Northampton couple praised for hosting Christmas grotto for families who might not otherwise have visited Santa

A Northampton couple have been praised for hosting a Christmas grotto from their home, for families who might not have otherwise had the opportunity to visit Santa.

Emily and Dirk Campling welcomed families to their home in Far Cotton on December 9, and Emily’s sister Anika Errington wanted to thank the pair for what they have done for the community.

They made a Christmas grotto, hosted a raffle and tombola, and raised £400 for Cynthia Spencer Hospice – all while helping families amid the cost of living crisis.

“I think it’s amazing,” Anika told the Chronicle & Echo. “They have always donated to charity. Last year was for Marie Curie and this year for Cynthia Spencer, as we had a couple of family members go through cancer and end of life care.

“They wanted children to be able to see Santa without having to pay silly money.”

Anika shared that she has four children and with the increasing cost of Santa visits across the county and beyond, she says it is “not doable” with more than one or two kids.

“We wouldn’t have got to see Santa at those prices,” she added, praising Emily and Dirk for charging just £3 per child which was all donated to charity.

Each child received a gift during their visit to the grotto, which the pair made themselves.

This is not the first time Emily and Dirk have hosted Christmas festivities, as in previous years they built an igloo from milk bottles, a sleigh and this year’s theme was gingerbread houses.

“My sister is so creative,” said Anika. “They bought all the materials themselves and Dirk spent the week building it.”

The pair were “over the moon” to raise hundreds for Cynthia Spencer Hospice, who were happy for them to fundraise and previously sent out badges and buckets to assist.

With the help of a number of local and small businesses, the raffle had 30 prizes and proved a success.

From 1.30pm until 6pm last Saturday (December 9), around 80 people visited the home in Far Cotton.

Though Emily and Dirk had the support of family members, friends and the Far Cotton community, people also travelled from wider areas.