Christmas shelter for Somerset reindeers

Three reindeers have been given a special Christmas treat of their own with brand new shelters from Somerlap Forest Products.

The new, custom built shelters at Somerset family adventure park Puxton Park are already in situ providing a place out of the winter’s wind for the reindeers.

Somerset based Somerlap is no stranger to building shelters for a variety of animals, from stables to coops, hutches to kennels, but creating special housing for reindeers was something which the firm never expected to have to tackle.

“We are used to dealing with some unusual requests from people for their sheds and shelters but this is the first time we have been called upon to house reindeers. The sheds were specially designed to suit the park’s, and most importantly the reindeers, needs,” said Somerlap Managing Director Kevin Bond. “Working with Puxton Park has provided us with an opportunity to create that real festive feeling by ensuring that the reindeers will be able to enjoy Christmas just as much as the rest of us.”

With experts predicting that Arctic winter conditions blowing into Britain with the return of La Nina will create the coldest on record the 15 foot by 10 foot shelters will provide the reindeers with a warm and secure place to rest in-between their preparations for the festive season.

The reindeers, which have been at the park since June, are currently being trained to ensure that they are comfortable around people for the Christmas season when they will become a key feature of the park’s festive plan. It is essential therefore that they settled and comfortable in their new homes to ensure that they are at their best for the visitors.

Alistair Mead. Managing Director of Puxton Park, spoke about how quickly the reindeer have settled into the shelters: “They are absolutely brilliant. The reindeers have settled into them really well. They are extremely comfortable. At the moment we are getting the reindeers ready for Christmas. As part of this we are going to be moving one of the shelters closer to the main building so that people will be able to see them. Hopefully we will get some of the snow which has been promised and we will have a proper Christmas scene with the reindeers in their new home.”

With a wide range of sheds and shelters Somerlap Forest Products can normally meet most specifications, on those occasions when something a little different is required, however, they are always available to work with the client to create a custom designed, custom built structure.