A POPULAR Christmas character is returning to Bury to help raise money for an important cause.

Elle Murphy, former deputy manager of Wellington Villa Nursery, has once again organised a fundraising event which will see The Grinch go door to door, entertaining children across Bury and Rossendale before stopping for a meet and greet in Nuttall Park, Ramsbottom, on Saturday.

All money raised before Christmas Eve will go towards Tommy’s, a charity which researches causes and treatments to prevent baby loss and premature birth.

Elle organised the same event last Christmas with her husband Dominic, which also culminated in a meet and greet at Nuttall Park.

This year, Elle has done the same, but explained she had more time to plan and make arrangements with families to visit children, book meet and greets, breakfasts and even arrange a FaceTime call with children living in the US.

She said: “Last year, it was all a bit last minute, because we only got the idea in the first week of December, but this time around, we’ve planned it out and have a whole calendar mapped out for the whole month.

“For me and Dominic, it gives us a real festive buzz and to see the reactions from the children spurs us on and makes us want to keep on doing it.

“Because we lost two of our children, it’s important to us to keep ourselves going with things like this that put a smile on people’s face and make sure others who have had the same experience can still have a good Christmas.

"This kind of thing comes second nature to me as a nursery worker so I know how to interact with and entertain children.

“We’d also like to assure people that it is all Covid-safe, that we follow all the rules and maintain a physical distance between ourselves and those we visit.”

Last year, Elle raised over £1,000 for Tommy’s and is now hoping to improve on that record.