We are running a small number of SEN Sessions in Santa’s Winter Wonderland for our young visitors who would benefit from a calmer visit.
We have worked with Naomi House and Jack’s Place to identify changes that can be made to make these sessions accessible, and as a thank you will donate 50% of ticket proceeds from all SEN Sessions booked to these amazing charities.
These sessions will have no flashing lights and the music on the animated band will be switched off to allow only gentle background music to be heard. There will be a smaller number of visitors in each 15 minute slot compared to the general admission, so it will be less crowded. One of our friendly elves can, if required, stay with your group through the whole experience to help ensure your child’s needs are met.
There will be an elf at the entrance to the Garden Centre to guide you to Santa’s Winter Wonderland should you need assistance. Additionally, an elf can also accompany you throughout the Winter Wonderland.
Please note, even though we are running our SEN session in our Winter Wonderland, our centres will still be open as normal with some flashing lights and music in our Christmas departments.
Stewarts Christchurch Garden Centre, BH23 4SA
Sunday 30th November: 10.00am - 11.00am
Sunday 7th December: 10.00am - 11.00am
Tuesday 9th December: 10.00am - 11.00am
Stewarts Broomhill Garden Centre, BH21 7DF
Sunday 30st November: 10.00am – 11.00am
Friday 5th December: 4.30pm - 5.30pm
Friday 12th December: 4.30pm - 5.30pm
Stewarts Abbey Garden Centre, PO15 5RB
Sunday 23rd November: 9.30am - 10.00am
Sunday 30th November: 9.30am - 10.00am
Sunday 7th December: 9.30am - 10.00am
Wednesday 10th December: 9.00am - 10.00am
Sunday 14th December: 9.30am - 10.00am
Wednesday 17th December: 9.00am - 10.00am
To book on to one of our SEN Sessions please call or visit the centre you wish to book at. You cannot book these sessions online.
Stewarts Christchurch Garden Centre, Lyndhurst Road, Christchurch, Dorset, BH23 4SA Tel: 01425 272244
Stewarts Broomhill Garden Centre, God’s Blessing Lane, Broomhill, Dorset, BH21 7DF Tel: 01202 882462
Stewarts Abbey Garden Centre, Mill Lane, Titchfield, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 5RB Tel: 01329 842225
When you make your booking, we will ask you a few questions about how we can tailor your Winter Wonderland booking to your childs needs. Please also let us know if there is anything else you would like us to know ahead of your booking so we can add it to your booking.
We understand that certain wheelchairs can struggle with unlevel ground so have endeavoured to detail the flooring conditions below so you can be prepared.
Our carpark is flat tarmac, but it does have some sunken dips in places and also in the block paving. There are some kerbs going from the tarmac to block paving into the courtyard area outside the Entrance door. For the evening session, there will be lighting in the car park.
There are several accessible parking bays near the entrance. The front entrance door is a double sliding door going onto a carpet mat and then onto a flat tiled floor. There will be printed footsteps to follow to the entrance of the grotto. Please note that these will take you through our Christmas Department where some twinkling lights are displayed in areas. If you wish to avoid these, please ask our team for directions through our Garden Shop Department.
The selfie area situated before the entrance to the Winter Wonderland is block paved. Some of the selfie booths have wooden struts at their base holding them upright. The entrance to Santa’s Winter Wonderland is through open double sliding doors and the walkway through the Winter Wonderland is all block paving, with a gently winding path wide enough for wheelchairs and buggies, leading up to a slightly rising wooden ramp into where Santa is.
The grotto itself is carpeted and is large enough to turn wheelchairs or buggies. The exit from Santa’s Grotto is through a wide wooden door down a wooden ramp to block paving. From there, there is a wooden ramp up to Santa’s Toy Store. The Toy Store will be carpeted and is large enough to turn wheelchairs or buggies. The photographer’s desk is situated inside the Toy Store. The exit from Santa’s Toy Store is through a wide door down a wooden ramp to block paving. This block paving has a slight slant to the floor to allow for drainage. There is a covered drainage channel as you re-enter the greenhouse.
To get to the Coffee Shop or exit, follow the block paving back to the main shop area of vinyl wooden flooring. The Coffee Shop flooring is the same. The way out of the centre is on vinyl flooring followed by tiles, the same as the entrance in. The exit doors are double sliding doors to the courtyard and car park.
Our carpark is flat but has some slopes in places. There are a number of accessible parking bays in front of the front door which are on the same level as the door. The carpark is tarmac, with a brick paved walkway outside the front door.
The front door to the Garden Centre is a double sliding door.
Inside the entrance is the Christmas Department, with level vinyl flooring. The Christmas Department displays will feature some twinkling lights in areas. On the far side of the department the entrance to Santa’s Winter Wonderland is a double sliding door, this leads to a short block paved ramp down to a brick paved and concrete floor which continues throughout the Winter Wonderland. There is a large wooden door at the entrance to the Walkway, followed by a gently winding path wide enough for wheelchairs and buggies.
The brick paved and concrete flooring continues throughout Santa’s Winter Wonderland, until Santa’s Grotto at the end of the walkway where there is a short ramp. Within Santa grotto the flooring is carpet. You leave through a wide wooden door into Santa’s Toy store which is also carpeted.
Leaving Santa’s Toy Store, the carpet ends then there is a short ramp and brick paving begins again.
This brick paved flooring continues through our outdoor plant area, at this point you can decide to re-enter the Garden Centre, up a slight slope upwards through double automatic doors over a minor metal lip and onto level vinyl flooring. Or you can continue through our under cover outdoor plant area, and along the brick paved flooring to our Selfie Walkway and real Christmas trees. If you choose to interact with the selfie area, some of the selfie booths have wooden struts at their base holding them upright, and steps in order to use them.
At this point if you re-enter the Garden Centre building via the Coffee Shop, this has vinyl flooring and can be accessed through a single door with an additional door that can be opened if required. Should you need more space, there is another entrance to the Coffee Shop that you can access by continuing along the covered walkway, from within the Garden Shop Department that is a wide opening, from brick paving. There is another Coffee Shop entrance through the Home & Lifestyle department that has no door, and vinyl flooring.
Our carpark is compacted gravel with a small number of accessible parking bays closest to the entrance. From the car park you cross a small tarmac road and enter through our wide gates on to tarmac. There may be a few bumps between the front gate and the entrance to the garden centre, but we have regular wheelchair visitors who don’t find it to be a problem.
The entrance is into a greenhouse which has concrete floor (a small bumps where the floor type changes), then there is a double push door into slab paving. Throughout the centre there are rubber mats that smooth out the most uneven areas. The slab paving continues to a wide open door which leads to the outside, the transition is poured concrete followed by a drainage grate. The flooring outside is tarmac which slopes up to a flat area outside the entrance to Santa’s Winter Wonderland. The selfie area situated before the entrance to the Winter Wonderland is block paved, and up some slab paving and a slight incline. Some of the selfie booths have wooden struts at their base holding them upright.
Santa’s Winter Wonderland has artificial grass throughout, and may be uneven in places. From the Winter Walkway to Santa’s Grotto there is a short, artificial grass-covered ramp. Within Santa’s Grotto there is carpet. Leading out of Santa’s Grotto is a short artificial grass-covered ramp that leads from the photographer’s desk which is artificial grass with some bumps. A metal threshold strip precedes concrete drainage grate back to the flat area of poured concrete outside the Winter Wonderland Entrance. To return to the shop proceed back down the tarmac slope.