Santa to visit Drax as Christmas countdown begins

Santa will make a special double visit to Drax in December as part of fun-filled festive celebrations hosted at the power station’s nature reserve and visitor centre.

A traditional Santa’s Grotto will be just one of the attractions for visitors to the site on Sunday 2nd and Sunday 9th December for the celebrations, which will also include the chance to make illuminated Christmas decorations and cards, ready for the big day.

Visitors will also get the chance to take part in face painting and a Christmas quiz trail around the Skylark nature reserve which forms part of the power station site, as well as viewing a traditional elves’ workshop.

The fun begins each Sunday at 11am and will continue till 4pm, with the last admission at 3.30pm.

The event is the latest community initiative by Selby-based Drax, the largest decarbonisation project in Europe, which sees around 13,000 visitors pass through its gates each year as it continues to grow in popularity as an alternative day trip destination.

Drax Power Station’s cooling towers in the snow, March 2018

Jane Breach, Community Engagement and Visitor Centre Team Leader at Drax, said:

“Last year’s event proved to be very popular and we’re expecting lots more visitors this year as the countdown to Christmas begins.

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“We’ve got another fantastic series of events for everyone at the Skylark Centre and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone again this year to get us all in the festive mood. Christmas outfits are more than welcome!”

The Christmas event follows on from a successful spooky Hallowe’en Saturday at Drax where children and adults alike enjoyed activities such as slime making, an eerie quiz trail based on dead celebrities and a themed café offering refreshments.

Further details on upcoming community events, including the Christmas events are available from the Drax Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DraxGroup.

Anyone interested in visiting the power station can arrange this by going to the website at www.drax.com/uk/visit-us. All tours are free and can be tailored to individual group requirements.

Drax, which recently converted the fourth of its six generating units from coal to renewable biomass, generates enough electricity each day to power more than six million homes.

The site’s 380-acre Skylark nature reserve is used regularly by visitors and school children to Drax’s visitor centre, to learn more about the energy produced there. 

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Media contacts:

Jessica Gorton
Drax Group Press Officer
E: [email protected]
T: 07712677177

Mark Duffell
MCD Communications Ltd
E: [email protected]
T: 01484 968238
M: 07969 080272

Notes to editors:

About Drax

Drax Group plc plays a vital role in helping change the way energy is generated, supplied and used. Its 2,300-strong staff operate across three principal areas of activity – electricity generation, electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet production.

The Group includes:

Drax Power Ltd, which operates the largest power station in the UK, based at Selby, North Yorkshire and supplies six percent of the country’s electricity needs. The energy firm converted from burning coal to become a predominantly biomass-fuelled electricity generator. Drax is the biggest renewable generator in the UK and the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.

Haven Power, based in Ipswich, supplies electricity to large Industrial and Commercial sector businesses.

Opus Energy, based in Oxford, Northampton and Cardiff, provides electricity and gas to small and medium sized (SME) businesses.

Drax Biomass, is based in the US and manufactures compressed wood pellets produced from sustainably managed working forests, supplying fuel used by Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK’s homes and businesses.

For more information visit www.drax.com/uk