THOUSANDS lined the streets on a crisp morning yesterday to welcome Father Christmas to Poole.

Santa arrived at the Quay on an RNLI lifeboat with characters from the town’s pantomime, Aladdin, before greeting crowds on the packed shore, as well as town crier David Squire and Mayor, Cllr Carol Evans.

He then got into his sleigh to take part in the parade through the town to the Dolphin Centre.

Joining the parade were Father Christmas’s reindeer, the Wessex Majorettes, the Dolphin Marching Band and fun characters.

Mandy Hassall, from Poole, was watching with children Lily, five, and Jake, three.

She said: “This is the first time for us. It’s a fantastic event for the children, they were very excited. They were most excited about Father Christmas arriving on a lifeboat.”

Chase Clark and Talli Davies, from Poole, were there with son Marlee, 18 months.

Talli said: “The lifeboat is a nice touch being as it’s in Poole with the lifeboat nearby – it makes it stand out.”

Laura White, from Bournemouth, was with children Charlie, five and Ollie, three.

She said: “It’s about seeing Santa for the kids. The water and the lifeboat makes it a bit different. They’ve been waiting for it all week.”

We've got all the pictures from the event in our special gallery.