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A shopping centre in Essex has launched a unique Santa’s Grotto for this year’s Christmas period which will allow children with autism and other sensory conditions to meet Father Christmas in a calming sensory room within the centre.

The initiative was launched on 12th November as part of Purple Tuesday and will take place every Wednesday until the 18th December.

The grotto is a bespoke sensory room with no loud music or crowds of people. As well as the grotto being held in a calming sensory room, Father Christmas has also had training to make the whole experience as autism friendly as possible. This follows the success of a Calm Lane which was introduced last year to help families with additional needs enjoy the experience of Christmas shopping. The centre will also be offering ear defenders for children and adults with sensory conditions so that they can join in with the festive shopping experience.

Jonathan Poole, Centre Manager at The Liberty where the Sensory Santa’s Grotto is being held, spoke to reporters about the grotto. He said: “Christmas can be a hectic time of year and in busy public spaces, such as shopping centres, it can be an extremely stressful experience for people with autism or learning disabilities. Last year, the Calm Lane was introduced to help our festive shoppers take their time around the centre and it was so successful we kept it in place all year round.

“We work closely with the Sycamore Trust to nurture an environment that gives visitors with learning difficulties and local families with Autistic children a supportive shopping experience. We are proud to introduce our Sensory Santa this year to help even more local families enjoy our Christmas experience.”

Find more autism friendly experiences here. 

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