Family have Hayes Garden World tickets cancelled over 'mistake'

Stacey Ralph, from Barrow, says that she was barred from Hayes Garden World's Christmas Grotto after her five-year-old daughter Cleo took a fairy from a popular display at the garden centre, near Ambleside.

She said: "I had been waiting for the Christmas Grotto tickets to come out as I have been going for years. I waited up until midnight to purchase tickets as I wanted us all to go.

"I think it is disgusting to victimise a five-year-old girl who has been looking forward to going back to Hayes to see Santa this year. 

"Children will make mistakes and take things and it is a parent's job to teach a child right and wrong - which I did and she understood.

"I don't think it is fair that she is continuing to be punished, especially when the fairy was returned."

Ms Ralph was visiting the 'Fairy World Magic Kingdom' event at the popular garden centre on August 6 with her daughter Cleo and friends when her daughter made the 'mistake'.

Ms Ralph said: "My daughter Cleo really enjoyed herself and got excited to find all of the fairies and leprechauns, which they had a little hunt to find.

"As you can imagine, you can't keep your eye on a child 24/7 when she's off trying to find the fairies. 

She said: "Afterwards, we went for something to eat at the cafe and mid-way through our meal a staff member approached our table and other tables asking if we had found all six fairies as one was missing."

Stacey Ralph with daughter Cleo at the Fairy World event (Image: Stacey Ralph)

While in the café, Ms Ralph received a call from her mother informing her that her father had been found unconscious and passed away. While getting up to take the call, Ms Ralph saw the fairy and contends that a member of the group returned the item to a member of café staff before they left the premises - while she went off to take her personal call.

She said: "My daughter had no pockets or bag to put the fairy in, so we really didn't think anything of it, but she did have a goodie bag from the event.

"She was given a lesson on not to take from a shop if we haven't paid for it."

After the event, Ms Ralph says that she had no correspondence with the garden centre about the incident until she received an email - seen by this newspaper - from bosses at the business that her ticket had been cancelled for the Christmas Grotto.

A spokesman for Hayes Garden World said: "After reviewing the incident, Hayes Garden World stands by its decision to cancel the Santa's Grotto tickets for the family in question.

"As a business, we have been running events such as these for many, many years without incident and reserve the right to take all relevant measures to ensure that families are able to enjoy these events to the fullest."