A FREE day of entertainment - including a visit from Father Christmas - is in store on Saturday, December 9.

Northwich Memorial Hall will play host to Vale Royal Borough Council's Family Fun Day which will start at 11am and go on until 3pm.

Entertainment will include magicians, balloon modellers, clowns and a visit from Wilbur Wyvern, along with performances by youngsters from Joan Pierpoint's School of Dance.

The fun will also include craft activities, face painting, a charity tombola, various exhibitions and a first aid demonstration by the British Red Cross.

Santa will arrive at 11am in his special sleigh, and every child who visits him will receive a free chocolate gift.

ICI will also be outside to give youngsters a bird's eye view of Northwich from the 'cherry picker'.

As part of National Tree Week, Vale Royal Borough Council staff will also be giving away free trees from 11am.

But the trees will be given away on a first come first served basis.

And in Northwich town centre there will be plenty of festive fun this weekend too.

There will be a Santa's grotto, set up by Northwich Vale Royal Rotary Club, which will be open in the town square from 9am until 5pm.

Radio station Imagine will have a presence in the town centre.

Shops are invited to join in by decorating the Christmas trees - decorations should take the form of small boxes wrapped up in paper and should be hung from the trees by string. The town centre management would like to thank Tracy and Jill from Gabbies who have been working flat out to create decorations.