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'Santa made me believe again:' Adult Sleigh and Dine experience proves a hit with guests

19 December 2024

Coventry Transport Museum’s Vintage Sleigh Ride welcomed a slightly older audience than usual on Friday, 13 December.

 

The Sleigh has become part of the festive fabric of Coventry’s Christmas season, sparking joy and nostalgia for Coventry residents for almost 70 years.

 

Originating from the Co-op in Coventry, the sleigh ride has a long history dating back to 1956. Though the Co-op initially had dozens of mechanical sleighs up and down the country, the one now residing at Coventry Transport Museum is the last functioning ride still making its annual journey to the North Pole.

 

While visiting Santa’s Grotto is usually something you’d associate with children, this year the Transport Museum has sought to make the attraction more appealing to a wider audience.

 

On Friday the Vintage Sleigh and Dine experience took place, with the aim of encouraging older people to take part in what has become a true Coventry tradition. 

 

The event saw guests enjoy a Christmas lunch, an impromptu festive singalong, a ride on the Sleigh itself, and a chance to meet Father Christmas in his Grotto,

 

The idea proved so popular, there were even people attending from other parts of the country - mother and daughter duo, Barbara and Maria, enjoyed the ride at a Co-op across the West Midlands over 30 years ago.

 

Barbara said: “This was an amazing gift from my daughter. We have happy memories of the sleigh in the Co-Op in Walsall. My children loved it every year.”

 

Maria added: “Every Christmas we talk about our annual childhood visit to the Walsall Co-op. I genuinely couldn’t believe one of the Sleighs still existed after googling it, trying to find images and videos. 

 

“When I found out about the Coventry Sleigh, I put a reminder in my diary nearly a year before to ensure I remembered to book tickets for me and my 79-year-old mom to enjoy.

 

“The sleigh ride was very emotional and still felt absolutely magical at the age of 45! We made new friends and shared stories of the past. The day was a very well thought out process and really added to the structure of the day.”

 

Another visitor, a lady aged 76, said: “Santa was brilliant, he made me believe again. I wanted to enjoy the sleigh ride again and to see Santa, especially without kids! I love kids, but this was for me.”

 

After a trip to the North Pole, guests took part in a Christmas themed reminiscence session, led by the museum’s Learning and Engagement team. This gave visitors the chance to share memories of Christmases gone by, as well as handling festive objects from museum collections. The session became quite lively, with a friendly atmosphere and a buzz of conversation, connecting people with new acquaintances and forming a social bond that for some will live on beyond the experience at the museum.

 

One person attending was Sheila who was celebrating her 83rd birthday. Towards the end of the reminiscence session, Sheila was serenaded by the 24-strong group singing Happy Birthday, with the ringing of bells lending festive cheer to the moment.

 

Head of Learning and Engagement, Lisa Ford, said: “This was a new way of delivering these events and showed the collaborative efforts of the museum team coming together with catering coming from fellow CV Life venue Alan Higgs Centre. This will mark the first of many of these types of events, where the spirit of CV Life is truly felt across teams and venues.

 

“The magic of Christmas goes beyond children and it’s important that audiences from a different demographic feel included in our festive celebrations centred around such an iconic Christmas tradition in Coventry.

 

“The sleigh ride always gathers interest from adult audiences, who have memories of riding on the sleigh as children, or with their children from the 1950s onwards. As keepers of the Sleigh, it’s our duty at Coventry Transport Museum to spread the love and joy of the Sleigh experience to all audiences. It creates truly magical moments for our visitors, but also for the staff, who all left work on Friday with a spring in their step and that feel good festive spirit in their hearts.

 

“From the success and impact of the event for our visitors, here at CV Life, we are already excited to plan for next year’s Vintage sleigh events for adults!”