A DORSET family has been spreading festive cheer across some of the county's most iconic locations by recording a message for friends and family featuring space angels and robots.

The family had a budget of £20 for the costumes and asked passersby to film them on a camera phone.

The result is a video Christmas card featuring festive music, robots and space angels dancing around some of Dorset’s most iconic landmarks, including Corfe Castle, Swanage Beach, Lulworth Cove, the Purbeck's and Kingston Lacy house.

They had intended to also film at Durdle Door and the Roman Town House in Dorchester. But the rain was pouring down in Dorchester and it was so windy at Durdle Door that their robot heads kept blowing off, so they decided they would leave those locations until next year’s video.

Mum Lorna Rees and dad Adam Coshan, along with sons Dylan, 9, and Rufus, 8, make a Christmas video each year for family and friends.

Mum Lorna said: “It’s a kind of tradition which started five years ago when the boys were really little as we hadn’t managed to write any cards, so we made a film on Adam’s phone camera on Hengistbury Beach to apologise to our friends and family, and it sort of snowballed from there.

“Each year gets a bit more elaborate!”

The family were inspired by UK astronaut Tim Peake’s journey into space and a trip to the National Space Centre at half term. They couldn’t decide between the theme of Space Angels or Robots, so they did both.

They had a budget of £20, which was almost entirely spent on their silver trousers, so they got creative with cardboard, safety goggles, left over fabric pieces, cycle helmet insides and old socks.

Lorna said: “Complete strangers filmed us at all of the various locations and we had some interesting looks, but every single person we approached said yes to helping us out. It was a really lovely act of collective Christmas spirit.”

The family said they had a great time and kept bursting into giggles while filming.

Lorna said: “It was brilliant. It was so funny – dashing around different beauty spots.

“We just had the best time.”

In less than 24 hours the video has had more than 300 views on YouTube.