The family were invited in by Becki Rowley, Activity Coordinator at Doncaster Royal Infirmary to visit patients at the hospital on Christmas Eve. They spoke to the patients on Wards 1 and 3 to spread festive cheer to those spending the holiday in hospital.
The characters were all played by members of Becki’s family. Colin and Sue Turner were Mr and Mrs Claus with Becki’s partner Pauline as chief elf and Olivia and Evelyn as their little helpers.
Becki said: “Spending Christmas in hospital can be upsetting as it’s a time when most of us would be visiting friends and family. We try and make their experiences as light and festive as possible and visits like this go a long way to keeping spirits up on the ward, not just for patients but for staff who are also away from their families. Thank you to Colin, Sue, Pauline, Olivia and Evelyn for giving their valuable time during the busy Christmas period.”
The Claus family handed out home-made favour bags to each of the patients on the Orthopaedic wards at the hospital. They included chocolates and homemade tags.
Colin said: “Smiles on people’s faces is all I want for Christmas. That’s what this time of year is all about and it’s worth growing the beard for!”