THE busiest man on the planet found some time in his Christmas schedule to pay an extra special early visit to Helensburgh last weekend.
Santa Claus came to town, with Mrs Claus in tow, on Saturday as the pair - Tony and Flossie Kent in disguise - spread the festive cheer from atop a big red bus.
The four-hour tour which started in Manse Brae, Rhu and took in the town centre as well as streets in Colgrain, Kirkmichael and Garelochhead, was part of the month-long calendar of events and prize giveaways organised by Melanie Andrews, in partnership with local businesses.
Melanie, who handed out soup and coffees from the double-decker bus, which was supplied by Wilson’s of Rhu, said the event was “an all round success for everyone involved”.
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“For me it was actually quite an emotional day and it lifted my spirits,” she said, “so I can only imagine what it must’ve done for everybody else.
“All the little kids were smiling and people were saying it made their year, even the adults, just to see it. That, for me, is what it’s all about.
“Even if you’re just making one child happy, that is what it’s all about.
“The only sad thing for me and all the organisers was that we weren’t able to say to people where we were going to be on the day, because we weren’t able to encourage crowds gathering.
“But that maybe made it a bit more exciting because nobody knew - and then all of a sudden they saw the bus and Santa.
“If you know you’re going to see Santa then it kind of takes the surprise away from it.”
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With just a few days left of the Helensburgh Christmas 2020 initiative, dozens of prizes have been won throughout December and events and activities like Saturday’s have helped brighten up an otherwise rather miserable month.
Melanie added: “I enjoyed it, I felt like a big kid myself.
“It really cheered our Santa and Mrs Claus up as well, they’ve had quite a miserable year, too. For everybody involved in it, it raised our spirits and that was part of the plan as well.
“It wasn’t just for the people that were going to get pleasure from seeing it, it was also giving people who’ve had a tough year something to look forward to, like our Santa Claus, like our elf who was the driver, like Irina [Agostinelli] from Fabric and Finery who decorated the bus. It was an all round success for everyone that was involved in it.
“We’ve not only helped the younger generation but also the older generation as well, and that is just brilliant.”
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