Santa Claus and special guests bring presents and season's greetings to Morriston's paediatric ward

Christmas came early for children on the paediatric ward at Morriston Hospital as Father Christmas, along with some special guests, paid a seasonal visit to hand out presents and have some fun.

During the event, organized by South Wales charity Dreams and Wishes, Mickey and Minnie Mouse joined Saint Nick while soldiers from the Welsh Guards and the Queen's 1st Dragoon Guards were on hand to help carry presents from Santa's sleigh to the excited children on the ward.

The charity, which is run entirely by volunteers, visits several hospitals across Wales each year to deliver gifts not only to young patients, but to staff as well.

The Dreams and Wishes visit has been established as a firm favourite in the paediatric ward calendar and the visiting parents and staff were delighted to see the smiles and excitement as the special guests arrived at the ward

"Thank you to Dreams and Wishes for making the journey from Cardiff to support our children and young people at Morriston Hospital," said Children's Services Play Team manager Lisa Morgan.

"It was great to see the children's faces when they saw the Welsh Guards, Mickey and Minnie and of course, Santa Claus.

"The children were able to receive an early Christmas present, which has certainly brightened their stay in hospital. We are extremely grateful and enjoy this annual visit very much. So a big thank you from all the children, families and of course, the staff."

Gifts were given to Dreams and Wishes by a wide variety of local and national businesses and the visit was managed by our Swansea Bay Health Charity.

"We would like to say a big thank you to Dreams and Wishes for bringing huge smiles to our patients, their families and the staff on the children's wards in Morriston," said Community Support Charity Officer Cathy Stevens.

"The children loved all their visitors but I think Mickey, Minnie and Santa stole the show!

“The gifts that were given out were amazing and drew the children's attention beautifully. A big thank you to Dreams and Wishes for their continued support of our children's ward."

Dreams and Wishes charity chairman Tony Curtis MBE added: “It was great to see so many smiles and so much laughter.

"We have been delivering gifts before Christmas for a number of years and we always receive such a lovely, warm welcome from the staff and patients of Morriston.

"We want to give a little joy at this time of year to people who are going through a difficult time.

“We are a charity that is run entirely by volunteers who give of their time because it is not only important at Christmas to provide support in whatever way we can, but throughout the year. "