Santa arrived at The National Coal Mining Museum for England on Friday to collect coal for the children on this year’s naughty list. To mark the occasion the National Coal Mining Museum ‘lit up’ to celebrate the beginning of a fun-packed festive season, which has been funded as part of Light Up, led by Wakefield Council from 16 – 27 November 2022 across the Wakefield district.

Christmas kicked off with Illumine, a weekend of art, brass bands and history on November 25th to 27th. Then, as darkness fell, museum buildings were bathed in colourful hues as part of Light up Wakefield. Santa was also on-hand for photos before heading underground to collect coal for the stockings of naughty children.

Younger visitors, enjoyed pop-up Christmas activities with story-telling sessions and crafting where they learnt how to make a lantern at the Maker’s Shed. On the 27th visitors were invited to return with their lanterns and join a lantern parade around the museum site.

Due to popular demand, a few extra sessions have been added to visit Santa at the award-winning underground grotto which will continue to run every Saturday and Sunday through December and then the 21, 22, 23 from 10am to 4pm and, finally, on Christmas Eve between 10am and 2pm. This is a unique experience, 140m underground, where Santa will ring a bell then decide if you’re on the nice or naughty list, receiving a gift and certificate or just a lump of coal.

Sparky’s Winter Tale runs from 26 November to December 31 as visitors borrow a torch from reception and join Sparky, the museum canary, on a self-guided story trail. There’s also Living History from Peggy who chats about Christmas Past and hosts parlour games in Parkinson’s Yard on November 25 and all weekends until December 18 at 11am, noon, 1.30pm and 3pm.

The National Coal Mining Museum is offering an abundance of fun activities for craft lovers this winter starting with our Maker’s Shed: Thrifty Christmas which runs every weekend from December 3 and then on 21, 22 and 23. These free events are a chance to learn how to create handmade wrapping paper, decorations, and a calendar for the New Year.

Caphouse Creators on December 21, 22, and 23 from 11 to noon (£5) will see 7-12-year-olds learn to make handmade stained glass-style resin ornaments to adorn their Christmas trees. On December 4th from 11am to noon, then 2pm to 3pm, (£5) kids are, again, invited to get creative, learning about rag-rugging and making a wreath from recycled fabrics, at the monthly club.

Adults also have the opportunity to get arty on December 3 at our Charcoal and Beyond workshop, using charcoal, graphite, chalk and paint to explore light and shadow and add drama and atmosphere to their creations (£5).

Home Education Workshops on December 7, 8 and 9 (£7 per child), is where youngsters can learn how Victorian families saved money by making-do and mending, and then they can create their own festive rag-rug wreath. Booking is essential for our Wacky Wednesday Christmas Special on December 14, 10.15am to 11.45pm where kids help Maurice the miner decorate the last, lonely Christmas tree and search for the brightest star to place on top. There will also be surprise guests, songs, rhymes, stories and crafts.

Older children can enjoy two free Science Technology Engineering Art and Maths workshops on December 20th from 11am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 3pm where 11-16-year-olds will explore first aid skills down the mine, learning about common injuries and how splints and antibacterial cream were made.

Lovers of the outdoors can enjoy a festive ramble with our Heritage Walk on December 29th, a two-hour, three-mile stroll around the museum discovering the shadows of industry hidden in the stunning countryside around the museum and learning about the Lister Kaye Line, a feat of engineering that ensured the growth of a family business and built new ties between communities.

Festive treats continue to be available from the café and there will be a chance to catch up on your Christmas shopping at the museum shop.

Anita O’Donovan, Head of Marketing says:

“We are looking forward to celebrating the start of, what promises to be, a fantastic festive season at the National Coal Mining Museum with something for everyone from art and crafts, history, festive food and live music. Families can choose to enjoy a free day out with plenty of crafts to get them in the mood or pay for more specialist workshops where they can pick up new techniques and unique experiences. Young visitors will have the chance to catch Santa before he heads down our chimneys in our unique underground grotto, where Santa gets his coal, which has already sold out once.”

Alexis Wilson-Barrett is an Editor and Co-Founder of The Yorkshire Press. Based in the historic market town of Skipton in North Yorkshire, she's passionate about promoting local businesses. When she isn't sharing news from Yorkshire independents, she's interviewing inspirational entrepreneurs from across the region, getting the lowdown on new hospitality venues or sampling culinary delights at award-winning foodie hotspots.

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