Stone-throwing boys join Santa sleigh charity as apology

Weston's Santa Sleigh raises money for local charities

Three boys who threw stones at a charity Santa sleigh ride have made amends by helping the fundraisers they had targeted.

The route through Weston-super-Mare was cut short after the youngsters persistently hit the sleigh.

The attack was met with condemnation on the fundraisers' Facebook page.

Youth workers who saw the publicity to catch the culprits came forward with names and arranged for the boys to help fundraisers by way of apology.

The group's organiser Linda Sims said they chose not to name the boys as it would further ostracise them.

'Positive and uplifting'

She wrote: "The three young men worked well with our scouts and from the enthusiastic offer of more help next year we believe they understood why we do what we do."

Others in the Facebook group backed the move to educate the children.

Roxie Roche said: "Brilliant. You directed them to do something good with their time instead of perhaps act up out of boredom. Hopefully they won't do anything so ridiculous again."

"This is the most positive and uplifting post I've read all Christmas," Kaya May added. "We can all thrive if we work together, and nothing feels quite so nice as helping people."

The sleigh ride has now raised £2,245 for local charities.