Father Christmas Arrives by Helicopter to Visit Hospitalized Children in Telford

Father Christmas utilized a helicopter to transport presents to young patients at a Telford hospital. Although he noted the aircraft’s speed was inferior to his sleigh, Santa’s arrival at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) was nonetheless striking, aboard one of RAF Shawbury’s Juno helicopters. During his journey to Telford, he also performed fly-by greetings for local primary schools, leaning from the helicopter to acknowledge them. Squadron Leader Tim Mason stated it was a “privilege” to ensure Santa arrived at his intended location using one of their helicopters. Father Christmas characterized his helicopter journey as “amazing,” further commenting that “the boys and girls at RAF Shawbury always do an amazing job, and [this] was no exception.” Nevertheless, he expressed being “disappointed” that the helicopter did not match the speed of his sleigh. Santa further remarked, “I love Telford, I love everywhere in Shropshire, but I have to cover such a large area at Christmas it’s very difficult to spend any time in one place – so today I’m very lucky.” Additionally, he was accompanied by “elves” from RAF Shawbury, who assisted him in distributing presents to the children in the hospital wards. Squadron Leader Mason reiterated that the day represented “a great privilege” for the military base. He elaborated, “We were asked by Santa whether we would give him a lift over the top of Shropshire, to wave at the primary schools on his way to the PRH here in Telford.” He also mentioned, “We’ve got a few volunteers, some young officers and NCOs who have volunteered to carry [Father Christmas’] presents around for him, so he doesn’t have too much work to do!”