Santa is a busy man this time of the year. But he found time to man his own 'ice grotto' at Slough's Observatory Shopping Centre on Friday - and the town's mayor Cllr Arvind Dhaliwal was there to welcome him in person.

As if this was not enough, one of Disney's most popular characters Elsa from the film Frozen came along too to add an extra touch of seasonal sparkle - after all this was an ice grotto.

Chris Shaw, centre manager at The Queensmere Observatory said: "This time of year is all about children and what a delight it was to see so many smiling faces and hear the sound of the children squealing with excitement when Santa arrived."

Some children had been waiting for half an hour. But Elsa from Frozen was on hand to keep them amused while they waited. She out sweets and posed for photos.

When Santa finally arrived he made quite an entrance, ringing a bell before taking up residence in the grotto with his elves after a few words from the mayor.

One lucky child, three-year-old Mya Trimble from Slough visiting the grotto with her mother Charlie Jenner was chosen at random by Elsa to win a special prize.

When she celebrates her fourth birthday the Observatory will arrange for the Disney princess of her choice to be a special guest - enabling her to invite all her friends to a genuine, princess-themed occasion.

Don't worry if you missed the opening of the grotto at the weekend. It will be there every day from now until Christmas Eve - open from 11am to 5pm.

On Christmas Eve the opening time will be 11am to 2pm.

Entry is £3 with a gift for every child and there will be an opportunity to get a framed photo for £7.