Coronation Street's Claire Sweeney's heartfelt wish as she shares special first experience in Merseyside

Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney has shared her plans for a magical night out with her son in Merseyside. Claire, 53, who was brought up in Walton, is a proud mum to Jaxon, who recently celebrated his 10th birthday. The Coronation Street star is planning to treat Jaxon to a night out at Knowsley Safari for the park's festive extravaganza, Enchanted.

Visitors will be able to see illuminated hippos submerged in the safari’s natural water features and explore an Enchanted Woodland. The Winter Village will include marshmallow toasting, illuminated amusements and rides.

In an interview with the ECHO, Claire told us how excited she is to be going to the safari park this year. "I'm excited for many reasons," she said. "As a kid, I used to go to Knowsley Safari and I have this desire to recreate a lot of the joy I had as a kid with my 10 year old son.

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She continued: "He's never been to Knowsley Safari. It's been on the list for ages and we've not managed to be there. So tonight we're going to be there and I just remember laughing my head off when the baboons came on the windscreen and pulled the window wipers. We'd scream laughing.

"I remember a few Christmas presents I got as a kid but that, which was an experience as a kid, is etched vividly in my mind. And I want my son to just experience the fun I used to have as a kid at Knowsley Safari.

"The cherry on the cake is it's going to be Christmas as well so there's going to be twinkly lights everywhere, there's going to be illuminated animals, food, drink, there's even a pantomime. So there's loads to do and it's going to be amazing. I'm sharing that tomorrow with my mum and my little boy."

Enchanted kicks off tonight at Knowsley Safari Park and will run until December 23. It includes Santa Panto, a mini theatre show combining the magic of Father Christmas with all the fun of a pantomime.

Running several times each evening during every Enchanted event, Santa Panto is an additional ticketed event, with each attending child receiving a small cuddly toy. The whole family can have fun on the spectacular light trail with new illuminated animals, including giraffes and a male lion with his cub.

Santa’s Grotto will be available during weekend daytimes too and families really wanting to make the most of their visit can opt for a day-to-night ticket to discover all the Safari has to offer in the daytime, before enjoying Enchanted in the evening. Santa’s Grotto tickets are in addition to the Safari admission ticket and include a large cuddly toy.

Enchanted tickets are available now from £10, with special discounts for members. Under 1s and carers are free of charge. Santa Panto tickets are available to Enchanted ticket holders at a cost of £10 per child and £5 per adult. Access to Enchanted is from 4pm until 8pm. Santa’s Grotto tickets (weekend daytime only) are £20 per child, in addition to a regular Safari admission ticket. Guests are advised to book early due to demand via knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk/events/enchanted.