Christmas postponed! Weather puts Ludlow event on hold
The opening of Ludlow's Christmas wonderland has been postponed by a week due to the impact of Storm Clodagh.
Frosty's Christmas World in Ludlow will now not open to the public until December 12.
Organisers said fields surrounding AFC Ludlow's stadium off Bromfield Road, where the festive-themed wonderland will be held, were too wet to press ahead with the planned opening tomorrow.
It comes after a week of heavy rain and high winds which has seen stretches of the River Severn in Shropshire and Mid Wales flood and barriers put up in Shrewsbury and Ironbridge.
Ruby Jarrett, of Craven Arms-based organisers Jolly Entertainment, said she was disappointed but a site visit in recent days together with grim weather forecasts meant they had to be safe rather than sorry.
She said: "The forecast has changed now so that it's not so bad, but the prediction was heavy rainfall and high wind speeds.
"On our site visit the ground was already very wet. For health and safety reasons we felt we just couldn't go ahead."
We're putting on something that is supposed to be a fun event and we don't want parents coming here and worrying.
"But its not just for the general public, its about the safety of our own staff and everyone who is coming to take part as well."
Attractions at Frosty's Christmas World will include real reindeer, a nativity scene with real camel and donkeys, Christmas-themed circus shows and stalls. with a juggler, a wire walker and a comedy elf instead of a clown, a Santa's grotto, fairytale princess, workshops and demonstrations, an undercover play area and stalls including hot food.
Set to take place across 11 days in total – on weekends and during Christmas week – Mrs Jarrett said she hoped the Christmas world would simply be postponed for a week.
She said: "The Met Office has now released the forecast for next weekend and it looks much better.
– once Tuesday and Wednesday are out of the way it looks like the weather will be more calm – so we're looking to start early next week the preparations we would have been doing this week.
"We are contacting everyone who has purchased tickets that we are aware of and offering them a refund or the chance to come on another day instead," she said.
The Christmas world is now planned to be open on the weekend of December 12, and then between December 18 and 24, from 10am to 5pm.
