The family-owned high street toy retailer, The Entertainer, has teamed up with Mattel to create a virtual grotto experience for children missing out this Christmas due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With government restrictions, lockdowns, and social distancing measures taking experiences and events off the table this year, the pair are looking to recreate the experience of the Christmas grotto visit in a unique way with a giveaway offering 50 places to families who will get the chance to ‘dial through’ to the North Pole and chat with Santa and his elves.

Supporting some of those families most at need, 25 of the 50 spaces will be split between families from The Salvation Army nurseries and families supported by the support group Enabled run by The Salvation Army who provide spiritual and social fellowship for people with a disability and their carers.

The remaining 25 spots are open to the public to win. Families have from November 5th to 21st to enter. Full T&Cs can be seen on the website alongside the entry form by following this link: https://emails.thetoyshop.com/public/m/santa_competition

As well as a chance to meet Santa, there will also be toys from Mattel to be won including the latest Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels cars, Mega Bloks construction toys as well as games including UNO and Scrabble. All entrants will also receive a 10 per cent off voucher for Mattel toys at The Entertainer.

Gary Grant, founder and chief executive of The Entertainer, said: “Covid-19 has had a huge impact on our children, from missing play dates with friends to time away from learning and this Christmas is already looking very different. Visiting Father Christmas is a time-honoured Christmas tradition for thousands of children across the country, and whilst social distancing means this isn’t possible this year, we wanted to bring Santa to children in the virtual world so families can share the joy of Christmas together.”