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“Harry Potter” Fans Could Win the Chance to Spend Christmas in a Hagrid’s Hut Replica

by · Published · Updated

Located in the North Shire campsite in Yorkshire, England, Groundkeeper’s Cottage is a giant-inspired gem. Designed to mimic Rubeus Hagrid’s humble abode, the replica hut features circular slate-roofed buildings, stained glass windows, and even turrets. Inside, coziness is a top priority. The hut houses an elaborate fireplace to help guests feel warm and at home.

Built by Billy Cessford, a well-respected stage and screen prop maker, Groundkeeper’s Cottage opened in April 2019 as an ode to Hagrid’s hut as it appears in the Harry Potter films. Usually, the cottage is rented for £1,400 a week, but this Christmas, the owner, Carol Cavendish, is offering a week-long stay as part of a prize package worth £5,000, all in the name of Lumos, J.K. Rowling’s international charity for disadvantaged and orphaned children.

Cavendish was an adoptee who faced many challenges throughout her childhood. For Cavendish, North Shire is where storybooks become temporarily real, with holiday homes like Groundkeeper’s Cottage and Potts Corner, a nearby Hobbit-inspired house, providing a much-needed escape for young people who are struggling. Cavendish now hopes that vulnerable children will benefit from this competition fundraising initiative.

 

A woman sits inside a Hagrid's Hut replica, surrounded by beams, couches, and a fireplace.

 

Up to six people will spend seven nights, from December 22 to 29, enjoying Groundkeeper’s Cottage for all its Hagrid-inspired beauty, not to mention its high-quality mattresses, comfy sofas, open fireplace, and copper roll-top bath.

To add to the festivities, the winners of the Groundkeeper’s Cottage stay will have the opportunity to meet a snowy owl, enjoy a festive welcome basket, and share an afternoon tea with a Harry Potter lookalike, who will eagerly share magic tricks. The lucky guests can also expect a visit from Santa Claus and an incredible ride on a steam train out of nearby Goathland station, which was used as Hogsmeade station in the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film. Cavendish spoke of her excitement about the competition:

Christmas is a prime time for escaping normal lives, and yet it can also be hard for many families with the cost of presents and food. Since launching the Groundkeeper’s Cottage this spring, we’ve had a phenomenal response from people wanting to rent it, so we thought it was a good time to help make somebody’s Christmas extra special while also raising vital funds for a charity that is close to my heart.

Entry details for the Groundkeeper’s Cottage competition can be found on the North Shire website. Entries will close on October 31. Entries will cost £1, with a portion of raised funds going directly to the Lumos charity, which aims to end orphanages globally by 2050, advocating family placements for all vulnerable children.

Press Release

Spend Christmas week in a replica of Harry Potter’s Hagrid’s [h]ut for just £1

  • North Shire offers magical Christmas competition prize to raise money for JK Rowling children’s charity.

For just £1, Harry Potter fans can now enter a competition where they stand the chance of winning a week’s stay in a replica of Hagrid’s [h]ut over Christmas as well as enjoying a host of related Potterdom treats.

The owner of the Groundkeeper’s Cottage near Saltburn in the North York Moors National Park, which is normally rented out for £1,400 a week, is offering the stay as part of a prize package worth £5,000 to help raise money for Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s international charity, Lumos, [which] helps disadvantaged orphanage children.

Carol Cavendish, who herself was adopted at a young age and had a challenging childhood, has supported the charity for a number of years and believes that offering kids a temporary escape from troubled lives by letting them enter a fairy[-]tale world can be a real tonic for them.

Having developed North Shire as a place where adults and kids alike can stay in storybook surroundings, including the Groundkeeper’s Cottage and Potts Corner, another holiday home based on a Hobbit house, Carol now hopes that vulnerable children will benefit as a result of donating a proportion of the £1 competition entry fees to Lumos.

Up to six people can enjoy seven nights between Sunday 22–29 December in the Groundkeeper’s Cottage, which is based on the film version of Hagrid’s [h]ut with turreted roof, stained glass windows and rustic interior. However, unlike Rubeus Hagrid’s experience, guests can enjoy far more luxurious living, including comfy sofas in front of an open fireplace, copper roll[-]top bath and high[-]quality mattresses.

To add to the Christmas enchantment, the prizewinners will be introduced to a [s]nowy [o]wl during their stay, tuck into a festive hamper in the cottage [and] have afternoon tea with a Harry Potter look[-]alike who will teach them some magic. A visit from Santa and a ride on the steam train from nearby Goathland, [which] was used as Hogsmeade station in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone are also in the offing.

Carol comments: “Christmas is a prime time for escaping normal lives and yet it can also be hard for many families with the cost of presents and food.

“Since launching the Groundkeeper’s Cottage this spring, we’ve had a phenomenal response from people wanting to rent it, so we thought it was a good time to help make somebody’s Christmas extra special while also raising vital funds for a charity that is close to my heart.”

The competition, including details of the full prize package, can be found on https://northshire.co.uk/grounds-keepers-cottage-competition/ Winners will be drawn on Facebook on 31 October to coincide with Halloween.

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