Groudle Glen Railway is all set to transport hundreds of families to Santa’s Grotto this Christmas.

Santa Trains will be operating this Saturday and Sunday (December 9 and 10) and next weekend (December 16 and 17), from 10am to 3.30pm.

Preparations for the Santa Trains started in June and the volunteers have been busy making a number of changes to improve the visitor experience.

Charity chairman Trevor Nall told Island Life: ‘We try to improve an aspect of the operation every year as the charity’s funds permit.

‘Each year we try to “walk the visitor experience” to see what we can improve on for families.

‘This year we have a fantastic new photo display for families to have their souvenir photos with, a huge pair of snowmen.

‘And Santa’s Grotto has undergone a huge refurbishment from last year and is now in the style of a Victorian room with fireplace etc.’

Also new for this year are gas heaters, a canopy over the queue to Santa and a range of illuminated decorations including a seven-foot high stack of presents.

The event has become enormously popular and now sees about 5,000 visitors to the railway over the Christmas period.

‘It is a massive operation,’ Trevor said.

‘We have to draft in friends and volunteers especially for the events, and the operation of the services itself takes up five full days of people’s time voluntarily before Christmas.

‘The days are long too, starting for some at 7am and not finishing until 5pm.’

It takes about 40 volunteers per day to operate all aspects of the services from traffic control and courtesy buses to refreshments, elves and the operation of the trains.

And visitors normally go through about 3,500 mince pies, 400 bottles of mulled punch and 2,000 cookies.

Trevor said: ‘We have a logistical headache of ensuring that there are presents for all different ages and genders and ensuring that they are of a high quality. We pride ourselves on ensuring it’s not just a selection box. We want to ensure families get quality.’

Time slots were introduced a few years ago due to the popularity of the event.

‘These have worked exceptionally well keeping any queuing to a minimum to ensure that people still get that festive atmosphere without the queuing experience,’ Trevor said.

Visitors are advised to wear sensible footwear and to dress for the weather.

A free courtesy bus will run return trips from King Edward Road to Groudle beach.

Many of the time slots for the second weekend are already sold out so people are advised to book now to avoid disappointment.

Groudle Glen Railway Santa hats, reindeer ears, reindeer ‘poo’ sweets and reindeer food can all be pre-booked.

Tickets are available online at www.ggr.org.uk

Meanwhile, tickets are also available for the Mince Pie Trains, which will be running on Boxing Day.

Trains will run from 11am to 3.30pm.

The ticket price includes tea, hot chocolate, mulled wine, orange juice and mince pies.