Santa Claus is coming to... Belong Crewe!

Santa Claus has arrived at Belong Crewe, with 96-year-old resident, John Stubbs, donning his Christmas hat and beard in celebration of the annual Christmas market at the village.
Before arriving at Belong Crewe, John performed as Santa at a number of local schools in Crewe, including a pre-school in Gutterscroft. Now a resident at the village, John was invited to reprise his role by Belong staff at the village’s Christmas market, which is held annually for residents and members of the local community.
Visitors to the market were greeted by a range of stalls run by Belong staff and members of the community, offering a tombola and a number of Christmas-themed games, as well as stalls selling festive homemade ornaments and goods, confectionary and seasonal food and drinks. The village was also transformed into Santa’s Grotto for the day, and children from the community were invited to visit Santa and receive a present from him after sharing their Christmas list.
Speaking of the day, John commented: “I was thrilled when the staff at Belong asked me to play Santa at the village Christmas market. Christmas is my favourite time of year, and it’s wonderful to see the kids so happy. It was a really special day and I was over the moon to be able to get my Santa suit back out after all this time!”
Youngsters from Nantwich Young Voices children’s choir, comprising children from local Nantwich and Crewe schools, visited the market and performed a range of festive carols. The market also raised over £400 on the day, which will go towards funding the village’s activities and resources.
Experience Co-ordinator at Belong Crewe, Lee Edwards, added: “We were delighted that John agreed to reprise his role for our Christmas market. He was great with the kids, and our residents loved seeing faces from the local community in the village. Many of our facilities at Belong Crewe are open to the public all year round, so we hope that this has encouraged members of the local community to visit us more often.”