A CONVOY of decorated campervans delivered a pile of presents to poorly children in Oxford.

Patients and families gathered outside Oxford Children’s Hospital yesterday as 20 festooned Volkswagen vans pulled up, laden down with bags of Christmas presents.

Members of Oxfordshire VW Transporters Group visited the Headington hospital for the third year running, to bring smiles to the faces of children on the wards.

Dressed in Santa suits and festive jumpers - including their dogs - the group’s donations filled four large hospital trolleys.

Organiser Sarah Corkery-Lloyd, from Carterton, said: “Christmas is supposed to be a happy time and it’s unfortunate that sometimes children aren’t with their families, but are in hospital because they are poorly.

“VW groups do [present] runs at various hospitals, so we thought why not come here.”

Mrs Corkery-Lloyd, who works for the NHS in Swindon, said the event has grown year on year - from nine campervans the first time to 12 last year.

Children’s hospital patient Imogen Roberts, aged two, was one of the children delighted to receive a present yesterday morning.

The toddler happily clutched her new doll set in her special wheelchair, dressed in a sparkly Rapunzel outfit, as her nine-year-old brother Aiden received a Lego gift.

Their mum Holly Roberts, of Raunds in Northamptonshire, said: “Anything like this is just great, to come outside and do something fun and different.

“I was really worried she wouldn’t get to see Santa [this year]. What a kind thing for them to do. I can’t believe how much stuff they have got.”

Imogen has been at Oxford Children’s Hospital for a month after being diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological condition affecting the spinal cord.

Her mum said she had displayed cold-like symptoms and the next day, she was unable to walk.

She added: “The hospital is very consistent with staff and the play team here is brilliant, there are always things to do.”

Children at the hospital were also treated to a second gift drop yesterday afternoon, courtesy of the H Cafe in Berinsfield.

More than 100 motorcyclists dressed in festive gear zoomed to the hospital to drop off another impressive load of presents, and more able patients were given the chance to sit on some of the bikes.

Richard Allen, owner of the popular biker cafe, said: “It was brilliant - the kids loved it.

“We’ve been doing the toy run for years at Christmas and Easter, it’s just something we enjoy doing.

“It does brighten their day and they love looking at all the bikers dressed up.”

Many motorcyclists put up posters at their workplaces to secure donations of presents.

The cafe’s toy run has been running for at least 10 years, and Mr Allen said the event had gradually become ‘bigger and better’.