Charity mission for Eccleshall woman dressed as Christmas elf

Sylvia Keris began dressing as an elf in Eccleshall during the Covid pandemic to cheer people up

A woman is dressing up as an elf throughout December to cheer up residents in her town and raise money for charity.

Sylvia Keris, from Eccleshall, Staffordshire, first donned the costume in 2020 to cheer people up during the Covid pandemic.

She repeated it in 2021 and raised more than £1,000.

The money raised will go to the Buddy Bag Foundation which supports children affected by domestic violence.

"People initially may raise a few eyebrows and then do a double-take and then they wave and they say 'hello elf, hello'," Ms Keris told BBC Radio Stoke.

"Children run after me which is really quite cute. They smile and say 'it wouldn't be Christmas without seeing you, Buddy's elf'."