24 pictures capture the magic of Christmas for Birmingham children who got to experience NEC's Winter Funland for free - from ice-skating to photos with The Grinch

Thousands of children and young people supported by Birmingham Children’s Trust, along with their families and carers, were treated to an unforgettable night at Europe’s largest indoor funfair, Winter Funland, at the NEC.

The event, now in its fifth year in partnership with Bfriends, the connected charity of Birmingham Children’s Trust, welcomed around 4,000 young people for an evening of rides, circus performances, motorbike stunts, a giant ice rink, and the world’s largest bouncy castle – all completely free for those attending.

Take a look at 24 pictures that captured the magic of the event here: 

Lisa Jamieson, Director of Corporate Parenting at Birmingham Children’s Trust, said: “We want to thank Winter Funland for all their continues support. For the last five years we have worked in partnership with Winter Funland to provide free tickets for children, young people and families to have a memorable night out that they would not normally be able to have for several reasons.”

Natalie Loon, Operations and Partnership Manager at Bfriends Charity, said: “Our long-standing partnership with Winter Funland is a highlight of the year for many of the children and young people we support. The magic in seeing the excitement on so many youngpeople’s faces makes everyone at the Trust and Bfriends incredibly happy. The quality of the experience is outstanding and gets better every year”

Winter Funland has already welcomed large numbers of families this festive season, offering rides and shows included in the ticket price. While some dates are sold out, tickets remain available for select sessions. 

Glenn Ramsay, organiser of Winter Funland, said: “We are happy to do our bit for such a worthwhile charity. To see everyone enjoying themselves is such a great feeling. 

“We try to make this event as affordable as possible and pack as much in for the ticket price as we possibly can. But we appreciate that some people just don’t have any money to enjoy things like this at all and so we are happy to work in partnership with Bfriends, enabling them to have an exclusive evening of fun."

Birmingham Children’s Trust is responsible for delivering children’s social care services on behalf of Birmingham City Council, supporting children, young people, and families, including care-experienced young people.

This festive season, Bfriends Charity is also providing support through initiatives such as a Christmas Day meal for care-experienced young people and their children who might otherwise spend the day alone. Donations to support the Bfriends Christmas campaign can be made here.