TODDLER Joshua Wilson saw his dream come true when he travelled to Lapland to meet the real Father Christmas.

The five-year-old joined 100 children with life-threatening and long-term illnesses on a trip to the heartland of Christmas, courtesy of the When You Wish Upon A Star charity.

Joshua, of Walshaw Road, Bury, had to undergo life-saving surgery in March, 2004, when he was diagnosed with a tumour and a cyst on his brain stem. The complicated operation left Joshua in a rare "sleep-like" coma where his body could not function, yet he remained fully aware of his surroundings.

Over the following months, Joshua, who is a pupil at Tottington Primary School, has made steady progress, regaining strength in his arms and legs and head control, with his eyes reopening. Now he is no longer classed as being in a coma.

The Stockport-based charity fulfils dozens of wishes each year to make children's dreams come true. On the trip to Lapland the youngsters were joined by Coronation Street stars Wendy Peters, who plays Cilla Battersby, and charity patron Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Grimshaw.

The fun-packed day began at 5am, flying out from Manchester Airport with the youngsters and their families kept entertained by magicians as they made their way to the Enchanted Forest.

There, the group travelled in style on a husky dog sledge and reindeer sleigh before enjoying snowball fights, toasting marshmallows and fireworks, cramming as many activities as possible into the one-hour of daylight.

After being initiated into the Arctic Circle, Joshua and his new friends were treated to a Christmas buffet before being introduced to the man himself, Father Christmas, who arrived on a reindeer and sleigh and presented each child with their first hand-delivered Christmas present.

The day ended with a trip to Santa's Village where Joshua was treated to a tour of Santa's main post office to see where the thousands of letters made up of Christmas wish-lists are sent by children from around the world.

Joshua's mum, Dawn, said: "It really was the most amazing experience for us all and so fantastic that Joshua was well enough to go and that we were given so much help and support from the charity to get him there to meet the real Santa! It's a day we will never forget!"