Come rain, snow or sun Bedale’s own Santa will be appearing in town from 5pm on Christmas Eve for the 52nd year, thanks to the Watson family.

Great grandad Melvin Watson, 81, will be driving the sled backed up by son David. They will be touring round Bedale and Aiskew handing out apples and oranges and bags of crisps.

It is a tradition started in the 1970s, and with Melvin it’s just got bigger and bigger. On Christmas Eve the sled and Santa will arrive on the outskirts of Bedale on Firby Road about 5pm and then head into the centre near the market cross before going round the town.

David, 54, said: “We carried on through Covid, but we couldn’t stop and hand anything out then, we just went round waving at the children and wishing them Merry Christmas as they stood on their doorsteps, and many, many people came out to see us.

“So it will be good this year to be able to stop and hand out fruit and have a word with the children. We are outside the Co-op in the market place around 5.15pm to greet the children and then we take off round Bedale and go to Aiskew and round the estates.

“Then we go back to Snape around 7.30pm and meet up with everyone there. This is the 52nd year dad has done it, he is 81 now and he will not give this up until he is carried off in a box. He absolutely loves it. It is all entirely free we don’t collect donations or charge anything.

“The fruit is donated and one of the local big shops gives us the crisps and we just turn out. We have been out in pouring rain and snow, sometimes we go back and all our clothes are pink because of the costume, but it doesn’t matter it is just amazing to see the children and the adults coming to wave and see Santa.

“I’ve been helping out for 15 years, but dad has just got on with it for 52 years, he is amazing. We start getting messages around October asking if we are doing it and getting requests to go round certain streets, it really is wonderful."

For information about where Santa can be seen on Christmas Eve go to be go to https://www.facebook.com/ComeAndSeeSantaInBedale