A young boy’s fears that his new house would not have a chimney big enough to fit Father Christmas has led a Cotswold builder designing one of the world’s first Father Christmas-friendly chimneys.
Leo Park, six, was understandably alarmed when his mother Jade began designing a new holiday home with a chimney that was too small for Father Christmas.
So he wrote to local builder Jeremy Paxton, whose team set to work on the “perfect Father Christmas chimney” using a simple mathematical formula.
Leo wrote: “I am worried that my mummy’s house doesn’t have a big enough chimney. I think Father Christmas will get stuck. Please can you help? Love Leo.”
Mr Paxton was taken by the sweet-natured note and commissioned an architect and a mathematician to design a Chimney that could fit Saint Nick, his bulging frame and a sack full of presents on Christmas day.
On Monday Mr Paxton unveiled the chimney, which is undergoing practical tests, at the Lower Mill Estate near Cirencester, Glos.
Leo and his mother were guests of honour as a crane lifted Father Christmas up to the roof of the £750,000 four-storey property and lowered him into the Cotswold stone chimney, which goes all the way down to the sitting room.
“A perfect fit,” said Father Christmas. “I wish they were all like this.”
The idea was born after Mrs Park met Mr Paxton at a party and expressed a desire in buying a new holiday home on the estate.
“When I got Leo’s letter I was just going to write back to him at first, but then I got to thinking there was more to it,” said Mr Paxton, the founder and owner of the Lower Mill Estate.
“I contacted one of the Lower Mill architects, Andy Ramus, who has recently become a dad himself and he was really taken with the idea.
“He talked to a mathematician who came up with a formula and produced 3D computer images and working drawings for the perfect Father Christmas chimney.”
The hard work paid off as Leo was left suitably impressed by the design.
"It was brilliant. That’s the best thing ever," he said.
“He didn’t get stuck. He went right down. It was fantastic.
"I'm glad I wrote the letter. It means in future Christmases there will be no problem with everyone getting their presents on time."
Leo and his mum Jade, from Hertfordshire, said they were looking forward to moving into their custom-built home sometime in the New Year.
Mr Ramus added: “I have recently become a father and when I was approached by Jeremy Paxton with little Leo's letter and the chance to play a part in putting the magic back into Christmas I jumped at the chance.
"We specialise in small buildings and this has to be the smallest and most unique we have ever taken on. We hope that Leo and Father Christmas are happy with our work."
While Leo said he wanted a Scalextric motor-racing set for Christmas, he added what he really wanted for Christmas was Father Christmas to find and return is his pet dog, Percy.
The two-year-old chocolate labrador has been missing since being frightened by gunshots in woods at Christmas Common near his home.
story from telegraph.co.uk
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