Reindeer bring Santa - a first for Poole

Thousands of families flocked to welcome Santa to Poole and accompany him on his annual journey to take up residence in his Dolphin Shopping Centre grotto until Christmas Eve. Christmas spirit filled the air with crowds stretching from the Quay, down the High Street and towards the Dolphin Shopping Centre, and thanks to the outstanding generosity of the people of Poole; a staggering £1,364.80 was collected by Julia’s House.

Santa arrived courtesy of the RNLI Lifeboat at the Custom House Steps, greeted by a wonderful sea of red santa hats, which were given out free to the crowd along the parade route. The world’s longest serving town crier of Poole, David Squire, led the parade followed by all manner of marching bands, stilt walkers, street performers, majorettes and entertainers.

For the first time in the parade’s history, Santa’s sleigh was pulled by beautiful reindeer while the Mayor of Poole, Cllr Joyce Lavender, Adele Silva from Emmerdale fame and stars of the Poole Lighthouse’s pantomime Dick Whittington followed in a stunning horse and carriage.

Julia’s House was the sole fundraising charity for the event and the crowds gave a wonderfully warm welcome to the 45 children and siblings cared for by the Dorset children’s hospice, including twelve children who travelled in their wheelchairs in the heart of the parade. The Julia’s House families and siblings dressed for the occasion in Christmas and Disney costumes and were the first to see Santa in his Dolphin Shopping Centre grotto.

Louise Smith, Dolphin Shopping Centre Marketing Manager, commented: “A huge thank you to everyone who welcomed Santa to Poole and helped to raise vital funds for Julia’s House. We are delighted at the amount raised, which together with the money collected at the Dolphin Shopping Centre’s wooden animal feature means that over £3,000 has been raised in recent months. It was fantastic to see the town united and joining together to support Julia’s House on Sunday. Santa will be staying with us until Christmas Eve but don’t forget to put next year’s Santa Parade in your diary for Sunday 15 November. We’d like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas.”

The Dolphin Shopping Centre grotto will be open from 10am until 5pm Monday to Saturday and 11am until 4pm on Sundays. To celebrate the centre’s late night shopping events, the grotto will be open until 8pm on Thursdays while Santa will be available from 10am until 3pm on Christmas Eve. Please note there may be queuing at busy times.