The Prime Minister has thanked the Harrogate family behind the global Christmas Eve Jingle in a letter.

Boris Johnson had promised to join in but he was too busy with Brexit to step out on the doorstep of Number 10 Downing Street.

So he has penned a letter to the Mary Beggs-Reid’s son Dexter to show his support. It reads:

“Dear Dexter, I am writing to thank you and your wonderful family for starting the Christmas Eve Jingle campaign.

“This heart-warming campaign gave us all a way to come together at a time when we were unable to do so in person. It captured the true meaning of Christmas and gave a sense of hope to so many.

“I would like to thank your marvellous mother Mary for her fantastic efforts to keep spirits up and make sure nobody was lonely over Christmas. I hope you are all keeping well and that you are looking forward to going back to school soon. I am sure all of your friends and teachers at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Harrogate are very proud of you.”

Read more:

• Boris backs Harrogate Christmas Eve doorstep jingle
• Doorstep jingle founder Mary leads the ringing in Harrogate

Mary Beggs-Reid, the founder of the Christmas Eve Jingle, told the Stray Ferret that it was exciting to receive the letter out of the blue:

“Mr Johnson was busy on the day with Brexit but it was really nice of him to write this letter for us. Dexter hasn’t seen it yet but I am sure he will be very proud.

“The Christmas Eve Jingle went very well and we still have a lot of people in our Facebook group. It would have been mean to close it down when so many connect there.

“It may be a little early now but we are already thinking about the next Christmas Eve Jingle. There’s real demand for it to come back.

“And who knows? If it goes well this December it could then become a yearly tradition. It could be a positive way to mark 2020.”