Hundreds of children join the ‘Elf Escape’ at Marble Arch Caves 

23rd December 2020

PLEASE NOTE: This article is over 1 year old and may not contain the most up-to-date information.
Baking

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s Marble Arch Caves Visitor Centre, one of the flagship tourist facilities in the district,  reopened on 12 December 2020, with the launch of a new self-led activity ‘Elf Escape’.

In the 12 days since reopening following a two week closure as part of the circuit breaker to help curb the spread of Covid-19, Marble Arch Caves welcomed almost 1000 children who took part in a mission to help Santa track down a bunch of little elves who escaped from his Grotto.

Children searched for and found lots of elves some being ‘naughty’ and some being ‘nice’.  The children found the elves getting up to all sorts of escapades from litter picking to having a bubble bath, and one had eaten way too many sweets!

Thankfully the children discovered all the missing elves and the staff at Marble Arch Caves have safely returned them to Santa in time for final preparations for the ‘big’ day.

Speaking about the success of the Elf Escape activity, the Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Councillor Diana Armstrong said;

‘It has been incredibly heart-warming, in these most challenging of times, to hear the laughter of children and see the sheer excitement and joy on their faces as they came across the escaped elves and saw what they were up to. The Elf Escape has created a real buzz at the Marble Arch Caves Visitor Centre in the lead up to Christmas and I would like to congratulate the team at the caves for developing the trail.

I understand that families have been sharing pictures of their adventures searching for elves at the Marble Arch Caves site and the team have received some lovely feedback for this fun and engaging activity in the outdoors.”

Marble Arch Caves Children’s Christmas Activity Sheets are also currently available and can be download directly from the Marble Arch Caves website at www.marblearchcaves.co.uk .

This year marked the 35th anniversary of the opening of the Marble Arch Caves to the public. The world-renowned tourist attraction first opened its doors on 29 May 1985 and has since welcomed almost 2 million visitors from over 100 countries to explore the stunning million-year-old cave network.

Despite the significant challenges posed by Covid-19, the Marble Arch Caves Visitors Centre has still enjoyed a successful year, welcoming over 60,000 visitors and launching its new ‘above the ground’ activities ‘Unlocking the Hidden Worlds of Claddagh Glen’ tours, ‘Eco-Adventure’ – Family Explorer Activity and the introduction of an Online Booking System.

New developments are currently being planned for 2021 and these will be shared early in the New year.

In line with the updated Government guidelines introduced to help curb the spread of Covid-19, the Marble Arch Caves Visitor Centre will now be closed from Thursday 24 December 2020.

For updates please visit the Marble Arch Caves website at www.marblearchcaves.co.uk or follow us on our Facebook page @marblearchcaves