Thomas, 5, helps make history by launching biggest single display of Lemax collectables
A five-year-old from Ackworth has helped make history by launching the UK’s biggest single display of Lemax collectables.
Thomas Kerry won a competition to help Santa switch on the Lemax Winter Village at Tingley Garden Centre following an appeal for someone to help Santa make the village come alive.
Thomas’ mum, Bethany, who nominated him, said: “Thomas was born 10 weeks early and was given a 40 per cent chance of survival.
"Tingley was one of the first places we went to with Thomas as a baby and, as nervous first time parents of a premature baby, any outing came with mass anxiety.
“Tingley soon became our safe place as a family, somewhere to go that we could be ourselves.
" Thomas is now five, beating the odds, but we still go to Tingley. We are now regulars and call staff our friends.
"They all accept Thomas for who he is, allow him to be himself and make us feel comfortable.
“All the Bloom’s staff are a credit to the company and the most supportive people that I have come across as a mum.
" It was an honour for Thomas to turn the lights on for the staff and customers, and a magical memory that will live with us forever.”
The free to visit Lemax Winter Village includes a ski village, a miniature town, Santa’s magical wonderland, a forest, a park and a carnival and features 49 new collectables for 2025.
The village is also home to three lakes and is the first Lemax display in the UK to feature a festive footbridge over a wishing lake where visitors can toss in a coin to make a wish.
All of the coins will be collected and donated to Yorkshire Garden Centre Group’s charity of the year, Martin House Children’s Hospice.
Yorkshire Garden Centres’ marketing manager, Harriet Hardiment, said: “Thanks to Thomas and Bethany, the ‘mini in model size, but massive in magic’ Lemax Winter Village is now open, and we look forward to welcoming lots of families, young and old, to make memories here at Tingley this festive season.
Tingley Garden Centre will also be home to an all-weather ice rink, a new, spectacular Light Trail at Mission Out and will host Breakfast and Storytime with Santa events.