There was scrumptious food, dancing, magical entertainment and, most importantly, a visit from Father Christmas.

Krazy Kev’s very popular and amusing magic show had the children in stitches of laughter as they tried to catch bubbles, did silly dances and helped him with his daft tricks. Before the show, the children tucked into slices of pizza, sausages, chicken goujons, chips, and delicious chocolate brownies. There were also crackers with paper hats and fruit squash to drink.

Before going back to school, the children all got to meet Father Christmas who gave each child a big red Christmas stocking full of treats and toys. It was a magical occasion and the children loved it all.

Julia Winston, SENDCo at Bethany Junior School said:

There was a genuinely warm welcome from staff and guests at the Marsham Court Hotel. The room looked beautiful and the food was delicious!

As always, the entertainment was spot on and the children absolutely lapped it up! They were totally in the zone and enjoyed the games and funny magic in equal measures!

Finally, the main man arrived and spoke to each and every child and gave them a great big stocking full of goodies. Some of our slightly smaller children commented that the stocking was as big as them as they waddled down the corridor!

All-in-all a huge success and a day that the children will cherish.

Our heartfelt thanks and wishes for a magical Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.

For children who were unable to attend the Christmas party, Krazy Kev will be doing a series of Zoom shows.

Frances Cornelius, chair of Variety Wessex, said:

On behalf of Variety, the Children’s Charity, I would like to thank all those who helped to make yesterday’s party such a special one. First of all, a big huge thank you and hugs to Shan Seewoothrun and the BC Club who once again funded the entertainment, food and coaches that brought the children to the party today. Thank you Marsham Court Hotel for your helpful staff and chefs – the food and service was first class. Thank you Krazy Kev for your fantastic shows – you are outstanding as a children’s entertainer. Huge thanks to Matthew Fleming-Duffy and the Foresters for funding £2000 worth of presents for this party every year. Variety also has the best Santa! It’s wonderful that he spends time with each individual child. Many children nowadays never get to see or meet Santa so these Variety children are very lucky. Thank you also to Gill, Richard and Andy at Laguna coaches who look after the travel needs for so many of our events. Huge thanks to our photographer ‘Hattie’ who ensures that the children have photos to remind them of the fun times they’ve had on our Great Days Out. Finally, a very big thank you to our Volunteer Variety Committee members, without whom the children that we support would not have these Great Days Out. Many of the committee work away in the background and are rarely seen – I send them so much love and thanks.