A number of Santas have been taught how to make their yuletide festivities safer after the coronavirus pandemic threatened to cancel Christmas.

The Ministry of Fun Santa School claims to be the only professional Santa training school in Britain, and took on the responsibility of equipping its Santas with the skills they require in 2020.

These include grotto layout management, social distancing, queue management and the use of masks and visors.

The summer training session, run by Britain’s number one supplier of Father Christmas performers, took place at Southwark Cathedral on Monday, four months ahead of Christmas Eve.

James Lovell, director of the Ministry of Fun Santa School, said: “You can’t have Christmas without Santa!

“Now more than ever, everyone needs a bit of magic in their life – and that’s what the great man can still bring us all with some special measures in place to allow social distancing.”