Congleton Museum hosted its annual Santa's grotto at the weekend after a turbulent few weeks for trustees and volunteers.

More than 140 families visited the museum to enjoy a teddy bear trail around the gallery and some festive craft activities, as well as the all important chat with Father Christmas, who had a special gift for each child.

Children were encouraged to make tree decorations and 'reindeer food' envelopes as well as write letters to Santa which they posted in a special postbox.

Just days before the grotto was due to open, however, the board of trustees had to call a locksmith to get into the museum after one trustee allegedly changed the locks and refused to allow anyone else to enter the premises.

Having gained access on Thursday, the trustees and museum administrator arrived with their new keys on Friday to set up the grotto, only to discover that the new lock had been sabotaged.

A key from the original lock had been sawn off, coated in glue and hammered into the new lock, rendering it unusable.

The locksmith attended once more and opened the door so that the team could work at speed to get the grotto and activities ready in time for the weekend.

The museum's board of trustees claim someone attempted to sabotage the event (Credit: Congleton Museum)

Museum trustee and co-chair Anne Gubbins said: "The gallery was packed with children and their families all weekend and great fun was had by all.

"Many visitors had not been to the museum before and said they will come again in future.

"Due to its popularity, we expect this festive event will a make profit to support our continued work to preserve and share Congleton's heritage.

"We had a large team of volunteers, old and new, who pulled together to make this a success in record time, in spite of a difficult few weeks for everyone.

"I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks and that of the board for their brilliant work. It was all worth it to see the children's happy faces. This is what our museum is all about."

The museum welcomed more than 140 families over the weekend (Credit: Congleton Museum)

The museum is now closed until the new year, and the board of trustees will be using the break to work on governance improvements in light of recent events, ready to open again in early 2026.