Santa succeeds in college great escape
Christmas has been saved... but only after Santa managed to solve a series of cryptic challenges to find his way out of an escape room.
The man in the red suit found himself locked in a specially created escape room at Telford College’s Haybridge campus in Wellington, where he was challenged to solve a series of tricky tests.
There were some nervous moments, but it all had a happy ending, as Santa managed to work his way through all the challenges set by the college’s foundation students.
Santa’s socially-distanced escape was captured on camera as part of the college’s live streamed virtual staff Christmas celebration, hosted by principal Graham Guest and deputy principal Janet Stephens.
Staff watched the stream, which spread festive spirit around the campus.
Graham was mid-way through his introductory remarks when the broadcast was interrupted by a dramatic newsflash saying: ‘Breaking News: Santa gets locked in Telford College escape room’.
In between live video links to the escape room to check on Santa’s progress, the team celebrated the achievements of staff during what everyone acknowledged had been a challenging year.
Staff members recognised in the annual awards were Hannah Smith, Helen Swinnerton, Emma Wade, Christiane Clegg, Bob Jenkins, Conner Turner, Jemma Thorneycroft, Dan Blasczyk, Jeff Fletcher, Lora Rogers, and Jon Greenway.
There was also a special presentation to Chris Rogers, who has retired after working as a catering assistant at the college for 30 years.
After a nervous half hour, Santa finally made his way up to the studio, saying: “That was tough – whoever put me in there is definitely on my naughty list!”
Graham paid tribute to the Telford College staff who he described as ‘real heroes’ this year throughout the Covid-19 crisis. “I don’t think they realise just how much they have done, to be honest,” he said.
