Santa Claus arrived early in Fallings Park for a present giveaway

The first Meet Santa event at Long Knowle Community Hub was organised by Fallings Park Councillors Chris Burden, Steve Evans and Val Evans.

St Nicholas was played by former city councillor Daniel Warren who was installed in the Grotto provided by Bilston Rotary Club.

Santa had his hands full dishing out 80 boxes to children and parents from the Long Knowle estate, all free of charge.

Councillor Chris Burden said: "We were overwhelmed by the reaction. This was our first big event so to be oversubscribed was amazing. We received so many thank you texts, and even a letter from a children for Santa about how she loved meeting him.

"One of them said 'it was really lovely and very much was the estate needs more of' and that was the exact reason we did this."

Councillor Steve Evans added: “We hosted a free visit Santa night in the Fallings Park Ward. Over 60 families attended to meet Santa and they all got a free prezzie and selection boxes”

Cllr Chris Burden “This has been a great opportunity for everyone involved. The public have had a free event, at a costly time of year. Some kids aren’t fortunate enough to get to meet Santa, and some don’t have the chance to unwrap a present under the tree.

"We’re really lucky that we’ve been given the opportunity to help to address this in our area."

The event was paid for using the ward funds programme run by City of Wolverhampton Council. The programme was set up in 2019 to allow councillors to make a direct impact on their community by investing in local resources and bringing ideas to life.

Cllr Burden added: "We think that this event really lived up to the purpose of ward funds. A small amount of money was used, alongside a lot of hard work to put smiles on children’s faces. This was a programme which really helped to start to address and issue at source, while also bringing a bit of joy into the world."