SANTA came early at a hospital children's ward to help make the young patients' stay a little more bearable over Christmas.

Father Christmas found time in his busy schedule to visit the Treetops ward at Durham's University Hospital of North Durham.

And he took a television and DVD system, donated by the Durham branch of Tesco.

It includes a 32in plasma screen TV, DVD player and surround sound speakers, plus a selection of DVDs.

The gifts, worth about £1,000, were received by delighted young patients Hannah Pearson, nine, from Consett, and ten-year-old Jimmy Doran, from Darlington.

Ward nursery nurse Angela Traynor said the early Christmas presents came out of the blue after a call from Tesco.

She said: "They rang and asked if we would like the equipment and of course, we said yes.

"It is not every day you get an offer like this."

The equipment will be used in the relaxation room used mainly by teenage patients.

Ms Traynor said: "We are in the process of refurbishing it as somewhere for our older patients to chill out, and this is just what we needed.

"We have some DVDs donated to use as well, so there is a selection of films for them to watch."