Charities and good causes across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire will enjoy free tickets to the city’s latest festive extravaganza.
Kilimanjaro, organisers of the Christmas at Wollaton lights trail at Wollaton Hall & Deer Park, have donated tickets to local charities to gift to the people they help, their teams and volunteers.
The Christmas donation project was announced earlier in November and the event organisers were overwhelmed with over 100 applications for tickets. The 500-ticket giveaway has been split across 26 charities which will now be able to attend the spectacular new festive lights trail which opens this Friday (December 2).
The charities and causes chosen cover a huge range of organisations from Nottingham and Nottinghamshire including those supporting young people, children, older people, domestic violence survivors, those suffering baby loss, receiving palliative care and LGBTQ+ groups..
One charity which will receive tickets is Clifton Community and Family Support Group. They run solely on volunteers and support families in short-term need of a helping hand. Since they started ten years ago, they have helped families with food, clothing, household items and toys, as well as supporting victims of fire, flood and burglary. The charity plans to bring along volunteers and people who receive support to enjoy the festive lights installation.
Another charity which will receive tickets to share with people they support is Forever Stars, based in Beeston, which supports families who have suffered a stillbirth or infant loss.
The Nottinghamshire Deaf Society serves deaf people across the county with a range of services including British Sign Language interpreting, welfare rights and supporting other deaf community groups. They will be taking volunteers and members to the trail to see the stunning lights.
Pam Williamson from When You Wish Upon a Star, based in Basford, grants the wishes of children living with a life threatening illness. She said: “Giving our children the gift of Christmas, and creating the forever important memories with their loved ones, is what we do. This means so much, we’re so excited that this year they will be able to enjoy Christmas at Wollaton and we’d like to thank the team for arranging this for our children.”
A spokesperson from event organiser Kilimanjaro explained: “Donating tickets to local charities is something we’re incredibly proud to be able to do for the first time this year. We were touched by the number of applications we received and would love to thank each charity for their incredible work within the community. We really hope these tickets will help create memories and experiences which are so important to cherish.”
Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Culture and Planning from Nottingham City Council added, “We appreciate that our delivery partner, Kilimanjaro, has released over 500 free tickets to local charities. The Christmas at Wollaton light trail is a fantastic event and it’s great that volunteers and those helped by the charities who work tirelessly, especially through the Christmas period, can enjoy this festive experience.”
Other charities which will receive tickets are: Beeston Rylands, Afro Caribbean National Artistic Centre, Footprint Conductive Education Centre, Nottinghamshire Hospice, Juno Women’s Aid, Rumbletums Café and Training Project, Notts LGBT+ Network, Bags of Blessings, The Bestwood Partnership, Nottingham Women’s Centre, TUVIDA, Children’s Bereavement Centre, Rainbow Parents Carers Forum, PASIC – Cancer Support for Children & Young People, Sunrise house teenage parent service Framework, L’Arche, The Peaceful Trust, Self Help UK,The ICCA, Harvest Army Church International UK, Wollaton Historical & Conservation Society, and The Little Ted Foundation.
Wollaton Hall is one of the city’s most distinctive sites perched high above the surrounding park. Never normally open in the evening, the Christmas at Wollaton outdoor trail is a unique festive experience for all ages and has become an annual tradition for many visitors and for many marks the start of the festive season.
Christmas at Wollaton opens on from Friday 2nd December 2022 until Sunday 1st January 2023.
For more information, visit. www.whatsonnottingham.com