be able to make their very own Christmas bag in which to collect their goodies. Winning a treat for every riddle solved, it is set to be a deliciously decadent afternoon's adventure!

On Thursday afternoon from 12.00pm until 3.00pm, Jack Frost will be treating crowds to a juggling display before singers from the Renewal Christian Centre fill the streets with the traditional sounds of Christmas carols at 4.30pm.  

And don't worry if you still haven't finished your shopping by Christmas Eve, as the Helter Skelter and land train will be on hand to delight younger shoppers until 5pm on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th December. 

Mell Square Centre Manager Paul Round said:

'Christmas is a magical time for children and here at Mell Square we want to make the run up to the big day really special. The craft workshops will provide festive fun for the whole family and we would encourage as many people as possible to come down to Wednesday's Christmas trail. There is an amazing atmosphere around Solihull at the moment and we want everyone to enjoy themselves whilst going about their gift buying.'