Santa is coming to Twickenham Green along with Rudolph and at least one of his very busy elves.

He will be hosting a grotto later this month for local youngsters as part of an effort to encourage families to get into the Christmas spirit.

The special event is a first for the Green and has been organised by Discover Twickenham, which is set up under the area's Business Improvement District (BID) supported by local businesses.

The organisation's interim manager, Anthony Gopaul, said: "This is a fun Christmas even for pre-school age children.

"We have an inflatable grotto and visitors can expected to see Santa and helper, a little elf, as well as illuminated reindeer and snowman."

He added: "This is a community event supported by local Twickenham businesses. There is not much activity on Twickenham Green so this is good to support the community children and their families.

"It's free to attend and there is no profit to be made from the event. There is no booking arrangement, visitors can just walk up and queue."

The grotto will operate from Tuesday, November 16, through to Friday, November 19, and opens from 3pm to 6pm each day. It serves a curtain raiser for the switch-on of the Christmas lights on Sunday, November 21.