SANTA is cheering up Bolton’s commuters, making an appearance outside Westhoughton train station this December.

Father Christmas and his reindeer are putting smiles on the faces of residents, who last month were devastated to find their train station had been trashed by vandals.

Volunteers from the Friends of Westhoughton Station group spend hours tidying up and taking care of the station surroundings, but in November they found that their hard work had been ruined and ornaments damaged.

The plucky volunteers have fought back against the vandals and are putting on a show for Christmas.

They have adorned the station with a tinsel-filled sleigh, trees full of baubles and a red-nosed Rudolph to end the year on a festive note.

Stephen Freeborn, the chair of the train station group, is encouraging residents to go to the station and have a look, saying: “They are quite something!”

The group was set up in 2012 with the intention of clearing the station of weeds, rubble and rubbish.

Volunteers plant flowers and make displays to brighten up the area.