11 - Mayor of Dudley meets long-serving Father Christmas

Archived news release from 2007

 

Mayor Councillor David Stanley met pensioner Harry Guestford who had been acting as Santa at a church fair in Gornal.

 

Mr Guestford, aged 70, told the Mayor he had been performing as Father Christmas since 1982 visiting schools and churches across the borough.

 

The Mayor said he was extremely impressed on his visit to St James the Great church in Gornal during the Christmas fair, especially Mr Guestford’s dedication to the festivities.

 

 

“It is wonderful to meet people with as much such dedication as Mr Guestford has shown.

“He has brought a lot of happiness to a lot of children and he does it in his own time, and for free.”

 

Mr Guestford, who lives in Gornal with his wife Janet, has always been very involved in voluntary work. He served in the scouts from the age of eight but retired from the organisation five years ago.

 

 

“I love working as Father Christmas and it helps a lot of these groups out because it is a free service for them.

 

“It is wonderful to see the children’s faces light up when you hand over their presents. I’ll never tire of it.”