Pictured above: Father Christmas and a Christmas
pudding ready to board the train from Heart of England Conference
and Events Centre
Staff at business parks did a double-take when Father Christmas
and a Christmas pudding walked into their reception areas.
Alan Oliver and Katy Reading donned the festive costumes as part
of a campaign to promote Christmas parties at the Heart of England
Conference and Events Centre in Meriden Road, Fillongley.
The duo jumped aboard the venue's train to head to Westwood
Business Park, in Coventry and Birmingham Business Park, in
Solihull.
They also made a special visit to The George Eliot Hospital in
Nuneaton and Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital in Coventry's
Stoney Stanton Road as part of a whirlwind tour of the region - or
as fast as a 20 mph train allows!
Katy Reading, a university placement student at the Heart of
England Conference and Events Centre, said their visits had
certainly caused a stir.
"The Heart Park has a train which usually goes around the park
for the public to hop aboard and see the sights of the venue, and
it is also legal to use on the road," she said.
"It goes about 20 mph so it took some time to reach our
destinations but it was certainly worth it.
"We saw lots of people as we headed out onto the local roads who
were very surprised to see Father Christmas and a Christmas pudding
waving at them!
"We turned a few heads when we arrived at the business parks and
local hospitals and most people said we had really brightened up
their day.
"To really get into the festive mood we handed out mince pies as
well as our Christmas brochures.
"At this time of year many businesses start to plan their
festive parties and as the Heart of England offers a range of
festivities it really got many people thinking about their company
parties. We hope our visit will encourage them to come to Heart of
England and celebrate Christmas however large or small their
event.
"It was good fun - dressing up as a Christmas pudding is not
something I ever thought I would do during my placement - however
it was an effective marketing initiative.
"Our mince pies were certainly very popular and we are hoping
this will give them a taster of our Christmas cuisine and that it
will lead to increased bookings over the next few weeks and
months."