Horse Week: Santa’s stopping by the Fort Centre RDA, Maghera

The event is running from Friday 29 November to Sunday 1 December, and guests can enjoy an array of merry activities from making Reindeer food to writing Christmas letters.

Santa Claus will be in attendance, along with Mrs Claus and their very helpful elves, to meet each person and hear their all-important wish list, as well as get a photograph.

The noble steads will of course be centre of attention, with the trusty riding and companion horses and ponies joining in the merriment and meeting guests, from the biggest boy Brownie to cutie pie Toffee.

There will also be a sleigh ride to delight both adults and children.

Fort Centre RDA Manager, Martin O’Hagan, commented: “We provide free weekly riding lesson for over 60 children and adults with varying degrees of disability.

“We rely on fundraising activity throughout the year to continue supplying this vital service to our local community.

“Our events are usually very well supported, and we hope the Christmas Experience is too. As well as lots of Christmas fun, there will be raffle tickets sold and I would like to personally thank our local businesses, for their continued support and for supplying brilliant prizes.”

The charity is run by a dedicated team of volunteers to provide people with special needs an opportunity to experience horse-riding, which has been proven to benefit individual health and well-being.

The Christmas Experience is £10 per person visiting Santa, which includes all activities, and is running on Friday 29 November (6.30pm to 9pm), Saturday 30 November (4pm to 9.45pm) and Sunday 1 December (4pm to 8.30pm).

Event tickets can be purchased at the Fort Centre RDA, 38 Craigmore Road, Maghera, BT46 5AN, and more information is available on their Facebook page or by calling 028 7964 4280.

Raffle tickets can be purchased at the event and via Facebook for those not attending, with the draw taking place before Christmas.