Santa Claus visited Castle Bytham on Sunday afternoon.

He rode to all the children of the village outside their homes and delivered a special gift on his two-horse open sleigh, provided by the Clever Coop Company at short notice.

Months ago, during a very strange year and after much deliberation, the Castle Bytham Children’s Party Committee decided that their usual event would not be able to go ahead in its usual capacity and set about planning a Christmas grotto event in the village hall.

Unfortunately, with Castle Bytham under tier 3 rules, this also could not go ahead and they decided that an outdoor Santa visit would be the safest way to spread some Christmas spirit.

The committee spent many hours planning and organising risk assessments, track and trace records and completing Covid-19 courses to ensure the safety of children, parents and volunteers alike.

Ruth Dutton, treasurer of the committee said: “I am delighted that the committee have been able to bring some Christmas cheer, happiness and normality to the children, families and residents of the village in this difficult time.

"It was lovely to see the excitement on the faces of the children and the waves and smiles of everyone in Castle Bytham as we rode around.”

Emma Williams, chair of the committee said: “The looks of excitement from the children were amazing, we had lots of waves from residents as we passed their houses and beeps and smiles from motorists who pulled over to watch us pass.

"Our event gave smiles to young, old and all in between. We had no idea that we would cause such a stir.”

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