Santa joins Christmas celebrations at Poppies Children?s Centre

Poppies Children’s Centre’s Christmas celebration raised more than £414 for Chattertots, a speech and language group for children with Down’s syndrome.

On Saturday, the Broom Farm Estate centre in Windsor was visited by Santa and about 59 children met him in his grotto.

There was also a ‘magic post box’ and an area for children to design and decorate their Christmas wish-lists and post them straight to the North Pole. The children might even get a reply from the man himself.

Organiser Clare Willmott, whose 16-month-old baby, Jake, has Down’s syndrome, said: “This is the first time I have ever done a charity event.

“More people turned up than I thought would and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves.

“We want to raise awareness of the Chattertots group so that people know who we are and that we exist because the more children we can reach the better.”

The group was created by parents and runs every Friday at Poppies Children’s Centre. 

Speech and language is one of the biggest hurdles for children with Down's syndrome and early intervention can help children master the skill.

To find out more about Chattertots, visit www.chattertots.im or search for the group on Facebook.