Meet the Edinburgh elves helping Royal Mail deliver Christmas magic

Royal Mail staff in Edinburgh are handling a major seasonal surge, as hundreds of thousands of children’s letters to Santa arrive from across the UK ahead of the Christmas deadline.

A dedicated team of specially-trained “elves” has been brought in to help process the festive post, ensuring every wish list and drawing makes it to the North Pole before Christmas Eve.

The letters have been arriving at Royal Mail’s centre in the capital, each one part of one of the organisation’s biggest annual logistical operations.

Jennifer Robb from Royal Mail said: “We’re so proud at Royal Mail to have 60 years’ worth of helping Santa to get ready; all the colourful letters they have for Santa, it’s lovely to see them all coming through for the children.”

Youngsters who include their full name, postcode and address can expect a reply from Santa, with a British Sign Language response also available for the first time.

Inside the centre, Santa is treated as a VIP. Only one other person in the UK has their own dedicated post box here – the King.

Royal Mail says there is still time to post a letter, but those hoping for a response need to act fast. The final date for replies is December 10.