A herd of four hard-working reindeer in South Shields have been given a special present by their owners this Christmas with the delivery of 220lbs of their favourite moss from Lapland.
The special consignment of this "reindeer moss", a bushy lichen found in arctic climes, serves as good winter fodder for reindeer and an average male can eat up to 12lbs a day.
Travelling more than 1300 miles from Lapland in Finland, the gourmet goods were delivered by local transport specialists Glendale Transport to the herd's home at Richardson's Garden Centre in Seaham.
As a member of Palletways, Europe's largest and fastest growing distribution network for small consignments of palletised freight, staff at Glendale Transport were the perfect neighbours to arrange delivery of the moss.
Marjorie Moore, Managing Director at Glendale Transport said: "We were delighted when Richardson's Garden Centre came to us with this rather unusual festive request.
"The reindeer are beautiful animals and a great hit locally at this time of year with children and adults alike, so they really deserve a treat.
"We are proud to have been helping local businesses with their distribution needs for over 34 years, and, whilst we are not quite as speedy as Santa and his reindeer, our goal is always to ensure everyone's goods are delivered on time."
George Richardson of Richardson's Garden Centre said: "The reindeer work really hard at this time of year and are in demand as they absolutely epitomise Christmas so we want to reward them with some gourmet grub.
"It might seem that transporting the moss all the way from Lapland is a bit of an effort, but it's their absolute favourite and having Glendale so local means that it's incredibly straightforward."