A CHARITY has received a cash boost from visits to see Father Christmas.
Middlesbrough's Hill Street Centre organised a free Santa's grotto but parents were asked to give a donation to the Zoe's Place Trust, which is planning to open a hospice for special needs babies and terminally ill children later this year.
Emily Chubb, who will be one of the first infants to benefit from the hospice, was presented with a £4,000 cheque.
The youngster has suffered ill health throughout her life, her treatment having already included a tracheotomy and requiring constant attention.
The hospice will make a big difference to the family's lifestyle.
Her mother, Joanne, said: "It will give us a chance for some respite, and for my husband and I to do things with our son, which we can't at the moment."
Emily has a brother, seven-year-old Bradley.
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