Date published: 14 January 2025 by Sophie Wichman

Over the Christmas period, Chessington Garden Centre opened its Christmas Wonderland Experience exclusively to families supported by Rainbow Trust.

Families journeyed through a sparkling winter wonderland, filled with twinkling lights and enchanted trees, before getting creative with festive crafts in a gingerbread house and hopping aboard a magical train for the main event – meeting Santa Claus himself!

Families who attended said the following about the experience:

“As a family we tend to avoid busy places due to infections going around but knowing that there wasn’t going to be crowds, we took the chance.  So glad we did, what a lovely afternoon. Such a magical experience, thank you so much.”

“Thank you, Chessington Garden Centre, for the invite to see Santa and the Grotto, we would not have been able to do anything like this due to our financial situation, so having the opportunity to make such amazing memories with my daughter and son, made our Christmas. The experience was not just a festive treat but also a moment of togetherness and happiness for our family so thank you.”

Alongside this, Chessington Garden Centre has been fundraising for Rainbow Trust. In 2024, an incredible £7,414 was raised, which is enough to provide 231 hours of support for families caring for a seriously ill child.

Rainbow Trust and Chessington Garden Centre have been working in partnership for many years, the garden centre having raised over £70,000 for the charity to date.

Katherine Burgess, Corporate and Community Fundraising Manager at Rainbow Trust said:

“Rainbow Trust is incredibly grateful to have been working in partnership with Chessington Garden Centre for over 10 years. In this time Chessington Garden Centre and their customers have raised over £70,000 for Rainbow Trust and provided us with important visibility in a community in which we work. The Christmas Grotto is both magical and impressive creating such a lovely experience for the families we support. We are blown away by the generosity and want to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated during their visit. We also want to thank all the staff at Chessington Garden Centre for encouraging donations and providing us with such a wonderful backdrop to our fundraising. This is an incredible achievement that will make a tangible difference to the lives of families caring for a seriously ill child.”

Jamie Port, Chessington Garden Centre’s Marketing and Events Manager, said:

“This is now my 6th year working with The Rainbow Trust and seeing the amazing work they do for children and families alike. We are incredibly proud of our customers who continue to show their support for a cause that we truly believe in. This year was extra special as we managed to add a dedicated day just for the families the Rainbow Trust supports, it truly was a lovely occasion and we saw so many smiling faces. We look forward to the plans for 2025 and beyond.”