TIME appeared to stand still at Christ Church on Saturday when Father Christmas dropped in from Lapland.

But Santa’s chronological mastery may have had less to do with the man in the red suit’s magical powers – and more to do with the Old Town church’s busted clock.

The Friends of Christ Church, which organised Saturday’s popular Christmas fayre, hoped to donate part of the proceeds from the event to fixing the tower-mounted timepiece.

Caroline Pitt, chairman of the Friends association, suggested it could cost up to £4,000 to fix the problem.

“Much of the money we make from the refreshments will go towards mending the clock,” she said.

Families seemed unconcerned about the out-of-service clock, with children beaming as Father Christmas himself walked down the central aisle of the church handing-out sweets.

Through his thick beard, “Santa” told the Adver: “It’s an absolute a feature of the year to come and see those children in Swindon.”