Local charities visit magical Winter Wonderland

Two local charities were thrilled to be asked to celebrate Christmas in the surroundings of a beautiful winter wonderland location, created by a Fence bar and brasserie.

The newly opened Forest in Fence, part of the award-winning Seafood Pub Company, invited SafeSpace and YMCA to enjoy a complimentary Christmas party in its brand-new Winter Wonderland, which opened its doors to the public at the beginning of December.

Ryan Taylor, general manager at the Forest said: “The Winter Wonderland looks amazing and we wanted to share the location and atmosphere with two fantastic local charities.

“It was a lovely afternoon as both charities were able to feast on fabulous food and drink and get into the spirit of the season!”

The Winter Wonderland at the Forest is open for lunch and dinner every Thursday through to Sunday throughout December, with live music taking place on Friday and Saturday nights. Food is served from a state of the art log cabin kitchen, and drinks, including cocktails and mulled wine, are available from the bar. Children are able to enjoy smaller sized dishes from the kid’s menu.

Ideal for families, friends, couples and big group bookings, the magical location is the perfect place to relax, unwind, party and get merry at Christmas time.

Both charities enjoyed delicious meals including the toro skewer which is fillet steak, chorizo, red onions with a smoked paprika and cider marinade, the matador pizza which includes ember grilled beef and chorizo, manchego, roast peppers and mozzarella, and also the Wonderland burger which is grass fed beef, melting cheese, smoked bacon mayo, crispy onions, fire roasted tomato chutney, fries and ‘slaw to name a few.

SafeSpace is a supported accommodation project based in Pendle for 16 – 25 year olds who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, including young people who are leaving care.

YMCA, based in Blackburn offers a dispersed housing project for young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, in the Pendle, Hyndburn, Blackburn with Darwen & Ribble Valley areas. The organisation also offers accommodation and support for care leavers and a refugee and asylum seeker project.

“The afternoon at the Forest was wonderful, we can’t thank the company enough for inviting us along,” said John East, volunteer at YMCA. “It was a really nice gesture; the food, drink and service was impeccable and it has certainly put a smile on everyone’s face.”