At The Greenaway Foundation, we are always on the lookout for ways to sprinkle a bit of joy into the lives of local families, especially during the festive season. So, imagine our sheer delight (and a touch of disbelief) when, in October, we received a rather unexpected visit from none other than Santa Claus himself! Yes, you read that right, Santa! Apparently, he had a bit of free time in the lead-up to Christmas and was keen to lend a hand.
With a twinkle in our eyes and a few brainstorming sessions involving our very own Christmas dream team of Paul Morfett from Grace Overseas Logistics, Dan McGurran, Chairman of Crawley Rugby Club, Wendy Bell from Crawley Town Centre BID, and Simon Brown, one of our esteemed trustees, a plan was hatched. And what a plan it was!
On the 15th of December, Crawley Rugby Club transformed into a winter wonderland as Mr and Mrs Claus, along with Santa’s merry elves, arrived to meet 100 families from 10am to 4pm. Each child was treated to a personal audience with Santa on his sleigh, because who wouldn’t want to sit next to the jolly man in red? There was also fun and games galore, including the ever-popular gingerbread man decorating contest. Spoiler alert, some of those creations were more abstract art than traditional gingerbread!
The event was such a hit that the dream team are already brainstorming for this year’s Christmas party. Rumour has it that one of Santa’s elves has gotten a tad too big for his boots and has decided to build his very own sleigh! This might lead to a Santa-off, complete with a vote for the best Santa. Who knew the North Pole had such competitive spirits?
As we reflect on the festive season, we hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas filled with laughter, love, and perhaps a few cheeky mince pies. The Greenaway Foundation would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our friends and sponsors who made this, and all our Christmas efforts, a resounding success. Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to bring a bit of magic to our local community.
Here’s to more adventures in 2025, and who knows? Maybe we’ll convince Santa to drop by more often!
Wishing you all a splendid New Year filled with joy and laughter!
https://greenawayfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/VID-20241215-WA0013.mp4
