Grotto at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth goes bust and leaves Santa and his elves out of pocket

SANTA and his elves are facing heartache after it was confirmed they would not be getting paid what they are owed for their hard work over Christmas.
The staff of Gunwarf Express Christmas Grotto. Lara Kells, 15, is holding the reindeer.The staff of Gunwarf Express Christmas Grotto. Lara Kells, 15, is holding the reindeer.
The staff of Gunwarf Express Christmas Grotto. Lara Kells, 15, is holding the reindeer.

The actors and puppeteers of Gunwharf Express Christmas Grotto are furious after being notified that Grotto Hire UK and associate company, Agility Events, are to be placed into liquidation. The grotto was not by Gunwharf, but was contracted out.

This has left employees owed thousands of pounds with many now unable to pay their bills.

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Andrew Butcher, who worked as a reindeer puppeteer, is owed £1700 for 141 hours work. ‘I now have no way of paying my rent and may have to move out of my accommodation. I already know of people who have lost their homes. One woman was in the process of a house transfer which fell through because she was dependent on that money,’ he explained.

Colin Blyth played Santa Claus at the grotto and is owed over 3000 in wages.Colin Blyth played Santa Claus at the grotto and is owed over 3000 in wages.
Colin Blyth played Santa Claus at the grotto and is owed over 3000 in wages.

Colin Blyth, 54, who worked as Santa Claus, is owed over £3000.

‘I am saddened by the whole experience. There were a lot of young people and students who were relying on that money to pay for their rent and bills,’ he explained.  Many of the employees are angered by the way the process has been handled and cite a lack of communication from the company.

Jon Morgan, who also played Santa, said: ‘I have made about 70 attempts to contact the company. On the one occasion someone answered they said it would be sorted – that was over a month ago.’

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Molly Gallager, 17, who worked as an elf in the grotto, tried to contact the company after being incorrectly paid for November.

Jon Morgan, one of the staff at Gunwharf Express who were not paid by the operator Grotto Hire UK Ltd Picture: Steve Farrell PhotographyJon Morgan, one of the staff at Gunwharf Express who were not paid by the operator Grotto Hire UK Ltd Picture: Steve Farrell Photography
Jon Morgan, one of the staff at Gunwharf Express who were not paid by the operator Grotto Hire UK Ltd Picture: Steve Farrell Photography

‘November’s wages were late and were only paid after we threatened to walk out. I had agreed to £7.50 per hour and was only getting paid £6.50. I tried to contact the company but got no response. It is so annoying as we all worked so hard and now we are not going to get paid,’ explained Molly.

Molly first became concerned about the company after ‘good presents were replaced by colouring in books’ towards the end of the Christmas period.

‘The tickets for children were expensive and in the end we had a lot of people asking for refunds,’ she explained.

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Grotto workers worst fears were confirmed when they received an email from company director, Tony Jennings.

Mr Jennings stated: ‘We would like nothing more than to announce positive news. Unfortunately this email is to announce that Grotto Hire UK and Agility Events Ltd will no longer be trading and will be starting proceedings of liquidation. Our liquidators will be in touch with you all individually to explain the process of what happens next.’

Paul Tyler, who played various roles at the grotto, said that despite previous assurances wages would be paid by January 31, the email came as no surprise.

‘I am owed around £1800 and had accepted I was not going to get paid. I am retired and so the money was going to supplement my pension for all the little extras I wouldn’t normally be able to afford. It is heart breaking for all of those young people who now can’t afford to pay their rent,’ explained Paul.

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Lara Kells, aged 15, was working 21 hours across weekends when the maximum she should legally work is 10 hours.

‘I am so disappointed by the email as I worked really hard for that money. I could have spent that time enjoying Christmas with my friends and family and working on my GCSE’s. I was going to use the money to buy myself a bike and prom ticket and to get my boyfriend something nice for Valentines,’ she explained.

Within the correspondence, Mr Jennings cited the ‘current climate in the retail sector and losing profits’ as the reason for folding the company.

However, Paul Tyler has questioned this explanation.

‘If anything, we were too busy. I had to phone the head office in Hull to explain there were too many people coming through the door,’ he explained.

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After hearing news of the company’s liquidation, a number of employees would like to see Gunwharf Quays support their cause in retrieving some of the money owed.

‘I am annoyed as Gunwharf should have known what was going on on their premises,’ explained Colin.

‘I don’t think it is fair to expect Gunwharf to fork out the money but it would be great if they could help with some legal advice. They know what we are all going through and so any support would be amazing,’ added Andrew.

Yvonne Clay, senior marketing manager at Gunwharf Quays, responded: ‘We are extremely disappointed to have been informed that Christmas Grotto staff have still not been paid by Agility Events. We understand how distressing this must be for them and this is certainly not a reflection on how we expect our partners to operate. Naturally, we have terminated our contract and are continuing to chase them for updates. At this stage we have still received no response from them, but will continue to do all we can to try to resolve the situation.’

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The situation is not confined to Portsmouth with grotto employees nationwide owed money by the Hull-based company.

Employees have now started their own crowdfunding page to help support those elves and Santa’s who can no longer pay their bills and to pay for professional legal advice.