The magic of Christmas came early to Stansted Airport College when Santa and his elves dropped by on their way to the North Pole to spread some festive cheer.

Between the 11th and 14th December, families were able to bring their little ones along to experience the magic of meeting Santa in person, share their Christmas wishes, take a photo with the big man himself and receive a small gift to make their holiday season even more special.

The event took place on the College’s Bombardier Challenger executive jet plane, with a percentage of each ticket sold donated to ‘Children in Need’, raising £92 For the charity.   

Michelle from Takeley was full of praise for the event. “Took the boys to see Santa on the Jet and just wanted to say thanks to Stansted Airport College for a great experience. The boys enjoyed a yummy hot chocolate before the elves took them to the plane. 

“They were so excited to get on the plane and tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. He was so lovely and read them a story. The elves were great too and interacted with the children and they were very pleased with their teddies.”

Another mum, Georgi, had an equally fun experience. “We visited after school with my little one Axl and I just want to say how lovely this was and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Also want to say how lovely and kind your staff were showing us around the workshop and hearing how enthusiastic they were with the course they were learning. Such a great idea and look forward to future events. Thank you again.”

Stansted Airport College Head of Centre, Victoria Claydensmith, said, “It’s been so lovely to see so many cheery, excited faces here at Stansted Airport College, to meet Santa on his Jet. Our elves brought the bouncy energy and bubbly smiles to share the magical message of why Santa was on a Jet here at the college.

“We’ve had support from our Performing Arts students from Harlow College as well as our own Event Management and Aviation Operations trainees and some very handy engineers. A truly special experience that we hope to provide again next year – so watch this space! As well as providing some funds to help us maintain the jet and provide some unique work experience for our students, we raised £92 for Children in Need!”

A fabulous family photo taken in front of our festive, red-nosed jet by Patricia Buceta Rubio Hall