Thanks to Norman and his wonderful team of elves, gnomes and fairies we have completed successfully another very good Santa Specials. Thankfully the weather was kind to us this year with no snow. We also didn't need to turn the heaters on in the Frensham building either weekend - this is virtually unheard of in the 19 year history of Santa Specials at the RLC! Would you believe that Jenny tells me that there is one family that has been coming for all those 19 years? No, don't worry that there are 19 year olds that still believe in Santa - they've always managed to find relatives from younger generations to bring along so that the adults can continue to enjoy the unique experience our volunteers provide. In all we saw 973 children who were accompanied by over 2100 adults over the four days. This is more than we saw in 2011 and is definitely a step in the right direction during such troubled financial times, especially as we had new competition from Hollycombe this year besides the usual Santas on the Watercress Line and at Birdworld. There is something about our event that makes it stand out from all the others, I think, and that is reinforced by the comments from visitors. Thank you to everybody involved and I hope you all have a relaxing Christmas to recover. Chris -- Chris Shepheard writing as himself chris.shepheard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx from far west Surrey www.chrispics.co.uk Please remember what you post to this list is seen by volunteers, staff and interested members of our public. Also, to avoid delay, ensure you post to the list from the email address with which you are subscribed. Chris Shepheard - list administrator