Santa magically managed to get here this year dressed in full safety gear, as well as his jolly Santa suit.

He said what a pleasure it was to see all the children

enjoying themselves on the train and all dressed up in their Christmas outfits. Joyce, the resident steam engine, was equally festive for this special weekend and loved giving rides to the children.

There were many wonderful messages of support and gratitude, which made all the hard work worthwhile. The children had a great time going on the lovely warm train and meeting Father Christmas and visitors were most appreciative of all the volunteers, who made them feel welcome and safe.

The SDJR Company Chair was pleased that it all went well. He said: “This took a lot of preparation and our volunteers worked hard to ensure everything was Covid compliant and to make people feel safe while having a good time. We would like to say a big thank you to all our visitors for following procedures put in place to keep them safe.

“We are very pleased that the S&D railway has given such pleasure on this Santa Special weekend and hope to welcome everyone again next year.”

See the website for details of the Mince Pie Specials on January 1st: www.sdjr.co.uk.

Gail Coleshill