YORKSHIRE Building Society members have been giving a helping hand to Life Church, in Bradford's Wapping Road, as it prepares for a 'Christmas spectacular' next weekend.

The free family-friendly event takes place on Sunday, December 16, at 11am, 3pm and 6pm and will feature songs from The Greatest Showman as well as other Christmas classics. There will also be a Christmas market.

Colleagues from the building society have been helping to create a winter wonderland where children can visit Santa and enjoy a donkey ride around The Great Showman-themed circus tent.

Volunteers have been spending many hours painting the backdrops, making giant balls of popcorn and tidying the outside of the premises.

They have also been wrapping more than a thousand presents which will be handed out free to children and creating outdoor paths in preparation for the visitors.

Anna Burton, Kids’ Pastor at Bradford Life Church, said: “The Christmas Spectacular will be an event for the whole city and we’re inviting families to come and enjoy our performance including songs from this year’s favourite film The Greatest Showman.

“The celebration is completely free and we’d love as many people as possible to come along and join in the fun.”

Yorkshire Building Society’s volunteering scheme allows every colleague up to 31 hours’ paid leave a year to help out at a charity or good cause of their choice.

Fiona May, community coordinator at Yorkshire Building Society, said: “It was a privilege to be able to help Life Church get ready for its Christmas Spectacular. Everyone had such a good time and it certainly put our creative skills to the test.

“At Yorkshire Building Society we’re passionate about supporting those charities and good causes in our community which really make a difference. We can’t wait to see the smiles on the children’s faces when they enter the winter wonderland”

In 2017, Yorkshire Building Society Group colleagues donated more than 22,000 hours volunteering with charities and good causes around the UK.