Santa and his helpers showed true Christmas spirit following a medical emergency in the queue for his grotto.

The incident took place as crowds flocked to the festive lights display at the Home of Rest for Old Horses on Richmond Hill on Wednesday evening last week (December 20).

A visitor from Canada in the island to spend his first Christmas with his three-year-old granddaughter was queuing for Santa’s grotto with other family members when he started feeling poorly.

He became faint and semi-collapsed just as they were next but one in the line to see Father Christmas.

But staff members Diana Watterson and Jessica Comish, who were dressed as elves, kicked into action, getting a chair and water for the patient and moving people out of the way so that paramedics could reach the patient.

A family member dialled 999 and the ambulance arrived within 10 minutes.

Santa, meanwhile, kept the little girl - who was very worried about her granddad – distracted and entertained, showing her the donkeys in the grotto until the paramedics arrived.

The patient was checked over in the back of the ambulance, and is now resting at his daughter’s home and has made a good recovery.

His daughter posted a thank you on social media.

She said: ‘Thank you to all the staff at the Isle of Man of Home of Rest for Old Horses who ran to help out when my dad was in a medical emergency in the most awkward place in there - the line for Santa.

‘Thank you to the families surrounding us for being so patient and offering help.

‘Thank you to Santa for keeping my very excited three-year-old distracted for as long as you could while the amazing emergency services - who were there in a flash - saw to her grandfather and got him out of the line and into the ambulance.

‘And thank you to the family in front of us, also with a toddler, who were literally next to see Santa and gave up their spot so the wonderful medically trained mum could go to see my dad.

‘What an angel!’

Posting on the night of the incident, she said her dad was at home resting and ‘hopefully would be recovered very soon and is very grateful for all the kindness shown’.

‘We cannot thank any of you enough. I am so proud of our lovely little island right now,’ she added.

Operations manager Barbara Cucchi said: ‘There were a lot of people in that queue and they were so understanding.

‘The public were fantastic. The family felt reassured that everything was being done for them.

‘The gentleman was visiting from Canada and had arrived in the island on Monday.

‘They had come up to see the lights and the granddaughter was really excited.

‘He became quite faint, we think he was over-heated and exhausted from his journey.

‘The little girl was very worried about her grandfather but Santa kept her entertained.’