Ropetackle was delighted to welcome a group of schoolchildren from Herons Dale to the Centre on Monday 4^th December to watch an exclusive screening of The Polar Express.

The special Christmas experience allowed more than 20 children from three classes to watch the film in the comfort of our auditorium and enjoy an ice-lolly each. The outing was jointly funded by Ropetackle and the Friends of Herons Dale.

Ropetackle trustee Anne Hodgson said: “The children behaved excellently throughout and enjoyed their lunches before heading back to school.”

This week, we received a big batch of thank you letters, with drawings, from some of them, which made our Christmas! Inspired by the film, which is about a boy who takes a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, they told us their favourite parts:

One said “Thank you for letting us watch Polar Express. My favourite scene was when the boy got on top of the train and saw Santa, and eating the ice lolly and my lunch.”

Another said: “Dear People at Ropetackle. Thank you for letting us have ice lollies. I like everything about the film, especially the elves.”

Another said: “I like trains, which is kind of funny, because the film has a train in it!”

The school was originally built in 1982 to cater for pupils aged 4 – 16 years with moderate learning difficulties. Since October 2015 it has become a Community Special School for pupils with a wide range of learning difficulties and associated special needs.