A COMMUNITY is rallying round to try and bring back some Christmas cheer.

Residents of Shildon could be treated to an appearance of Santa once the lockdown is over.

The Winter Wonderland event is the idea of resident Liana Fish.

Miss Fish thought it would be a good event for the local community, since Covid has stopped many community events.

Miss Fish said: “I did a Halloween trail for local children in Shildon, I put sweets down a path for them to collect.

"People had to confirm if they were going to come due to social distancing measures.

“I wanted to do something again and this time with Santa because I don’t think he will be getting much work in this year with the restrictions.”

She launched an EventBrite for the ticket sales, the tickets cost £2 and sold out within a week.

The money is to cover the costs of the event which is £3,350 and the presents that Santa will be giving out.

There is also a raffle for a £1,000 gaming PC from EZ-Tech to help pay for the event.

Santa will have some helpers at the event, in the form of reindeer, and characters Anna and Elsa from Frozen.

For those children who miss the thrill of the fairground, there will be a carousel and a train ride.

Refreshments will also be available in the form of cake and sweets.

Miss Fish added: “It all depends on what happens when we come out of lockdown and what tier we end up in, with tier one it can go ahead as planned.

“I am wanting to continue fundraising throughout the year so I can help the local community and hold seasonal events.

“If the event has to be cancelled due to Covid I will arrange to go to every home and deliver a selection box and present to every children that had purchased tickets.”

The event will take place on Monday December 21 and Tuesday December 22, 12pm -4pm at the Masonic Hall in Shildon.

Miss Fish intends to do more community events in the future for Easter.

Shildon Town Councillor Sammatha Townsend said: “It’s really lovely to see members of the community working together to try to boost each other’s spirits during this difficult time. I understand that the organisers are keeping a close eye on the public health situation and are prepared to cancel the event if it cannot be run within government Covid restrictions.”