When both Santa and Postman Pat had to be rescued in Sunderland in 1998

Sunderland schoolboy Richard Lightfoot was in the festive news 35 years ago - after rescuing Postman Pat.

The quick-thinking teenager rescued two sacks mail when it fell from a Royal Mail van outside his home on Ettrick Grove.

The van driver continued his journey to the Post Office, unaware the contents of the sacks, including a batch of Postman Pat annuals on their way to winners of an Echo competition, bundles of newspapers, parcels and bills had fallen out.

'Letters were flying all over the place'

Richard (15) was talking a next-door neighbour when he saw newspapers flying through the air.

“At first I thought a paper boy had dumped his papers. Then I had a closer look and saw the letters everywhere.”

“I ran down to the bottom of the road and picked up as many letters as I could. It was hard work as it was dark and very windy. Letters were flying all over the place - they were everywhere, on the main road, the cemetery, people’s gardens.”

When Santa got stuck in the chimney

Richard’s dad Barrie (43) helped rescue the mail and managed to flag down the Post Office van as it returned along the road.

That same year, Santa Claus got himself into a sticky situation while delivering presents down one Wearside chimney.

All hands came to his rescue as leading ambulanceman Bill Parkin and qualified ambulancemen Bob Shaw, Peter Lawson and Jim Walker tried to free him from the predicament.

Fortunately for Santa, it was all just a prank devised by leading ambulanceman Alan Simpson.

The crazy sight could be seen on the roof of the Washington ambulance station in Concorde.

Share your own 1988 memories by emailing [email protected]