A Kidderminster insurance broker has launched a service where children can send a letter to Santa and receive a personalised reply.

The North Pole Mail Service, set up by Howden Kidderminster, allows families to visit the branch and collect a specially designed postcard for children to write their Christmas wishes to Santa.

These can be posted in the ‘North Pole Mailbox’ within the branch.

Matt Miles, branch manager at Howden Kidderminster, said: "We’re making it easier than ever for your little ones to share their wishes with Santa, so that he knows exactly what they’re hoping for this year.

"And to make the experience even more magical, they can also get a personalised response back from Father Christmas himself.

"Our aim is to not just help children connect with Santa, but also help parents create those magical moments that make Christmas so special."

The service is free to participate in, with the team at Howden believing that every child should have the opportunity to hear from Santa at Christmas time.

After posting their letter to Santa, families can visit the Howden website to download a template letter from Santa.

The template can be printed at home, and parents can add their child’s name and the present they included in their letter to Santa.

In addition to the North Pole Mail Service, Howden is also running a competition to help reduce the cost of Christmas.

The competition will see 20 lucky winners receive a £250 pre-loaded Mastercard, equivalent to the difference in Christmas costs from five years ago.

The branch team is also organising a series of festive events to spread Christmas cheer.

Howden was founded 30 years ago by three brokers and a dog named Flight, and is one of the UK’s largest independent insurance brokers.