A group of Edinburgh children were given the trip of a lifetime last week after they were whisked away to see Santa Claus at the North Pole.
Having gone through the heartbreaking ordeal of losing a parent to cancer in the last year, the group of local youngsters were treated to the experience to bring some joy to an incredibly difficult time of year.
Run by FACE (Fight Against Cancer Edinburgh), the charity were able to fundraise throughout the year to take the group of around 40 people on the festive day trip, which began at Edinburgh Airport in the early hours of Saturday morning.
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Flying into the Arctic Circle, the children were then kitted out in full snow gear to cope with the below zero temperatures, before being taken via snowmobile to Lapland.
Enjoying the festivities, which include sledging, reindeer rides and a festive feast, the children then were taken by sleigh to Santa's Grotto, where they met the man himself.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, FACE volunteer John Macaulay explained that the annual trip, which has been running for 28 years, can bring a smile to the faces of the children who need it most.
He said: "I've been involved over 25 years now and when we started in 1994 we took around five or six people there, and now I take 40 people.
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"This year it's been a difficult year after the pandemic, and the children that we're taking this year have either lost their mum or their dad to cancer, there's some young young kids and it makes you emotional to hear what they've gone through, there's usually a lot of tears when we go.
"Last year when we went it was a lot harder because of Covid because we needed tests and fit to fly tests etc which all needed pre-booked, it was colossal last year but this time will be easier.
"The families have all been looking forward to it, they've had a really awful year losing their mums and dads and all of them have been to cancer.
"The youngest children coming with us this year are five and three, they span all ages but it's mostly primary school kids, at this time of year it's so important for us to try and put a smile on all of their faces."
Costing around £25,000 to organise, the charity are able to fund the project by donations and events that run throughout the year. Based from the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, FACE does not conduct cancer research, but instead provides the "little things" that can make a difference to patients and their families to make the experience easier.
John added: "We have lots of projects at the Western General and we can't provide medical research, but we can provide the patients with comforts at the hospital and also the families too.
"All of the the things we do, they're all ideas from patients at the hospital or from their families to try and make things easier."
You can find more on the charity here.
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