Christmas came early for visitors lucky enough to enjoy fun-packed frolics amid a flurry of snow at a popular Chichester pub — all to help kick-off the start of its festive celebrations.
Staff at The Fountain in Southgate made an extra special effort to bring the magic of Yuletide to the city to coincide with the switch-on of the Christmas lights.
Hundreds of people flocked to the city centre to join in the revelry and to witness the amazing fireworks display. And at the same time as the sky was lit up beautifully by a kaleidoscope of explosive illuminations, manageress Maria Arnett was putting the finishing touches to the launch of the pub’s very own festive celebrations…complete with its very own wintry shower.
Maria and deputy manager Brad Joyce came up with the idea of adding some authenticity to proceedings with the help of a snow machine. To help promote an exciting programme of events along with the long-awaited Christmas menu, revellers — both adults and children — were able to enjoy the gift of laughter amidst a gentle flurry of snowflakes.
And it wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa Clause making an appearance — so it helped that Adam Bell was on hand dressed as the man himself (or was it the real father Christmas?).
Maria says she is excited by the prospect of a busy run-up to Christmas at The Fountain, which is one of the oldest public houses in Chichester, opening its doors in 1798 (in fact the pub is built against the Roman city wall which is still visible in the restaurant).
She said: “We wanted to do something a little special for Christmas this year and it was a great event to promote the launch of our Christmas menu and we were really happy with the outcome. It reinforces our position within Chichester as a good old fashioned local pub at the heart of the community.”
And Brad has revealed he is excited by the prospect of his first festive period at the pub, known of its cosy atmosphere and fine food. He added: “This will be my first Christmas at the Fountain and i am really looking forward to an exciting xmas run in. It was great fun working on this with Maria and we are both really excited that one of our initiatives has got so much attention.”
Meanwhile, Adam says he was happy to don the red suit and white beard to add some joy to the launch — but not as happy as his daughter! He explained: “This is the first time I have been Santa! My daughter loved seeing me dressed up and it was great to volunteer to be part of the project. Ho, ho, ho!”
Take a look at the video below to check out how much fun was had thanks to the snow machine!
