IT was billed as a magical weekend filled with Easter-themed fun for families, but father Kev Kyte has criticised Whitehall Garden Centre after management refused his request for a refund for what he called a ‘rip-off’ Easter grotto event.

Mr Kyte, who lives in Railway Close, Westbury, blasted the garden centre in Lacock after he took his three children, Teagan, 14, Seth, six, and Indy, 21 months, to the centre’s first Easter grotto on Saturday.

The family say the barn was too full for children to find the clues for the Easter experience, that the prize of a small Lindt chocolate bunny, which can be purchased online for 50 pence, and staff’s attitude was flippant.

“My wife, Tara, and I took our three children to the grotto for £20, although it was really only the two younger ones that would be taking part.

“There were so many people packed in the barn that we could hardly see the clues and it was so claustrophobic that my 21-month-old got quite upset.

“Then at the end of the day, we were offered a tiny microscopic rabbit for our effort. It was a joke.

“We went and spoke to the staff politely afterwards but they said thousands of people had come and no-one else complained, and that we had the experience.

“What experience was that? It was a load of rubbish in a barn.

“I won’t set foot in there ever again. They just don’t care – and we aren’t even the only ones who have complained. They are rip-off merchants.”

The event has attracted stinging criticism on Whitehall Garden Centre’s Facebook page from some visitors. Those comments have not been answered by the centre’s management.

The garden centre, which is well known for transforming into a winter wonderland ahead of Christmas, is continuing to sell tickets for the grotto online until it closes on April 15.

In response to Mr Kyte’s criticisms, Peter Self, managing director of Whitehall Garden Centre, said: “Our Easter grotto is designed to be an interactive family experience where children are provided with an activity book, which includes a number of questions based on the scenes inside the Grotto. The activity book is set out in a way that encourages families to make the most of their ticket being valid all day, with no limit on how many times they can enter.

“During busy periods such as the bank holiday weekend, customers are encouraged to return at a later time in the day if the Grotto is particularly busy to ensure that they can get the full experience.

“The Lindt chocolate bunny is given free as a treat for the children handing in their activity books; the Easter grotto is designed to be a collaborative family experience rather than an Easter egg hunt which is why we don’t specifically advertise that the children will receive anything.

“We have a number of other activities to do around the garden centre in between visits to the grotto. including a free Easter Bunny Hunt which involves finding bunnies that are hidden throughout the Garden Centre and answering questions about the location that they’re hidden in; these questions are linked to a number a nature aspects including naming fruits, colours of plants, and animals. To date, we have had over 3,000 visitors to the Easter grotto and have had some great feedback including customers who have visited on multiple occasions and enjoyed it with their families.”