Santa sheds fake belly to encourage children to stay trim

A HEALTH conscious Santa at a city shopping centre is refusing to wear a fake belly as he believes it promotes child obesity.

Trim Bill Winton, 80, claims youngsters see Santa Claus as a chubby role model and grow up thinking it's OK to be overweight. The former dockyard worker's stance has been backed by bosses at Westside Shopping Plaza in Wester Hailes.

He said: "Just last week I had a couple of children on my knee and was left with sore legs because they were so tubby. I now refuse to stuff a pillow in my Santa suit as it doesn't set the right example.

"A lot of people say to me 'why are you not fat Santa?' and I tell them I am trying to promote healthy eating in a bid to tackle child obesity."

Westside Plaza manager Alex Limond said: "If Santa can't persuade kids to be healthy then no one can.

A Scottish Government spokesman added: "We are delighted to hear that our strong message in tackling the problem of obesity has reached as far as the North Pole."