This Christmas CLAN Cancer Support’s popular Santa’s Grotto will be hosted at Den & the Glen, Maryculter, Royal Deeside.

The grotto, which will launch on Friday, November 16, will be open from 10am to 5pm from Friday to Monday until Friday, December 14 when it will then be open every day from 10am to 5pm until Christmas Eve when it will close at 2pm.

A team from CLAN Cancer Support will run the grotto and the charity aims to sign up more corporate volunteers to help for a day during the run-up to Christmas

A team from AVC Immedia, Aberdeen, are the first corporate group to sign up to volunteer as elves for a day.

They will help Santa by welcoming children as they come to see Santa with their families.

Ruth McIntosh, CLAN’s fundraising co-ordinator, with the AVC team.

Fiona Fernie, CLAN Cancer Support’s Head of Income Generation and Business Development, said:

“We’re very grateful to AVC Immedia who are the first business to sign up to volunteer for a day at our Santa’s Grotto which is at the Den & The Glen.

“Corporate volunteering at events like this are a great way for teams to work together outside of the office, have some fun with colleagues and contribute to good causes which help the local community.

“We are keen to sign up more businesses to volunteer at the grotto for a day to help us make this a special occasion for the hundreds of children who will come to see Santa this year.

“Every visit to the grotto will make a big difference as we continue to strengthen our provision of free support services to anyone affected by cancer across the north-east of Scotland, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.”

Spencer Buchan, Managing Director from AVC Immedia, said:

“Santa really has so much to do during the Christmas season, looking at all the Santa letters, checking to see who’s being naughty or nice, and travel around the entire world in just one night to deliver all of those presents.

“This year he’s got a crack team of AVC elves on hand and we are all looking forward to helping him at CLAN’s Santa’s Grotto, it should be a Christmas cracker!”

Located at Den & the Glen, admission to Santa’s Grotto is £5.95 which includes a gift for each child.

For more information about corporate volunteering at Santa’s Grotto, please call CLAN Cancer Support on 01224 647000, or email: fundraising@clanhouse.org