Wiston Lodge is going green this weekend for Christmas

Wiston Lodge near Biggar will welcome families for an interactive experience through a fairy-lit magical trail.

Part of the visit will include gifting small trees for children to take away and eventually plant out closer to home.

Wiston Wonderland is an effort to take Christmas back to its traditional roots by the charity, which delivers outdoor and nature connections learning for children and young people all year round.

At the centre will be a Green Santa – someone clad not in red but in the older traditional colour of green.

Staff and volunteers of the charity will play elves and also host a wide range of festive activities, including panning for elf gold at a real miniature mining channel in the grounds, visiting the Wish Tree, crafting decorations with wood and toasting marshmallows.

Santa will give tips on how to look after the young trees which are small enough to grow on a window sill for a year or two. The trees have been donated by Tilhill Forestry and Maelor Forest Nurseries.

Overseeing the event is Jacqui Allan, the co-ordinator of the Path of the Little People, a sensory trail at Wiston Lodge which is funded by the National Lottery Young Start Communities’ Fund. The path was designed to use nature to educate.

Jacqui said: “What we’re offering is an interactive Christmas experience. What’s important is that we’re connecting with nature and that Christmas is about giving as well as receiving.

“Nature connections is what we offer in our work at Wiston Lodge year-round and it will be at the heart of the Christmas experience too.”

The trail will start on Saturday (November 25) and will be open for six days. Booking is essential, with slots available until Wednesday, December 6.

For more details, tickets and prices visit the website at https://wistonlodge.com.

Wiston Lodge is a charity, housed in a former Victorian hunting lodge near Biggar. It provides residential and day-visit learning experiences, with outdoor adventure and arts-based challenges in a safe environment.