Brave Tony Hudgell, eight, who lost legs through abuse & raised £1.8m for charity, travels to Lapland to find Santa
BRAVE Tony Hudgell has been given the Christmas of a lifetime, as he jets off to Finland to see Father Christmas, the elves and reindeer.
The lad, eight, is flying out with his adoptive parents Paula and Mark Hudgell and his three adoptive siblings to stay in a festive log cabin in the snowy Finnish countryside.
Tony gained recognition for his courage after suffering abuse at the hands of his birth parents, before raising almost £2million for charity after the ordeal.
Tony told MailOnline: "I cannot wait to see the elves and Santa and it's going to be the best time ever. I'm looking forward to seeing the reindeer too!"
Tony's adoptive mum Paula was reportedly beaming before taking off from Gatwick with her family.
"All of us have always spoken about Lapland. It's always something we wanted to do but we're never able to do. We can now - and it's absolutely incredible, just wonderful," she said.
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Lapland is the home of Santa Claus, and boasts a gorgeous Christmas village with Santa's Post Office, cafes and restaraunts.
The main attraction, of course, is Father Christmas: who sits in his chamber every day in Lapland, ready to greet children.
Father Christmas is planning a big Christmas surprise for the lad: a cheque for £5,000 for the Tony Hudgell Foundation.
Prince William and wife Kate have praised the boy over his charity fundraising for at-risk children.
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In 2020, Tony set out to raise £500 for Evelina London Children's hospital after seeing Sir Captain Tom Moore raise £33million by walking in his backyard.
Last year a foundation set up in his name to enhance the lives of children who have been affected by physical, emotional, or psychological abuse provided more than 700 Christmas presents for children in need.
In 2018, Tony was given a chance to visit Hamley's and meet Father Christmas through the Dreams Come True charity.
