Father Christmas is coming early to Felixstowe - with a fun summer holiday event which has a serious purpose.

A poster close to the pier showing Santa on holiday in the resort has been attracting a lot of interest - but what is is all about?

The answer is that Plastic-Free Felixstowe has invited Santa along to an awareness day on the beach on August 2, along with Ipswich Town legend Mick Mills.

Debbie Bartlett, a member of the community group, said: “We were looking for a celebrity who was attractive to a lot of children, and we thought, where does Father Christmas go for his holidays?”

She added: “He won’t be wearing his red suit, but a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, a baseball cap with SC on it, and sunglasses. But he will still have his beard,

“It is a fun day with a serious message - we all need to consider our use of plastics and how we recycle. We want to encourage everyone not to drop litter and keep our oceans blue.”

Santa will be arriving at his summer grotto on the pier at 11am, where he will be greeted by former ITFC captain Mick Mills and Felixstowe Community Choir.

Youngsters can then join him for a litter pick on the beach from around 1pm, accompanied by volunteer elves. Then at 2pm he will be going for afternoon tea at the Orwell Hotel, where the group’s first “plastic-free” certificate will be presented to management.

Postcards from Santa about the event have been given to children in the town. Youngsters can take a “summer selfie” with Santa on the pier and there will even be a special postbox for early letters.

People going along can make voluntary donations to the charity East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices.

Plastic-Free Felixstowe is working to eliminate single-use plastic in the town. It has taken inspiration from the TV series Blue Planet, and the group has received a phone call from Sir David Attenborough supporting its campaign.