THERE is a special chance for children in and around Okehampton to meet the elves this Christmas in a completely free event organised by new charity One Okehampton.

The Okehampton Elf Outpost will be operating in the town’s Red Lion Yard on Sunday, November 19 from 10am-2pm, coinciding with the first of four Christmas community markets being held in the town.

Children will be invited to come and meet the elves. Each child will be given an elf pencil, and elf hat and elf stickers and can write a letter to the elves. Each child who writes to the elves will get a reply, which they can collect from the Elf Outpost on Sunday, December 18 when the elves will be staging a party. No booking is necessary.

Organiser Rebecca Green said that children might recognise some of the elves, who include one of the teachers at Okehampton Primary School and a nurse from the medical centre.

‘We wanted to run something that didn’t cost anyone any money and that was a bit of fun for everyone,’ she said. ‘We thought, everyone does Father Christmas, we will do an Elf Outpost instead. It is something a bit different, that has not been done around here before.

‘We are not asking for donations,’ she added. ‘Okehampton doesn’t have anything at Christmas that is free for children. We have disproportionate levels of unemployment and poverty here, and we wanted to run something that didn’t cost anyone any money.’

The Elf Outpost, which is above The Dovecote cafe in the Red Lion Yard, is currently being converted into the elves’ workshop, using cardboard boxes covered in Christmas wrapping paper, to make up the walls.

‘We have been wrapping up just over 200 cardboard boxes in Christmas paper and turning them into walls, so that the inside of the building would look like an Elf Outpost. It was the cheapest way we could think of doing it.’

Rebecca said she was still ‘desperately short of volunteers’ to help make the elf magic come alive. Anyone who would like to join the elves can contact Rebecca on 07398 720015.