It was freezing, but… Young Derry children have a BLAST of a time meeting the real Santa

Two young Derry children are the envy of their classmates after returning home from a trip of a lifetime during which they received presents from the real Santa.

The magical trip was all thanks to local gym BLAST which recently held the inaugural Mark Farren 5K race with the aim of raising enough money to send two sick children (and a parent each) on a fabulous journey to Lapland.

The 5k run raised just over £1,200 but with the trips costing almost £1,900 it looked like only one child would benefit.

However, BLAST stepped up to the mark by adding the additional funds required to ensure that two children would make the magical journey.

Youngsters Caiden Dalzell and Faith Harkin (pictured) are back in Derry having experienced the magic of Lapland including the ice sculptures, the husky rides, the sleigh rides and most importantly a present from the real Santa.

The feedback from the parents to the staff at BLAST has been that both children had a fabulous time on the trip which brought some "joy and happiness” at the end of a very tough year.

Alec Given, the proprietor of BLAST, said: “We at BLAST pride ourselves on being part of the local community and we hope that our efforts have brought a bit of happiness to the local community at this time of year.

“Hopefully, next year the Mark Farren 5K will be an even bigger event and we hope to repeat our Lapland treat for local children for many years to come.”