Excitement is mounting ahead of the Welsh Elf Championships at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham at 2.30pm on Sunday (December 11).
Santa is launching his annual search for find the Champion Elf of Wales.
Entrants need to be aged 11 or under and the venue for the judging will be the cafe at the Debenhams store.
The man of the moment will be the head judge, ably assisted by Kevin Critchley, the manager of Eagles Meadow, and Rob Mannix, the manager of Debenhams.
The Elf Champion of Wales will receive a Fantastic Family Christmas prize comprising a £50 voucher for a family meal at the Frankie and Benny’s restaurant, a family ticket for two adults and two children from the Odeon Cinema and a family ticket for a bowling session at Tenpin.
The two runners-up will receive a £50 voucher for a family meal at the Frankie and Benny’s restaurant and a family ticket for two adults and two children from the Odeon Cinema.
The prizes will be presented by Cllr Ian Roberts, the Mayor of Wrexham, who said:“I am looking forward to meeting the competitors and encourage as many families as possible to come down and support the event because it promises to be a lot of fun.”
Magician John Whincup, a leading member of the Magic Circle, will provide entertainment.
Compering the championships will be former children’s television presenter Nia Ceidiog, who hails from Wrexham. Nia now runs an award-winning television production company.
Kevin Critchley expected the calibre of the entrants to be very high.
He said: “Hosting such a terrific, Wales-wide Christmas competition is very exciting for us.
“We have always been very proud to be a family orientated shopping centre at the heart of the community and the championship is set to be a great feel-good, fun, and festive family event. It is time to start preparing your elf costumes.”
Rob Mannix added: “I’m pleased I’ll be part of the search to find the Champion Elf of Wales. I’m hoping lots of local children will take part in this really fun event in the run up to Christmas.
“It will be great to see so many people coming together in the heart of Wrexham and I wish the entrants the best of luck.”
Father Christmas said: “This is an incredibly busy time of year for me and I need the very best Elves to help me.
“I know that Wales has some fantastic children and I am sure that we will find a youngster who fully deserves the title of Champion Elf of Wales.
“We chose a terrific Champion Elf last year. Little Katie Jones, who was four on Christmas Eve, did an absolutely brilliant job.”
