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Bus driver brings passengers joy by dressing up

BBC A bus driver wearing a red nutcracker outfit and a false white beard, stands in front of a red bus which displays Merry Christmas on its destination screen.BBC
Julie Richardson has dozens of outfits in her festive collection

A bus driver is catching attention by dressing up as a festive character each day in December.

Julie Richardson, who works at a depot in Percy Main, North Shields, has so far dressed as the Grinch, Frosty the Snowman and a Christmas nutcracker.

"The kids love it and the adults don't expect it," said the bus driver for Go North East.

She came up with the idea after suffering bereavements of close friends and family in December over recent years, and said she wanted to make it a "happy month".

Handout A composite of two images, one showing a bus driver dressed with green make-up like the Grinch and standing in the middle of two people. Another image is a close up of the bus driver wearing a Grinch outfit and black rimmed glasses.Handout
Julie Richardson has been surprising passengers with her Christmas costumes

Ms Richardson, who has been a bus driver for 21 years and drives between North Tyneside, Newcastle and Gateshead, gets up at 04:00 GMT to start her shift but has woken up even earlier to choose her costume and apply face paint.

She has three suitcases full of fancy dress outfits and the collection has cost her hundreds of pounds.

'I love to see kids smile'

"I just love dressing up, from being a teenager, we used to do fancy dress balls at college and that's where it started," she said.

"One by one it got more and more, it started off as just an elf, but the elf [collection] has expanded.

"I love to see kids smile, there's enough bad in the world, and you just see those little ones, when I'm dressed as an elf they ask if I know Santa and I say, 'Of course I do'.

"Life's too short, if I can make myself laugh and other people laugh, the job's done."

Go North East Julie Richardson standing on a bus dressed as the Grinch in a Santa suit. Her face is green and she is smiling.Go North East
Go North East Julie Richardson standing on a bus dressed as a snowman. She has a carrot as a nose.Go North East
Even the Grinch is smiling this Christmas on some bus journeys
Julie warmed up commutes dressed as a festive Frosty the Snowman

Each day, passengers having been trying to guess what Ms Richardson will be wearing, which has become a festive tradition in itself.

Her colleagues also try to catch her at the depot to get a glimpse of her latest outfit.

Fellow bus driver Scott Crossland said: "She's crackers in the best way possible.

"I'm not sure anybody would be able to get me dressed up like that, I'm not a Scrooge but I just can't pull it off as good as Julie. It's fantastic."

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