POORLY youngsters truly had a day to remember when they jetted off to Lapland for a dream trip.
As reported, some 81 children – including 24 from Northern Lincolnshire –boarded the 'Santa Express' to the Arctic Circle before dawn on Wednesday morning.
The event is the culmination of year-round fundraising by the region's branch of national charity When You Wish Upon A Star.
Celebrities on board, including football pundit Chris Kamara and soap stars, showered praise on the charity for treating children with terminal and life limiting illnesses like kings and queens for the day.
A long day ended when the chartered Monarch flight returned to Humberside Airport at 9.30pm, more than 14 hours after leaving the same tarmac that morning bound for Northern Finland.
During the visit, children and their families had fun in the snow with toboggan and husky rides and more, before meeting Santa and then taking a trip to Santa's village, where they visited Santa's Post Office.
Among those on the trip were 11-year-old Ormiston Maritime Academy pupil Dominic Woodhouse, who has type-1 diabetes.
He enjoyed the day out with mum Poppy Birkitt, and said he had loved his husky ride and sledging in the snow.
He said: "The huskies were awesome."
He added: "On a scale of one to ten for how much I've been looking forward to the trip it would be more than ten."
Mum Poppy praised the charity for making the experience possible.
Nine-year-old Jack Booth, a pupil at Edward Heneage Primary, enjoyed exploring the snow, which was a foot deep in places.
He described the trip as "awesome".
Dad Daniel Crossfield added: "It's just great that the charity does this. The kids just love it."
Emmerdale actor Bhasker Patel said his second trip to Lapland was every bit as special as his first last year.
He enjoyed mixing with the youngsters but said he had struggled to keep the show's top secret festive storyline under wraps from curious parents.
He said of the trip: "Last year it was a bit daunting but now I'm an old hand. A few of the others from Emmerdale haven't been before so now I'm holding their hands."
He added: "I have fundraised with the charity so to see that money being spent here is very special. I have been so excited I couldn't sleep."
He said the stars of the soap had already filmed Christmas scenes which remain top secret, meaning he had to remain tight-lipped when asked by fans what would happen.
As the plane began its descent into Humberside Airport, the charity's regional manager Joanne Heywood praised volunteers and staff for putting together another "incredible day".
She thanked airline Monarch which has flown passengers to and from Lapland for each of the 19 years, but said changes to the company meant it would sadly not be involved in the future.
A special announcement from the flight crew praised Joanne and was followed by a huge cheer and round of applause from passengers.
Now work begins to put together next year's trip, when another raft of youngsters will enjoy the day of a lifetime as they continue to fight their own health battles closer to home.
ON THE WEB: See videos, picture galleries and more from the trip on our website, www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk
