PEOPLE in one village have been getting a really first-class delivery of their Christmas mail this year.

For local postwoman Mrs Julie Brown has stunned residents of Great Broughton - not only has she decorated the bike she uses for delivering the post, she has also donned a Santa hat and antlers for her morning rounds.

It has all added to the jollification in the village - just the reaction Mrs Brown wanted. "It's all a bit of Christmas fun," she said. "I have had lots of comments and smiles from people and lorry drivers seem to love sounding their horns at me.

"That's great because I just did it to brighten things up for people."

The idea was sparked when Mrs Brown decided to buy a fibre optic Christmas tree instead of a real one. She found herself with lots of seasonal decorations to spare.

"I thought I would decorate my bike," she said. She has put a small tree and a Santa on the handlebars with tinsel dotted around the cycle frame.

Her own outfit features antlers, a Santa hat and a snowman.

"You never know, I could start a trend," she said.