Secret Santa arrives at coastal park
The phantom secret Santa has returned spreading goodwill about Llanelli’s award winning Millennium Coastal Park.
Two carrier bags of fluffy toys, some gift wrapped, have been left hanging in trees at Sandy Water Park over the weekend.
And it could be the start of hundreds of the gifts being found.
Last year whole sack fulls - a total of more than 600 items - were found hanging in bags in the Christmas tree like Corsican pines in the park in the two months run up to Christmas.
The first cache of toys last year was discovered by a regular park walker in October who took the toys to charity shops before alerting park rangers to his repeat finds.
After that the toys were found over six-miles of park perched in trees around the Nicklaus designed Machynys Peninsula Golf Course, on the Mabinogion Walk through trees at Sandy Water Park and four miles away in Burry Port Woodlands.
Park Ranger Andrew Jenkins said it was a bit of a shock to see the phantom Santa had returned in the night of Sunday.
“This time he is leaving us notes attached to the bags.” One said in neat handwriting ‘A gift mixed ‘ and ‘a baby gift.’ Each is signed off from “The Woodland Santa” with a final line reading “Goodwill and good spirit.”
Mr Jenkins said: “He kept up busy up to Christmas Eve last year and there was only one sighting of him running away across the golf course”
Park manager Rory Dickinson said: “ ’Tis the season to be jolly and giving but this does cause us a few problems.
“We cannot leave the presents out because of littering issues and rangers have started a collection and will pass on the gifts to a suitable children’s charity.
Last year a lot of the presents were ruined by the weather and filled a skip. They could not passed on for “elf and safety” reasons.
County executive board member for leisure services Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “It is an unusual problem for us. We certainly don’t want to be the first authority to be labelled scrooges for citing Santa for fly tipping but would like to come to some kind of arrangement with him to better distribute his generosity even if it is anonymously.”
Millennium Coastal Park (MCP) Ranger Andrew Jenkins has got to smile that his Phantom Santa pal has returned to give him the sack again. Pic: Jeff Connell
Two carrier bags of fluffy toys, some gift wrapped, have been left hanging in trees at Sandy Water Park over the weekend.
And it could be the start of hundreds of the gifts being found.
Last year whole sack fulls - a total of more than 600 items - were found hanging in bags in the Christmas tree like Corsican pines in the park in the two months run up to Christmas.
The first cache of toys last year was discovered by a regular park walker in October who took the toys to charity shops before alerting park rangers to his repeat finds.
After that the toys were found over six-miles of park perched in trees around the Nicklaus designed Machynys Peninsula Golf Course, on the Mabinogion Walk through trees at Sandy Water Park and four miles away in Burry Port Woodlands.
Park Ranger Andrew Jenkins said it was a bit of a shock to see the phantom Santa had returned in the night of Sunday.
“This time he is leaving us notes attached to the bags.” One said in neat handwriting ‘A gift mixed ‘ and ‘a baby gift.’ Each is signed off from “The Woodland Santa” with a final line reading “Goodwill and good spirit.”
Mr Jenkins said: “He kept up busy up to Christmas Eve last year and there was only one sighting of him running away across the golf course”
Park manager Rory Dickinson said: “ ’Tis the season to be jolly and giving but this does cause us a few problems.
“We cannot leave the presents out because of littering issues and rangers have started a collection and will pass on the gifts to a suitable children’s charity.
Last year a lot of the presents were ruined by the weather and filled a skip. They could not passed on for “elf and safety” reasons.
County executive board member for leisure services Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “It is an unusual problem for us. We certainly don’t want to be the first authority to be labelled scrooges for citing Santa for fly tipping but would like to come to some kind of arrangement with him to better distribute his generosity even if it is anonymously.”
Millennium Coastal Park (MCP) Ranger Andrew Jenkins has got to smile that his Phantom Santa pal has returned to give him the sack again. Pic: Jeff Connell
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