FATHER Christmas will be helping to spread some festive cheer and raise money for victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the former Soviet Union this week.
Santa will be in his grotto at the Civic Centre in Crook, County Durham, tomorrow and Wednesday, from 10am to 4pm.
For a £1 fee, young visitors can meet Father Christmas and his chief elf, and receive a gift.
Money raised from the grotto will go to the Crook for Chernobyl charity, to help to pay for a group of children to travel to Britain from the area around the contaminated site.
Three weeks of fresh air and clean food during their stay adds two years to the life expectancy of a child born in Chernobyl after the 1988 disaster. Donations can be made to the charity's shop in Hope Street, Crook, or call Veronica and Malcolm Gibson on (01388) 762744.
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