Council worker saves Christmas for Legh Vale Primary School pupils

Article date: 24 December 2025

Legh Vale Primary School had planned a special visit from Santa Claus for its pupils last week, but the excitement was nearly dashed when the Santa they had booked suddenly became unwell.

With children eagerly awaiting their festive visitor and teachers unable to take on the role without being recognised, staff feared the magic of Christmas might be lost. However, quick thinking and community spirit turned the situation around.

A member of the school staff reached out to her partner, who works for St Helens Borough Council, to ask whether anyone could help. Within hours, the perfect stand-in was found - Andy Ashcroft, a driver from the council's recycling and waste team, who was more than happy to help and already had an impressive Santa beard to match.

When Andy arrived at the school in the Santa costume, pupils were delighted, with smiles lighting up the room. Thanks to Andy's kindness, the Christmas spirit was restored and the whole school was soon buzzing with excitement.

The council has praised Andy for going above and beyond to support the local community and make the festive season extra special for local children.

Andy said: "It was an honour to step in to be Santa for the day, and to see how it lit up the faces of the children when they saw Santa visit their school."

Staff at the school said: "It was a huge relief Andy said yes to be our Santa, we had lots of very happy children, we were very grateful he stepped in at the last minute."

Councillor Tracy Dickinson, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Environmental Services, said:

"Andy's actions perfectly capture the spirit of Christmas and the values we're proud to see in our staff. His kindness, good humour and willingness to help at such short notice made a real difference to these children and their school. We're incredibly proud of him for stepping up and spreading so much joy."