Christmas came early for young parents and their children in Lowestoft after a special party was held to help them through the festive period.

Staff from the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) brought Santa Claus himself to meet families and give gifts at Kirkley Children's Centre earlier this month.

East Coast Community Healthcare's FNP is a voluntary home visiting programme for first time young mums, aged 19 and under.

Family Nurse Supervisor Nicole Hobson said: 'We wanted to kick start Christmas for the little ones and give their parents a chance to meet up, chat and share their parenting experiences.

'It's very easy to stay indoors when your child is tiny and your friends may still be in college or school and that can be very lonely and isolating.'

She added: 'The party was also a chance to celebrate 10 years of FNP in the UK because our nurses really do make a difference to young first time parents.'