THOUSANDS of children will get to meet Santa at a festive North Yorkshire attraction this month.

The Christmas Experience at Lotherton Hall is open until December 23, and gives families chance to take part in a magical Twelve Days of Christmas Walk - with interactive examples of each of the song's famous characters.

Visitors can also see the secret Fairy Dell, and tickets can be booked to an Elf Village, where children can help elves with craft projects, make a souvenir to take home, before meeting Santa and sharing their festive wishes.

Michael Thaw who runs the museum at Lotherton Hall, said more than 12,500 tickets had already been booked for the Elf Village, and he hoped the

He said: "This is the first of five years so we're already thinking about how to make it better for the future.

"For some years we've had an Edwardian Christmas weekend, and it was so popular we couldn't cope with demand. We looked at different ways to expand that, and give people what they wanted."

Entry to The Christmas Experience is covered by the general entry cost to the estate, but slots at the Elf Village must be booked in advance.

For more information, or to book tickets, go to thechristmasexperience.co.uk