THE COLDER climes are upon us and with Halloween and Bonfire Night behind us it’s surely time to turn our attentions to Christmas.
Competition is fierce to attract the Yuletide pound but festive fun-seekers won’t need to look much further than Webbs of Wychbold who are serving up the jolly season with ice.
Chief sub-editor James Iles glided his family along to the garden centre and tourist destination for a merry old go at ice skating.
Billed as being bigger and better than ever before, the rink is up and running at the Worcestershire-based garden centre annually and seems to get more fabulously festive every single year.
Families and friends should take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to get together for some festive skating fun which certainly puts a smile on everyone’s faces.
All ages and skill levels are catered for by the helpful staff, including Chris Harris, for whom nothing was too much trouble to help us from organising a push-along penguin to hold on to, making sure our skates were a good fit and sorting some bob-skates to strap over our three-year-old daughter’s boots.
The sight of people laughing and smiling in bobble hats, gloves and scarves while zooming (or in my case stuttering!) around the rink sparks visions of New York’s Central Park at Christmas which is helped by the gloriously lit-up roof, so families can skate whatever the weather.
I don’t think Torvill and Dean will feel threatened by our ice rink performance but it was a fun experience and one that we would try again!
After all that gliding around on the ice we enjoyed hot chocolates, cakes and coffee in the Christmas Café next door where many spectators were already sat. They also serve hot food from 12pm.
There were two parties being held while we were there which culminated in a chorus of Happy Birthday in the cafe after the skating session which is a novel way to celebrate your special occasion.
Webbs say they can cater for a range of group celebrations, in which skaters can take advantage of Webbs’ party packages, which includes a skate session, a dedicated party area in the Christmas Café and party bags.
Parents might like to note that Father Christmas and his real reindeer arrive at Webbs on Saturday (November 12) for the festive. See visit www.webbsdirect.co.uk for more info and to book tickets.
[ITALICISE] [BLOB] * The ice rink is open seven days a week, including evening sessions, until Monday 2nd January, excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Each session is 45 minutes long and ticket price includes skate hire. Tickets start from just £4 when booked off peak before Saturday 19th November. Families can take advantage of the family saver offer which costs just £33 (2 adults + 2 children OR 1 adult and 3 children) for any session.
Booking your skating session in advance is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment. For full details of times and prices visit http://www.webbsdirect.co.uk/ice-rink/ Tickets can also be bought in store.
