9 heart-warming pictures from HMS Sultan children's Christmas Party where lucky guests got to meet Santa Claus

Families at HMS Sultan came together for a magical event at the Gosport naval engineering base. The annual Children's Christmas Party welcomed families from across the HMS Sultan community, including Royal Navy personnel, civil servants and contractors who support daily operations at the training establishment.

The event featured a special visit from Father Christmas himself, who took time out from his busy schedule at the North Pole to meet the children. Young guests also had the opportunity to meet real reindeer.

Entertainment was in abundance, with inflatables providing energetic fun, whilst creative activities included gingerbread decorating sessions. Children enjoyed watching films in the cinema, were delighted by a talented balloon artist, and danced along to music from the DJ. An ice cream van added a sweet treat to the festivities. Over 180 young people attended the celebration.

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Father Christmas said: "It's wonderful to visit HMS Sultan, where so many talented engineers and technicians work to keep the Royal Navy's ships, submarines and aircraft operational. I've checked my list thoroughly, and I'm pleased to report that the children here have been especially good this year. Their families do such important work supporting our naval operations, and it's my pleasure to bring them some festive joy."

Base Warrant Officer WO1 Marty Wallace said: "Hosting our Children's Christmas Party is one of the highlights of our calendar at HMS Sultan. Our people work incredibly hard throughout the year, delivering professional engineering training and supporting naval operations. Events like this allow us to recognise and celebrate the vital role that families play in supporting our personnel. It's important that we take time to thank them and bring the whole Sultan community together, especially during the festive season."

Here are nine wonderful pictures from the event.